Lost in the Stream: The Case for Physical Media

Music has never been more accessible. For about the price of two cups of coffee each month, listeners can summon almost any song ever recorded in seconds. This convenience has transformed listening habits, reshaped the industry and defined how a generation experiences art. 

But as the streams pile up in the billions, something odd is happening — people are beginning to crave permanence. They’re buying records again, pulling CD wallets out of their dad’s closet, snapping up cassettes at concerts. A smaller, more stubborn crowd is still paying for downloads, insisting the music files on their hard drives are more trustworthy than the algorithm-curated playlists. 

This resurgence of ownership may seem quaint, even regressive, when streaming accounts for just over 80 percent of recorded revenue in the U.S., according to the Recording Industry Association of America. 

But the return of physical media and digital purchases isn’t just a thing of the past. Not long ago, CDs were considered dead by the music community, with sales long in free fall. However, in 2024, sales were at a comfortable $129.9 million, in part due to blockbuster release packages with multiple versions and collectible covers, according to the British Phonographic Industry. 

The spike wasn’t about convenience — nobody is pretending that burning a custom mix onto a  CD is easier than creating a playlist — but about physical ownership and personal identity. 

To buy a disc is to say, “This artist matters enough for me to give them my money directly, and I want a copy of this work in my hands.” 

Vinyl, of course, has been leading the resurgence. In 2023, U.S. vinyl sales grew 10 percent, topping $1.4 billion, and accounted for more than 70 percent of all physical format revenue according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

A report by MusicWeek shows that for Gen-Z fans, vinyl is less about the feeling of nostalgia and more about a break from digital life, polling larger numbers than both Millennials and Gen-X. 

Against all odds, cassettes are also finding their niche. They’re cheap to produce, easy to customize and steeped in DIY culture. Cassette sales have been climbing, particularly among listeners who view them as collectible artifacts, according to Headponesty. 

For underground artists, tapes represent a way to offer fans something tangible at a low price point — a sort of handshake in plastic form. 

Even digital downloads — long dismissed as relics of the iTunes era — still matter. They represent a form of ownership streaming doesn’t quite hit. A download is owned, unmediated by corporate licensing or shifting platform deals. 

When an artist — like My Bloody Valentine, for example — pulls their discography from Spotify, or when a service shuts down, the music is gone until further notice, but purchased downloads remain on their hard drives. 

What ties all of this together is money. For an independent artist, selling 100 CDs at a show can be more financially meaningful than racking up 100,000 streams on Spotify, seeing as the platform only pays $0.003 to $0.005 per stream.

 Physical sales allow artists to set their own prices, control their margins and interact directly with the fans who support them.

Downloads, vinyls, CDs and cassettes all provide income streams which bypass the fractions-of-a-cent economy of Spotify or Apple Music.

 It’s simple. Owning music puts more money in the hands of the people who make it. 

There are challenges, of course. Pressing plants struggle to keep up with vinyl demand, leading to backlogs that can delay album releases by months, according  to the Grammy Awards

And for many casual listeners, the convenience of streaming remains unbeatable. Not everyone wants or can afford to buy physical albums when they already pay north of $11 a month for unlimited access, seeing as the streaming market is still in the majority. 

The industry should see this as a chance for balance. Streaming isn’t going away, nor should it. It offers unparalleled discovery and global reach — but the health of music as a business and a culture cannot rest on streaming alone. 

Physical formats and digital purchases give artists leverage, diversify income and remind fans supporting art sometimes means paying for it directly. 

If handled with care, this resurgence can coexist with streaming in a way which can strengthen both. 
The truth is owning music feels different. It makes a song tangible in a way streaming never will. A CD in the glove box, a record on the shelf and a folder full of MP3 files on a laptop each represent a commitment, so it’s time for the listening community to stop renting songs.