The Cons of Streaming Music
Previously, we discussed the pros of streaming music, and as noted at the end of the article, there are pros and cons to practically every subject. With the particular subject of music streaming in mind, let’s discuss the cons of streaming music.
Although music streaming has a multitude of benefits tied to it, such as access to an extensive library, affordability, and simplicity, some people feel more negatively about the matter than others.
For the most part, music elitists have a point discussing the negative subjectivity of music streaming. It’s certainly wrong to look down or ignore the benefits tied to the subject, but the cons are worth highlighting.
Disconnection with Music
If you ask any vinyl connoisseur or music fanatic why they have issues related to music streaming, most will claim it causes a disconnection with music.
Considering streaming music makes it more straightforward and practically effortless to listen to anything, the relationship between putting a record on and listening to it isn’t as earned as it once was.
Although this notion sounds like a boomer mentality against the modern current of technology, it’s a bit realistic. Today, you don’t have to take care of the physical entity behind a record like you once had. As long as you have your phone, you can listen to music.
Some might argue the ability to listen to music more apparent is a benefit, there is something positive tied to spending more time to put on a record. Deep listening to music isn’t as common nowadays, whether that’s for better or worse.
Removal of Truly Listening to Music
As noted above, deep listening is a sense of doing nothing, but listening to the piece of music you put on. Today, people tend to listen to music as a way to pass the time while doing something, as opposed to strictly listening to music.
The entire act of putting an album on and diving into has almost entirely been extinct. Being able to listen anywhere can indeed increase the amount of music someone digests, it’s not the same as deep listening.
Luckily enough, deep listening to music can still be done with music streaming. The act is simple and only requires a person to put an album or track on, and do nothing but listen to it.
Musicians Make Less
Arguably the most fundamental reason why music streaming has a negative connotation behind it is the fact musicians make less from it. No matter what artist you’re discussing in the field, they’ll all tell you how badly streaming platforms are ripping them off.
The platforms indeed make it easier for people to discover new artists. Still, exposure doesn’t pay the bills for artists. Obviously, a-class artists and musicians are fine either way, but lower-tiered artists are the ones most predominantly affected.
Less Likely to Explore Physical Properties
With the modern wave of technology, physical products of anything tend to be moving away from existence. In the case of music, why own a CD or vinyl of a band when you can stream any artist for a few bucks a month?
Although fans of particular artists still support them with merch purchases, including CDs and vinyl, the standard person doesn’t buy physical properties from artists today.
Previously, if anyone wanted to listen to music outside of the radio, they’d go out and buy vinyl or CDs. Today, a casual music fan doesn’t have to worry about that aspect anymore due to the simplicity of streaming music. In a sense, this is beneficial to them, but the grand scheme of not buying physical copies of records anymore hurts the industry.
Conclusion
No matter what you feel about music streaming, the entire field is subjective and depends on the individual for what they prefer. Regardless of this, it’s important to highlight how the current way we consume music can negatively and positively affect the subject of music.
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