On CDs, the streaming wars, and why physical is still king.
The compact disc was a piece of technology that completely revolutionised the way that we listen to music today. A step above from floppy disks, vinyl records and cassette tapes, this invention truly solidified the ubiquity of music as we know it.
A multipurpose item, you could play it in your car, home, through your PC, you could burn music and movies onto it, you could scribble on it, pass it around with your mates, and its earlier stages, it boasted storage and convenience through compatibility, which made it a staple, even upon its conception.
Of course, like every mortal object, it had its shortcomings, like getting scratches after playing it too much, which led to lagging, stuttering or eventual physical damage. It could get lost under your couch or between the crevices of your bed and the wall, it could even snap in half.
However, through all its historical feats; namely becoming a household staple item overnight, and defeats, eventually losing to the more trendy iPod back in the early 2000s, one thing the CD has been an unwavering bastion of, is an Artists success.
Across the board, there have been billions of CD sales to date. Worldwide phenomenon, created by manufacturers, awakened by artists, distributed by labels and consumed by audiences, for a while, it seemed that the CD was King.
Then enter the stream.
A brand new way of listening to music, while it was a medium available since the late 90’s (LimeWire being one of the most popular sites to stream and pirate music), its popularity skyrocketed in the early to mid 2000s, with services such as Pandora pioneering the ‘internet radio’ wave. Listeners could now enjoy their favourite music anywhere, a la iPod, and it soon became self-evident to labels, artists and audiences alike, that a sonic renaissance was burgeoning.
Social media and manufactured hype.
It’s far easier to create the image of a star, than create talent itself.
The manufacturing of the image quickly led to an industry trend of quantity over quality. Since the creation of music videos, labels had been fiending to
A label could easily fake streams, since the digital world allows for such instances of duping, but under close scrutiny, very few artists could last.
Once the spell is broken, the illusion is shattered, and the curtain is drawn, you’ll see a very tight knit network of dedicated snake oil salesmen, pulling the strings behind everything an artist is projected to be.
Very recently, there were instances of “beloved” artists getting the prestigious award of certified paper plate, such as Saweetie, who, despite being a social media giant, boasting 12.9 Million followers on her instagram, sold 2000 copies of her newest CD, ‘The Single Life’.
And there follow plenty of instances in which manufactured “fans” just don't come through for their artists beloved, such as YBN Nahmir’s ‘Visionland’ selling only 4000 copies, despite a jaw-dropping 3.6 Million instagram followers and 3.9 million monthly spotify listeners or Coi Leray’s audience doing the mannequin challenge at her Rolling Loud… ‘performance’ and many more such cases.
CD’s don’t allow curated images to get in the way.
Physical sales are important for two main reasons, one, they are almost infinitely worth more than a large number of streams, and two, they are a direct indicator of your fanbase and their loyalty. It takes dedication and commitment to go to your local record store and actively purchase a CD or hoodie, maybe a vinyl or songbook from your favourite artist.
Like 50 Cent buying 300 front row tickets to Ja Rule’s concert, or Playboi Carti having next to no one dance at his rolling loud concert, Coi Leray having a dead crowd, despite these artists having so much social media hype, they still cant sell, thus it remains evident that CD sales are a strong marker of talent.
Even to this day, cultural juggernauts like Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston et al, still sell record breaking amounts of CDs every year. One can’t make the argument that “CD’s are obsolete”, if some of our history's greatest icons still smash records posthumously.
Talent stands the test of time.
It’s easy to think that an artist has made it “big” or has acquired a level of fame almost mythical, but beyond the likes, retweets, shares and even follower counts (all of which definitely can’t be faked… right?) It takes talent, an innate love and passion for one’s craft, to be able to cultivate a dedicated audience from the ground up. To have people who will sing at your shows, buy your merchandise and even pay homage to you, is an art form in itself.
Famous for fifteen and a half seconds
And because of this, CD sales are also a denoter of how long an artist lasts in the collective conscience. It’s also worth it to add that, there were and are a lot of one hit wonders who deserved more, a lot of one hit wonders who, if given a little more propelling and public attention, could still be chart-topping artists.
Which way, western wizard?
Do artists make more money from streams or sales?
I’m not sure that you’d need a statistician, an accountant, a record producer or a music executive to tell you the answer, but the latter is what serves as the bread and butter for a lot of your favourite entertainers.
Artists get a much larger cut from sales than streams, as it’s a well known fact that streaming services famously rip their artists off. This could be more convenient for labels who want to expend as little as possible on their costs— including toward artists.
Payola…?
It’s hard to ascertain whether or not record labels who are in cahoots with top DJs and “influencers” have anything to do with how well CD’s can sell. Obviously, there is the idea of influence, perhaps even fear of missing out, trends have always played a large part in sales, but in an age where buying CD’s isn’t really necessary, one could make the argument that payola has very little effect on actual sales anymore.
There’s a reason why the people of the culture still use CD sales as a legitimate metric of success; because they are. As an artist, once you’ve acquired a group of fans who will gladly go out their way to own a piece of your work, truly, you’ve made it.
Relying on false hype gets you nowhere, as it fizzles out almost instantly. The world is moving too fast for even six second celebrities, and those who were once in the lead, now find themselves dying to catch up.
A little personal;
If you’re an indie artist, I’d implore you to stop solely relying on streams and views. Go buy a hoard of CD’s, burn all your music onto the discs and sell them out of your car boot, mail them to fans, sell them at your shows. Let audiences have a direct connection to you, instead of letting potential relationships get lost in the quagmire of stream and other forms of label politics. We live in a time where people crave connection to art, be the artist who will foster that.
It still stands that nothing compares to owning a piece of art, especially from an artist that you truly admire. It feels like a part of them is with you, it feels more personal, more intimate. You get to enjoy their creation the way God intended, soul to soul.
That being said, go and support your favourite local artists and buy physical merchandise if you can.
We don’t need any more middle men, off with the mediator's head.
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