There is no doubt that the way we consume music has radically changed in recent years. The explosion of streaming services that give access to thousands of songs with the touch of a button seemed destined to confine old formats to the history books.
But that’s not what is happening. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, sales of vinyl records are generating more money for the music industry than ad-based streaming services like Spotify, YouTube and Vevo put together. And it’s not just about music. Nearly a decade after the first Amazon Kindle hit the market, the growth of e-book sales has slowed, while sales of printed books sales are growing and streaming e-book services such as Oyster are closing.
There is no correct way to consume music or books, especially when we have more options than ever. But it is premature to pronounce the death of vinyl records or books printed on paper. Rather, we should embrace both the digital and the tangible.
