Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
Everyone consumes media differently. Many people use digital media, such as streaming services, while some use physical media instead.
Programs like Spotify and Apple Music are still some of the most subscribed to music streaming services, according to Route Note.
Streaming for visual media is also commonly used, as about 83% of U.S. adults said they use streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Disney+, according to Pew Research.
Recently, there has been an increase in the popularity of physical media, according to Rolling Stone. Things like CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, physical books and even physical copies of video games seem preferred to streaming these kinds of content.
This return to physical media is a good thing.
There have been a variety of problems with digital media since it was introduced, but one of the biggest issues has become more noticeable recently. This issue is ownership.
I’ve been reading consistently since I was in first grade, and when I was reading, I relied on physical copies of books. Even today, I prefer physical books, though I have and use a Kindle, which is a type of e-reader.
Reading digitally has become more popular, though, and it comes with quite a lot of convenience. You can read on your phone, laptop or other devices and save space in your bag without bringing a physical book around.
Despite this convenience, a problem some have experienced with digital reading is even if you pay for a book, you don’t own it.
For devices like a Kindle, you purchase the device and the book from Amazon, and the company runs the servers the device uses. When you purchase a book in this way, you are only purchasing a license to access, contingent on your agreement to the Amazon Terms of Use, according to Amazon’s website.
A license is like paying for access to the content, but only as long as the seller stays in business, you have an account with the seller and the seller still has access to the product that they elect to share with you, according to Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice.
If you violate the seller’s terms or the seller otherwise decides they no longer wish to or can share the content with you, then your purchase is essentially voided. They can remove your access to the content you paid for.
This is not ownership.
This same licensing principle is often applied to other digitally purchased content, such as video games through Steam, according to Steam’s website.
Streaming services are similar, as you pay for access to content, but you do not own the content that you are watching. The services can remove, add or censor content at any time, despite your paid subscription.
At Pepperdine, I know a mix of people who use physical media and those who use digital media. Pepperdine students, in general, should engage more with physical media.
Spending the time and money to purchase the physical version of a piece of media is beneficial to you in many ways. Primarily, you actually own the content.
This allows you to permanently access content and ensures you consistently know how and where to access it. You can rewatch or reread to your heart’s content, creating an even deeper connection to the media than you might’ve had through a streaming service.
Buying physical versions of media also directly supports the artist. Streaming platforms often pay little to artists whose media they host on their platform, with Spotify in 2023 paying on average $3 per 1,000 streams versus Tidal in the same year paying on average $6.80 per 1,000 streams, according to Statista.
While the artist won’t get a fraction of a cent of a royalty every time someone puts in a CD and starts listening, the $10 to $20 paid for the CD will pay better for the artist than any streaming service.
As Pepperdine students, we can engage with physical media in so many ways.
Nearby to Malibu and Pepperdine are stores that have physical media, such as The Record Outlet in Thousand Oaks, which sells vinyl, CDs and other media. It’s not particularly expensive, and there are a variety of vinyl and CD options, even for the same albums.
If you’re not looking to spend money, KWVS Radio, the student-run radio station on campus, hosts events like vinyl painting nights and concerts, promoting physical media, supporting local artists and self-expression.
The Payson Library is also open to all students and has a wide range of academic and non-academic books, movies and more. Checking out books is a great way to engage with physical media in a more accessible way, and it can help decide on spending the money on a copy.
This semester, take a break from the streaming services. Check out some physical media, gain ownership over what you love and help support artists even more.
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Contact Ashley Burton via email: ashley.burton@pepperdine.edu