Nick Boylan

Streaming music makes up 32 per cent of annual record label revenue today, according to the Recording Industry Association, with CD sales declining by 80 per cent in the last decade. Declining yes, but not entirely dead. With hit singles dominating streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal, where Kanye’s new album The Life of Pablo initially released, the full album is getting lost online. This is why the CD is still a viable way of getting musical exposure and is the truest example of music collection, as Basement Discs co-owner Suzanne Bennett explains.

“These people listening online or streaming aren’t our demographic, they’re not interested in physically owning the music.,” says Bennett. The rebirth of vinyl, pioneered by Melbourne hipsters, has helped Basement Discs continue to thrive but Bennett says that “CD sales are the main drawcard.” Basement Discs’ regular Friday concerts continue to draw large crowds, showcasing international and local independent artists. “This provides a great showcase for artists to promote albums, and tempt customers into trying music they wouldn’t typically listen to,” says Bennett.

Streaming services can be useful for trying music before you buy a full CD or vinyl, but it’s on physical formats where the album experience from artists is best expressed. Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-award winning album To Pimp A Butterfly is just one recent example of an album that demands to be consumed and dissected as a full body of work.

Although streaming music services are convenient to use, Bennett brings up the financial disadvantages of Spotify, describing the business plan as “appalling.” “Musicians are doing themselves a huge disservice by relying on Spotify. Artists will struggle to survive in the industry and the people who download one song will not be true fans, and help nurture a musician’s career,” says Bennett. While artists such as Taylor Swift and Adele have publicly expressed their opinions on Spotify, it is smaller artists that struggle. Under Spotify’s current structure, 500 thousand plays are equal around three to four thousand dollars, equating to a return of a mere $0.008 per play.

Not only does Spotify lack sound quality compared to CD and vinyl, but it’s the work that’s behind the album that is noticed in person. “The physical CD better portrays the blood, sweat and tears artists put into their music,” says Andrew Ciavarella, a CD fanatic and customer of Basement Discs. “CDs allow me to give music its full respect. If i’m on the computer, it’s usually as a secondary experience, listening to it in the background while I do something else,” says Mr Ciavarella.

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Basement Discs is a welcoming environment, where a sense of community is created through the purchase of physical music. “People coming up to the counter, telling us about what they like and things that they recommend. Telling us how keen they are to get home and play the album, that’s what it’s all about”, says Bennett. CD’s may be on the decline, but they still occupy an important place in the music industry, providing the best connection between the artist and listener.