The 2010s: Spotify and Vinyl
The two biggest music stories of the last decade
**Please note that there will be no NDIM newsletter next Tuesday, December 24th, 2019. We will resume publication on Tuesday, December 31st, 2019 with our last newsletter of the year.**
The 2010s were an incredibly diverse mix of music driven by technology that built on what was created in the first decade of the new century. During that decade the music business moved from a physical product model (CDs) to a download (MP3). Apple's iPod and iTunes store restored a profitable model to the industry after Napster's revolutionary disruption.
The decade began with the introduction of the Spotify streaming service and it ends with the continued resurgence of records and vinyl culture--two trends that seem diametrically opposed but which happily coexist for music fans as the new decade begins.
Spotify
Spotify was launched in 2011 and it is safe to say that it is the technology that has both stabilized and defined the music industry in this decade. Spotify removed the idea of music as a per-item purchase ($0.99 per song) and turned it into a subscription product, allowing users to pay one fee in order to access all of the music available on the service.
Spotify has been a boon to nearly everyone who loves music with the exception of recording artists themselves who receive payments that are only a fraction of what they could receive via the sales models of previous eras. The advent of MP3 caused many artists to reconsider the role of the traditional record company and both indie and bestselling artists considered the idea of a more direct relationship with fans. Attempts at execution of this idea included Patreon-style subscriptions that offered more music and behind the scenes access to various subscriber levels, selling physical CDs and downloads directly from the artist's website or from Soundcloud.
While such approaches can work for specific artists in specific instances, there is still no question that Spotify can give an artist the kind of exposure that has traditionally only been available from record companies putting their effort into breaking a new artist.
Because the streaming app also compiles the data that drives its most-streamed genre charts as well as the popular playlists that help a song get streamed heavily in the first place, it can seem a bit like they are positioning themselves as the core engine of the industry going forward. It's as though Billboard promoted the songs that appeared on its charts heavily by making sure that listeners heard the songs often enough to ensure that they appeared on the charts. It makes Spotify the radio station, promoter, and data collector.
For listeners, fans, stans, writers, reviewers, and researchers, Spotify has been by far the most popular app after core social media stalwarts like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Lifehacker.com's Joel Khan recently declared Spotify Premium to be the Best Life Hack of the Decade, stating:
"So, how is a music app a life hack? It makes our lives better and easier. Nearly all modern recorded music is at your fingertips for when you want to run a mile, or cook a fancy meal, or get ready to go out, with no worry or hassle. I hope that this year, some college freshman reading the best of the 2010s lists realizes how easy it is now to get an education in music, with everything from Kamasi Washington’s post-modern jazz to Todd Terje’s disco-house to Angel Olson’s ghost folk available at any moment. Now we can enjoy more. We can find something we really like, and not just what happens to be available."
The Resurgence of Records and Vinyl Culture
While the convenience of streaming music is undeniable, so is the tradeoff in terms of sound quality and archival information. Though CDs became the primary musical media of the 1980s and 1990s, vinyl records never really died out, maintaining a steady 1% of music sales.
Still, the later '90s and 2000s were the nadir of vinyl, with many longtime collectors selling their records off alongside the closure of many local record stores that specialized in used vinyl and collectibles.
In 2010 Rolling Stone reported that vinyl sales had increased despite an industry-wide decrease in overall album sales, increasing by 14% to around 2.8 million units compared to a decrease of 13% in overall album sales.
2010 was vinyl's best year since 1991. Now, as the decade closes, 2019 is the first year in which vinyl will outsell the CD, which is undergoing the same fate as the album did in the '90s.
The vintage vinyl market is up and so is the reissue game, with more labels coming along almost weekly to satisfy the demand for high quality, affordable versions of great albums on vinyl.
It's not a market-driven by aging Boomers looking to relive their youth. Many of those vinyl heads either never gave up their records or they can afford to pay high prices for OG versions of their favorite albums.
Younger fans want to hear the great music recorded and released during the vinyl era, but they aren't able to pay for vintage copies, many of which are in less than fantastic condition and were pressed on substandard vinyl depending on the cost of raw materials and distribution at the time of release. Instead, they look for solid reissues done by reputable labels with the participation of the artist or their representatives.
For many younger listeners, it's not just the vinyl records themselves but the culture that surrounds them that is attractive. Growing up after the introduction of the Sony Walkman made private listening the norm, they aren't used to the experience of a room full of sound or the social outlet that crate-digging, finding, playing, and talking about records provides.
We're seeing the start of a global phenomenon of listening events where music is played in clubs, bars, cafes, on high-end audio equipment from vinyl records. It hearkens back not so long ago to the time when listening to music most definitely had a social aspect and a scene that revolved around people experiencing music together outside of a live performance.
What does the survival and growth of vinyl sales tell us in the wake of a music delivery experience that has become increasingly technological for most people?
Not everyone is willing to sacrifice audio fidelity for convenience.
On the other hand, it's not only about sound quality. If that were the case, HD services like Tidal and Amazon Music HD would be doing much better.
Music can still be a communal experience.
Records are beautiful objects in themselves and, like books, are meant to be handled and played.
Thanks to everyone who receives and reads this newsletter each week. Wishing you a happy holiday season and looking forward to a terrific New Year of music and joy.