Some music fans prefer alternatives to streaming

As the modern age of media consumption has risen, one dominant form of media has firmly set itself into almost everyone’s lives. There is no denying that streaming, whether it be for movies or music, is for many people the only way that they listen to their favorite songs or watch their favorite shows. Streaming is easily accessible and offers a tremendous catalog of content that is only growing all the time. 

But what about what came before? The way that we listen to music has changed throughout the years. The way music has been primarily consumed was a constantly evolving industry that has culminated in a huge library of songs right at your fingertips, but some people argue that streaming is not the best, that you simply cannot recreate the sound of a vinyl record, that there is no beating the feeling of playing a DVD or putting something into the car stereo, that it is impossible for a streaming service to live up to the hype of seeing an artist live. 

The point has been made that streaming music is impersonal and doesn’t deliver the same personal, vintage feeling and sound you get from listening to a vinyl record. 

Senior Evan Myers prefers DVDs instead of streaming music. This preference stems from the fact that he grew up listening to his father’s collection of old CDs, which they both still use to this day. Evan now has a miniature collection of his own that he mainly plays while driving. This collection has been built by shopping local, mainly at Metro Records, which also houses a good collection of vinyl records. He drops in occasionally to see if they have anything that looks interesting. 

Meyers said he believes that CDs are better than streaming because they offer things that streaming does not have. Alternate versions of tracks, bonus features, among other things are something that is not present with streaming services for most songs. 

Live shows are an experience all on their own, and something that can truly make an artist stand out. Hearing a real voice without any studio effects can help breathe new life into songs. 

Meyers agrees. “The energy given off at a concert is a unique experience all on its own.  Some artists I listen to can do incredible things on stage. Hearing an artist’s voice live is really important to me and can really make some groups stand out from others,” he said

Vinyl records are another way to listen to music that provide a very unique sound that cannot be replicated by a streaming service. Junior Alayah Sacueza is an advocate for vinyl records. She argues that DVDs are nostalgic, but they just don’t beat the feeling of a vinyl record. She said sure vinyl is expensive and fairly large, but the ambience of throwing on a large record as background music can truly enhance a room, giving a unique feeling that she really cannot get with anything else.