I think streaming makes music a “throwaway” product.
I well and fondly remember when a new album of my favorite band came out and I met friends at the music store to listen and buy it from my saved pocket money. And I still habe most of these albums… and I still listen to them… all though they live on my music players hdd permanently
Streaming allowed me to discover 1700 songs that I love. It gave me the opportunity to enjoy countless genres. Now I export my liked songs to a spreadsheet so I never lose them. I wouldn’t be able to do that otherwise. It’s done great things for my music listening.
There’s still good stuff out there. You just have to dig deeper, take risks, and you have to make the conscious decision to give it an active listen from front to back.
Right? There are artists who still care about the album format. King Gizz was one of those gems I discovered that I wouldn’t have otherwise. They’re constantly dropping new thematic albums worth listening to. And you can buy vinyl from many artists these days if you want a physical copy.
Music streaming is just … Objectively better for everybody. Small bands can be heard, hence the indy scene booming so hard, consumers can access their content anywhere there’s internet.
I think you miss the ritual around getting physical media and having a session where you just sit back and listen to the album for the first time. You could try to replicate it, but I think child-like wonder was the main ingredient ;)
