Amoeba Music Shop in San Francisco, CA by Tatum Pilla

Physical vs. Digital Music
Through the prehistoric times to the renaissance era to now, music is and was of great importance to humans. Although many believe CDs and vinyls to be old fashioned, they have been just as popular as streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music. Through time, music has been by word of mouth, but now with greater technology, music can be listened to at any place and any time. This leads to the big question, what is better: physical or digital music?

Cost
Surface level comparison of cost would make anyone believe that streaming music is better, but CDs and vinyls truly aren’t that costly as they overall cost similarly to digital music subscriptions. They range anywhere from $10-$30 new but cheaper when purchased secondhand. While there is also the need for a CD and record player, the physical copies will make your money worthwhile.
Streamable music, such as the apps Spotify and Apple Music, are heavily debated upon price wise. Spotify offers many different plans ranging anywhere from $5.99 to $16.99 per month and offers a free trial of three months while Apple Music offers similarly priced plans with a free trial of 1 month. Both apps offer a yearly plan of $99.
As CDs and vinyls seem more costly, this isn’t always the case as subscriptions for digital music can be quite costly as well. The cost for physical music sources gives you your favorite albums in physical form with comfort and nostalgia of old times, and can even be seen as a good collection for your home.

Benefits and Disadvantages
Streaming music has many benefits including accessibility and convenience. Although portable CD players exist, they aren’t commonly used anymore and are harder to lug around. Many students nowadays even use wireless airpods to listen to their music in class. With the lightweight of your phone and the easy access to wireless headphones and airpods, you can easily listen to your music as you go for a run, walk, or even a swim.
CDs and vinyls do require a bit more work in order to listen to music, but the sound quality of physical music is way better than that of digital. The feeling of physical music allows a physical and real source in order to immerse yourself fully in the music of your choice.

There are many benefits to both physical and digital music but physical allows the listener to have a physical copy of their favorite albums. Many love collecting things such as CDs and vinyls due to the aesthetic of their collections. Though this could be seen as clutter, physical copies of your favorite things make your house more of a home and fill you with a sense of comfort. Many also use physical music as a way of nostalgia to the times before everything was online.
Digital music is useful but it doesn’t compare to the sound quality and comfort of lying back and listening to your favorite song in physical form. No matter what time period, even in these modern times, CDs and vinyls will always remain the superior option over digital.

What do you think? Which is better: physical or digital music?