Why still own physical media

What kind of question this is in the first place?

It is year 2023 and there is a huge place called Internet where we can listen lots and lots of music with quite reasonably price and watch lots of movies with a price what is less than one new DVD/BluRay/UHD 4K BluRay movie so it feels for some strange that there is still people who prefer to actually go and buy physical media like CD's, vinyls and DVD and other movie formats. Since I am one of those people who collect CD's, vinyls, DVD's, BluRays, 4K UHD BluRays and I still have lots of VHS tapes as well as C Cassettes so it is a nice to write some words about this just for fun.

Because it just works

One great thing about physical media is that it just works. Of course if you mishandle your physical media then of course it will stop working, but if you use normal handling then those items last long times. I have vinyls what are made on 1970's, some might be even older and those still work. Surely their sound quality is not as top notch than it might have been as a new (hard to say since I was not alive back then), but the fact that it still works and sounds good tells me enough about the longevity of format when you have handled your media properly.

Players die from time to time, CD players or vinyl players does not last forever but the actual media very rarely crash and gets destroyed on its own. If you buy a CD and keep it stored in your shelf 20 years and then put it on a player then it is quite surprising if that wouldn't be working anymore. These things are built to last without need for effort to keep them good - quite opposite, you need effor to destroy these things or you need to handle these so strangely that it is not normal case for usage.

Sadly same cannot be said about Mp3, Flac and other media formats on computers. Of course files itself does not just corrupt, but almost any digital file format will corrupt in some time since the disc/media where these files are stored will die eventually on its own. SD cards, SSD disks, hard drives, M.2 discs etc. have shorter life exceptancy than CD and vinyl (of course I might be wrong and there can be some disks which have better life exceptancy!). There is also optical discs called M-Disc which should have much better life exceptance, but I have not ever used those yet. So shortly, you have to spend more effort to make sure that your data does not disappear from computers because of failures in discs but on vinyls and CD's you have to actually spend more effort to make those discs unusable since those does not lose data on its own.

Nowadays surely many people don't keep Mp3 or Flac on their own computers or other devices so in that perspective previous chapter is irrelevant to them since many casual listener use Spotify or another streaming service. Still those are even more prone to problems since there is so many other layers what can break.

For example to make Spotify work you have to have a device what is supported by Spotify and that can change in any time. If they stop their support for older iOS or OSX versions, what are you going to do? Update your devices? Of course that is normally the case anyway but the point is that external requirements can change in any time and your previously good working listening device might not be good after the next update and without that update it won't work either, so you are in a situation when you just have to update your devices just because somebody somewhere made the decision that software version you are using is not good enough anymore.

There is more layers to this complexity of course. There is operating system updates what can break Spotify (or others), there is application updates what might change the usability to better or worse or even break the whole functionality and then of course there is a requirement for Internet unless you have downloaded those songs to offline mode. And if you have, then was it really that more convenient than just owning the physical media and rip it to your own machine anyway?

I like album arts in physical form

I like album arts especially on physical form. They have own different feeling when I can see the image and feel the paper on my hands than if I would just see the cover art image. On digital services like Spotify and Apple Music I can see only the front cover, but on real physical disc I can see also the back cover of the album. I can feel it in my hand, I can open the album covers and very often there is beautiful art inside as well what is missing on digital services.

Many times there is also lyrics printed on paper and I can see those without having a need for internet. Of course not all albums have lyrics printed, but many have. It is just totally different experience (for me) to put my headphones on, put CD/vinyl on the player and start listening, look the album arts, read lyrics printed on paper than putting the music playing on Spotify/Apple Music/Whatever and then read lyrics on the net.

For example, font selections in album arts are there by choice made by somebody who have been part of making this album or its cover arts, but lyrics on the internet are just plain and simple same font no matter the album. Fonts only purpose is not to express information, fonts have emotion and meaning as well. If you disagree, think if you would get official tax payment form or police report what would have been written with Comic Sans. Would it make any difference if it would be written in Times New Roman or Helvetica or even Arial?

It does not change neither disappear on their own

When I own music or a movie in a physical media I know that it does not change at any time. It is what it is and it will stay that way. What I mean by this is that there is no need to worry about censorship or removal of songs or scenes in movies because those are not viewed as accepted in current era of life.

For example, if in lyrics there is controversial ideas, "bad words" or the artist has been found later to be a criminal or whatever, his/hers music does not disappear from my shelf or any songs does not disappear on their own because of some media scandal or any kind of moral panic. It is what it is and it will stay that way. On streaming services they can just remove the song/songs they think it is not good song for me to listen for whatever reason and then there is nothing I can do for it.

Sometimes albums gets removed from catalogues from Spotify and other stores. Same happens for movies in Netflix and others. Artists or recording labels might want to remove those albums for reason or another and deals might have ended between the publisher and the digital platform so after that you are not able to watch those movies on Netflix or listen those albums on Spotify.

There is also times when albums changes later in streaming services. For example, they might get different version of the album there what they previously had. For some this is not a big deal, but I prefer that my album stays the same all the time. I don't like that randomly there is new songs or the track order has been changed or there is different mixing or mastering.

I can choose what to do with my media items

When I have a physical disc I can listen those in anywhere I want if I am able to take that disc with me. On streaming services they can implement any kind of regional lockdowns in any time they want and then you are not able to listen your music easily or watch your movies on your vacation for example if you are on different country. I can take my CD or even DVD to my car, take it to my workplace, I can borrow it to my friends and if I want I can also sell it away anytime I want and I would be able to get some money from it.

It is better for environment as well

Physical media is better for environment than any kind of streaming services. Of course there is environmental impact on pressing and sharing DVD's, CD's etc. but once those are pressed and shared and sold they have zero impact on environment if you keep those in your home in your shelf. When you play those media items then of course that will use energy, but it uses only when you use that item, but when those are not used they do not cause negative impact for environment unlike Spotify, Netflix and others.

On many sites there is calculations and estimations how little Spotify uses energy, but those pages most often seem to ignore the much bigger impact in whole - they need to have their serverfarms up and running 24/7/365 so it is available whenever you decide to use it. If you watch 1 movie per month on Netflix they still need to have these serverfarms up and running 24/7 what uses energy all the time. Energy is not even the only one - those machines needs hard disks, computers, routers and backup tapes etc. and those does not last forever and then there is a need to buy more hard disks and backup tapes so they can keep their services up and running. Is this really eco friendly? No, it is not. Of course this same problem exists in whole internet, but for some reason or another "green people" does not talk much about this or at least I have not heard much about this.

More choices

Most of the albums that appears to be on Spotify exists also on a physical form. Not all, of course (like my own music with artist name Painless Destiny), but many. There is still lots of albums what are not in Spotify and other streaming services and huge amount of movies what you cannot find easily on any mainstream movie streaming services but you can buy as a DVD/BluRay/4K UHD BluRay/VHS.

Sometimes reasons are copyrights etc. but still it does not change the case - you can find lots and lots of albums outside of streaming services and huge amount of movies as well. Of course I know that there is also some movies and series what are only available on Netflix and others, but in bigger picture there is more choices outside of streaming services than inside those services.

History and sentimental value

My physical CD and vinyl collection is some kind of history of me. Some of CD's I own have sentimental value, they bring me memories more than those songs on that album itself. Physical discs are sometimes like a diary what is written with invisible ink what is possible to read only by myself. Same album would not be the same anymore if I would change that album to same version but different copy of it. For example, I remember some albums where I have got them or where I have been listening it. Of course sometimes the songs itself have same kind of memories, but often when I see those albums those can bring me back some memories after all these years.

If in future I have any kids then there is also my unwritten history to be seen in these albums. They can see my albums when they grow, they can understand what kind of music I have been listening on my life and they might learn something in future about me through these albums. If I would have been listening only on Spotify or others would there be any kind of history track there to be seen? Probably not. Services come and services go and my listening history is not the same thing than seeing those albums in real life and feeling those in own hands.

Price

This is a double edged sword - my CD and vinyl collection is more expensive than what I have used to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Netflix and HBO Max through the years, but I still count price as a "plus" side on this. If I want, I can go and sell my CD's, vinyls and movies and get some money back. On some albums I might get much more money back than what I have paid in the first place. On streaming services I have nothing left since it is just borrowing, not owning so all the money is gone forever and I can not sell anything what I have listened or watched.

Used CD's can be found cheaply - yesterday I bought four CD's in total of 4 EUR, only one euro per album. Of course there is cheaper ones and more expensive ones, but still it is possibility to found albums in very good price.

Also the best thing about owning physical media is the price that it costs only once. If I have bought the album I can listen that hundreds of times without extra fee, but on streaming services I have to keep paying forever and ever or I cannot listen anymore if I stop paying. It is neverending cycle and if prices go too high then bad luck, you either pay or search for another service. Many times it is not that easy to change since it takes time and effort to search how to move all your playlists to another services if you use those etc.

If in future I have bad economical situation and I have no any extra money to pay for streaming services it does not stop me enjoying music and movies - I just go and grab the disc from my shelf and use it. Sounds like a good deal for me.

You'll own nothing and be happy

There is this quote what is said to be said by some World Economic World people that You'll own nothing and be happy. Whatever the meaning of it really has been this is already happening on digital world in many areas. People stream music and movies, people listen audiobooks from streaming services and there is digital eBooks as well what can be wiped from devices remotely if needed. Most people pay for gaming services like Xbox Game Pass where you don't own games but you have possibility to playl as long as you pay for monthly recurring payment.

I think that this is bad thing in bigger scale. Of course I see those services as a good way to use for many people, but I think that it is bad for society in bigger picture. The less we own and the more we "borrow" from streaming services our content the more there is possibility to alter the history or remove it totally. It creates a big risk that lots of historically valuable data from our era can be wiped out very easily and then in future generations have no clue what kind of movies, books, games and music we used to consume in our mainstream culture. Games what has been only possible to stream can vanish to the digital void and be lost forever for example.

Personally I prefer owning my things. That way I know that I can listen my music and watch my movies in future as well unless something happens physically what will destroy my collection. That is normally smaller possibility than the service I use removes that content I like to use.

2023-08-14