In an era where algorithms dictate taste and connectivity is constant, the idea of owning your music might sound quaint or even radical.
A quiet revolution is brewing among artists and listeners: a return to sovereignty over sound. From the rise of dumb phones to digital detox movements and a resurgence in personal file ownership, a generation raised on the infinite scroll is now craving more depth, silence, and intention.
They’re choosing not just what they listen to, but how.
Streaming vs. Owning: Access Is Not Ownership
Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube offer the world: until they don’t. Subscription-based platforms offer access, not ownership. You don’t keep what you listen to. Songs disappear when licenses change or subscriptions end. Playlists are disrupted when Wi-Fi lags. And you’re locked into a system where the music isn’t really yours.
Owning your music, whether in hard copy (Casette, Vinyl or CD) or in digital format (FLAC, MP3, MP4, WAV or others), means it’s untouchable by corporate shifts, server failures, or subscription lapses.
According to this article in XPN, an increasing number of music lovers are noticing the “cost without permanence” model of streaming and switching back to downloads and vinyl.
Add to this the fact that streaming pays artists a microscopic fraction per play (0,0028 and 0,0047 euro per stream) and the ethical pull to support creators directly becomes even stronger.
Next up: Why Offline Listening Is becoming a Movement.
Part 2 can be read from April 9:
Sources:
XPN: To Stream Or To Own? What consumer trends tell us about the music industry read here
AI use: Image generated with ChatGTP
