There’s a stark contrast between present-day media and pre-pandemic media. The world has been revolutionized electronically with the internet and technological innovations, such as the iPhone. There’s no need to do certain tasks now that you’re able to complete them from your phone, computer, or even with your voice. It’s convenience like this that has you ponder the physical forms of media from a bye-gone era.
To start, movies are still thriving when it comes to theaters. Nothing beats the feeling of being the first to see a film before your very eyes. Relatively, it shows interest and appreciation knowing that fans of a TV series will tune in at a certain time on a specific day to watch the next episode. Video games are always fun with friends on the couch with controllers in hand. Concerts are a fun, gratifying, and authentic way to listen to a musician’s music, being as they’re right in front of you. However, streaming services and online phenomena have dominated the medium of all four.
DVDs aren’t popularly sought out anymore due to the convenience of packing full seasons and movies into a streaming service. Although, it would be cheaper to purchase DVDs of your favorite watches than to subscribe to a service you have to pay for monthly.
CDs have also fallen down this hole. For video games, this is evident since there are versions of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X that are digital-only. For computer users, it depends on the type of computer about whether or not you are able to insert a disc, but a majority of gaming happens through online platforms like Steam. This leaves the Nintendo Switch, which contains a digital store for every game available for it, but continues to sell its cartridges.
As for music, since apps like Spotify are popularly used, all people need is an internet connection, and possibly a membership for additional benefits, like being able to choose specific songs. The beauty of CDs is the fact that there are no advertisements or limited skips. Unfortunately, most of the CD players today are in people’s cars, and they are still unused.
Fortunately, there is a part of physical music media that has survived today: the record player. Vinyl players are bigger and have the same benefits of a CD player but with more physicality. The reason they’ve succeeded in this era is simply nostalgia.
“When we have art, music, writing, and things like this, they express our emotions, something inside of ourselves, and express something tangible to our senses,” says Clare Jarboe, a student at ABAC that has enjoyed using a vinyl player. “When you have something in your hands, it does something to you.”
Bethany Rentz, another student and vinyl player owner, states, “For me, when I listen to something on Spotify versus vinyl, it’s almost like you can hear a difference. It’s less compressed, more intimate, and more real.”
Additionally, Dr. Andrew Peal, an assistant professor of jazz and music theory, comments that “vinyl’s comeback and continuation will likely sustain as there is a market for vintage recordings and the aesthetic it produces sonically.”
The vinyl player has adapted to modern times in many ways. Some brands of vinyl players, like Crosley, have Bluetooth and are more versatile to carry around in a suitcase-fashion. Modern day music has also been put on vinyl. Many different versions of Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” have been put on vinyl, and Tame Impala’s many albums sound sharper on vinyl; even the “Barbie” soundtrack is on vinyl.
If the vinyl player has survived, so can every other form of physical media. It has its benefits and disadvantages, but nothing beats the reward of doing something manually—just like the vinyl player has achieved. Doing so can allow for more realistic, richer experiences in entertainment, and also cut down on pollution from discarding discs, CD players, and more. Perhaps it is time to revolutionize in an electronic era with physicality.