Physical Records - We Can't Live Without It

"Physical content products are not only the carriers of music, images, art, and literature, but also a medium that preserves cultural experience as a whole, and a bridge between the past and the future."

Unexpectedly, the "renaissance of tapes" has become a hot topic in the first half of this year. Although the sales of tapes are far from comparable to those of vinyl and CDs, the pursuit of tapes by young people is giving this "ancient" music carrier a new lease of life.

 

 

More importantly, in this era of digital music driven by algorithms, the vitality of physical records is far beyond our imagination. The "Global Music Report" released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry IFPI in March this year shows that in 2023, the growth rate of global physical record sales revenue exceeded that of streaming media, which is the first time in history. There is no doubt that physical records can no longer reproduce the glory of the traditional record industry, but music fans have proved with their actual actions that without physical records, we cannot.

When Cassettes Began to Revive

"I like to listen to Lana's songs on cassettes," said a Lana Del Rey fan, "especially albums like Ocean Blvd. I like to listen to them on cassettes or vinyl records instead of streaming."

 

 

The cassette version of Lana Del Rey's album Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd sold 2,000 cassettes in the first week and ranked sixth on the UK cassette sales chart at the end of the year. Blur, ranked fifth, sold 3,000 cassettes of its album The Ballad of Darren in the first week. Although the number is not amazing, Blur drummer Dave Rowntree emphasized that "compared with the tens of millions of streaming plays on Spotify, cassette sales have a greater impact on our chart position." For musicians, cassette buyers are usually their core audience group, and cassettes are like a strong bond between them and their loyal fans.

The revival of cassettes is not something that has only happened this year. Two years ago, Billie Eilish and The 1975 were considered to have driven the growth of cassette sales. Today, top artists like Taylor Swift can sell 21,500 cassettes of their new album "The Tortured Poets Department" in the first week.

 

 

While 21,500 cassettes may appear modest, it's notable that only 81,000 cassettes were sold in the entire United States in 2015.

The revival of cassettes is also related to vinyl. According to Andy Osborn, Bandcamp's artist and label operations manager, in the past two years, due to the lack of vinyl production capacity, production delays have been serious, and many musicians have turned to releasing cassettes. For fans who want to support musicians by collecting physical products, cheap, portable, and interesting cassettes have become a new favorite. Cassettes are especially popular among young people. The owner of a record store said he was not surprised by the revival of tapes but was surprised that most of the people who came to buy tapes were young people of Generation Z, "who may not have seen tapes since they were born." Shelly Worcel, director of physical sales strategy at Secretly Distribution, said that their best-selling tape last year was from singer Phoebe Bridgers, "because her audience is mostly young people."

Not surprisingly, the revival of tapes also happened in Japan, where physical records are popular. In 2023, tape sales revenue in the Japanese music market increased by 241%. A tape product manufacturer in Tokyo called Side-B Creations said that the company now sells 10 times more tapes and players than around 2017.

Last September, the Tower Records store in Shibuya expanded its professional area and stocked about 3,000 tapes, six times more than before. According to the clerk, "the ages of buyers range from teenagers to over 50s, among which people in their 30s are the largest group."

Indestructible Physical Records

Whether cassettes are revived may still be questionable, but no one would have thought that vinyl sales would be as popular as they were ten years ago.

Not only vinyl but also physical records, including CDs and tapes, which were once sentenced to death by the industry, have shown a rare vitality since the 21st century as streaming media is in the ascendant. The "Global Music Report" released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry IFPI in March this year shows that in 2023, the global physical record market will grow by as much as 13.4%, exceeding the growth rate of streaming media for the first time in history. 

Among them, Japan's physical record market performed the best. In addition to the cassette sales revenue, which increased by 241%, CD sales increased by 7%, and vinyl record revenue increased by 45%. Artists are paying more and more attention to physical records. 

According to data released by Luminate, the top ten albums in the US market in the first half of this year have an average of 7 different versions of vinyl, 13 different versions of CD, and 2 different versions of tapes. 

According to data released earlier by Music Week, in the first half of 2024, physical album sales in the UK increased by 3.2% year-on-year, for the first time since 2004. Moreover, in the UK, the growth rate of music sales (only physical records and downloads) exceeded that of games and videos.

 

 

Will the physical record market continue to grow? At least institutions such as Goldman Sachs and Omdia think so. Industry reports released by Goldman Sachs and Omdia both predict that the physical record market will continue to grow in this decade and will remain the second-largest source of income for the music industry.

Youth Fuel the Physical Record Market

 According to a report by SNEP, the French record industry association, 43% of CD buyers are under the age of 35, and another 20% are between the ages of 35 and 44. For vinyl records, which are often associated with nostalgia, 54% of buyers are under the age of 35. It is generally believed that physical records exist more as collectibles. 

Some fans buy physical records just to support musicians or take videos to show off. Many consumers of physical records do not even have vinyl or CD players. But the overwhelming digital entertainment has also begun to make some young people feel bored. A vinyl lover said that she rarely leaves her phone and can only concentrate better by listening to physical records. "Every time I open the album cover, listen while appreciating the design and lyrics, and feel all the efforts made to make this album, I suddenly feel that listening to music should be like this."

In this era where digital streams fill every corner of daily life, people are beginning to yearn for a more real and tangible experience. This desire is not only a pursuit of sound quality but also an emotional sustenance and cultural identity. As "The Little Prince" said, "It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."

 

We Can't Live without Physical Records

Last November, Namie Amuro's music was completely removed from streaming platforms, shocking fans. At the time, it was reported that Namie Amuro's copyright was only being renegotiated and might be back online soon. However, more than half a year has passed and there has been no movement. On the contrary, Namie Amuro's physical records are still selling well.

This has caused some music fans and industry insiders to reflect on the current music consumption environment. A music blog called Random J-Pop analyzed that "this may help re-evaluate the value of streaming and question whether the industry has leaned in a certain direction rather than a balance that is beneficial to everyone." 

From a business model perspective, streaming is just a huge "warehouse" that stores a large amount of music and is used on demand by users. When we pay for streaming services, we just do it for the convenience of gaining access to the "warehouse". However, we do not own the music in the warehouse, and streaming does not own the music. Artists or record companies have the right to withdraw their music.

 

"In this tangible reality, if you seek to truly own your music, investing in physical records remains the most meaningful choice."

As streaming has become the dominant force in the music industry, similar discussions have been heard in recent years. Game producer Hideo Kojima once said: "Digital data is not in the hands of individuals. Once there is a big change or accident at any time, access may be suddenly interrupted. We cannot freely access the books, movies, and music we love. This is what I am afraid of, not because of greed." Film director Christopher Nolan also talked about his concerns about the disappearance of streaming content in an interview: "There is a danger now that if things only exist in the streaming version, they will be deleted and then disappear." What disappears is not just the content, but a complete set of experiences including vision, creativity, artistic conception, and cultural heritage. It is the crystallization of human lifestyle and spiritual creation in a certain period and the emotional memories closely connected with it. Streaming media and digital media can improve the convenience of use and sharing, but sacrifice the integrity of cultural experience.

 

Even if some people laugh at vinyl collectors who buy vinyl records just to hang them on the wall as decorations, the record covers hanging on the wall are far more meaningful than those that only exist on streaming media. This is not only about the preservation of individual artists' works but also about the inheritance of the overall cultural experience of mankind.