Why do people still buy Physical Media in the day and age of streaming and downloading services?

INTRODUCTION

For BCM212, I decided I wanted to research a topic I find really interesting and frankly very near to my heart. This topic was why do people still buy physical media in the day and age of streaming and downloading services? My first step was to create a plan on how my research would be conducted. This included writing up questions for surveys and interviews, going over some ethical issues that could arise, and a plan in case things didn’t go as expected i.e. not enough responses on my survey. After this I wrote up my survey questions and posted it to twitter and sent it to some friends. After all my data and research was collected I then started work on what would be my final research project.

OPINION PIECE

Before looking at the results of my survey, I wanted to give a brief opinion on why I chose to research this topic and my opinion and feelings on it. Physical Media has always been something I’ve been a big proponent of. Owning, collecting and consuming the media I enjoy gives me a sense of fulfillment in supporting creators and industries, whether that be books, movies, games, or music. For example, A few years ago I watched (at the time) the new Martin Scorsese movie, The Irishman, on Netflix. This movie was and still is available to view at any time on Netflix, but because I enjoyed the movie and wanted to support the creators directly, I bought the Criterion Collection BluRay of it. I guess I prefer to pay with my wallet instead of a view count. My room is also full of physical media like vinyls, blu rays, books and comics and I have a sense of comfort being surrounded by content I enjoy. When it comes to asking myself why I still choose to buy Physical Media in the day and age of streaming I often find that these are the answers that arise, But when asking other people this question, I didn’t think that so many people would feel similarly. Before talking about the responses I want to look at how I handled the ethical issues that arose. I stated in my text at the beginning of the survey that The Data gathered from this form will go towards said research project. You can find the recorded data on my WordPress ( http://mitch2244.home.blog ). All data collected will be completely Anonymous. All responses have remained anonymous. There were a total of 14 responses on my survey and 13 out of those 14 still buy and support Physical Media. This support of Physical media leaned heavily towards Vinyls/CDs, Books, and Blu-rays/CDs. The sales of vinyls is something that has seen a resurgence as of late, and the fact that it was the highest purchased physical media among participants was no surprise. Jeremy Nobile stated that vinyls “saw unit sales of vinyl increase about 10% in 2017 over the prior year for the 12th consecutive year of growth, according to the Recording Industry Association of America and Nielsen” and that “revenues tied to sales of vinyl records were between $800 million to $900 million in 2017. That growth trajectory puts vinyl on track to top $1 billion for the first time this millennium. It peaked during the 1970s (Jeremy, 2018 )”.

When it came to asking why they choose to buy the media they do things started to really come to a solid point. Almost every single response was centred around the idea of being able to physically touch and own the media you like feeling better than streaming or downloading. A feeling of connection was brought up in one response which I think is how alot if not most book readers would especially feel. Actually being able to touch and turn that page is something a digital book will never be able to do. Physical media’s utilisation was also brought up, responders stating that you can always rely on physical media to be there if internet platforms don’t have the media you’re looking for. This reigns very true for most media. Older video games aren’t available on newer generations and unless people emulate (allows console video games, such as Nintendo, Sega, and PlayStation games, to be run on a PC) there’s no other way to consume this media without buying a physical copy. Sentimentality was also another key characteristic of the responses, and how owning and collecting what you enjoy to watch, read, play, or listen to feels better than seeing it in a digitised library and consuming the media from an internet platform. Supporting creators and industries was another response a few people had, stating that they liked supporting the media they liked directly through buying it in its physical format, which is something I’ve always agreed with and is one of my key reasons for still buying Physical Media.

After answering their views and thoughts on physical media, I asked participants if they thought Physical Media will survive and why or why don’t they think this. Out of 14 responses, 11 believed it would, 2 said maybe, and 1 stated they didn’t think it would continue to survive. Looking at why do or why don’t people think it would survive, there were quite an array of different opinions and interesting points. I think the main takeaway from the answers received was that people like collecting and owning the media they enjoy too much. One responder stated that: In a society where we flaunt and show off materialistic objects, physical media will also be utilised by society to represent oneself and show off their personality to the world. I think that this perfectly summarises a lot of peoples opinion on why they still buy physical media and I can definitely say that this is something I also feel strongly about. On the opposite end of the spectrum, one participant thinks that streaming and downloading will eventually become too dominant and marketers and distributors will eventually stop supporting physical media as it will become less profitable for them. I can definitely see this person’s perspective and opinion. Streaming and downloading has become so easily accessible and profitable that people may not feel a use for physical media. In saying this, another participant brought up a great point, stating: Got me fucked up if you think I’m buying 20 different streaming services. As funny as I found this response, I think it’s a perfect one to encapsulate where streaming services are going. People are getting confused and fed up with how many subscription based platforms they need to subscribe to just to consume the content they want. An article from Jack Hough describes the current situation of streaming platforms stating “Consumers may want many of these services, but surveys suggest that they’re willing to pay for only a handful.” Then goes on to quote Alexia Quadrani, who says that “future TV viewers will buy bundles of core streaming services and niche ones, like today’s cable bundles, and that there are already too many services. “Most of them won’t survive,” she predicts. “The economics aren’t sustainable.” (Jack, 2019)”.

I think to summarise my research and findings, I’d make the case that most people still actively buy physical media. Whether they realise it or not, they’re keeping physical media alive by buying a book every few months, or picking up a new CD or Vinyl from one of their favourite artists, or buying a movie they’d been wanting to watch but couldnt find on any streaming services. I think in some cases, like my own, would sometimes prefer it over streaming and downloading platforms. People like collecting, people like owning this media, People like supporting creators directly, people like being able to physically touch a book or vinyl, or movie or whatever. Although it may be becoming a niche market people will always demand physical media for these reasons.

DATA AND FINDINGS

SURVEY: https://forms.gle/cLrr7dzdcYQKLZdt9

To give validity to my opinion piece, I want to go over the data and findings I got from my survey. Firstly I started off with an introduction for those participating in my survey. It goes as follows:

My Name is Mitchell Baskerville and I am currently Studying Communications and Media at the University of Wollongong. For Class BCM212, We’ve been asked to conduct a research report on a specific topic to explore research practice.

So the aim of this research report is to better understand why people still buy physical media i.e., Blu-rays, DVDs, Vinyls, CDs, videogames, comics, and books, in the day and age of streaming and downloading services.

The Data gathered from this form will go towards said research project. You can find the recorded data on my WordPress ( http://mitch2244.home.blog ). All data collected will be completely Anonymous.

Regards, Mitchell

I then asked the question:

Forms response chart. Question title: In the day and age of streaming and downloading services, is physical media still something you support?. Number of responses: 14 responses.

This question received 14 responses. Out of all 14 only one stated they felt indifferent to the question.

I then asked:

Forms response chart. Question title: Do you still buy Physical media i.e. books, Blu-rays/DVDs, Vinyls/CDs, Comics, Videogames etc?. Number of responses: 14 responses.

This question also had 14 responses, with 9 stating they occasionally buy physical media, 4 answering with constantly buying physical media, and finally 1 stating they dont buy physical media.

I then wanted to find out which form of media was the most popular among participants. Here I asked:

Forms response chart. Question title: If so, What physical media so you still buy?. Number of responses: 13 responses.

When it came to short answer questions I asked two. Question one and its responses were as follows:

Why do you still buy Physical Media?

If I really like a certain game or movie I’ll buy it as a physical copy instead

I like owning physical items of media for display and use.

Prefer to physically turn the page of a book and not look at a screen.

I believe that buying a physical copy both supports the creators and industries that they came from, and I believe it holds more sentimental value owning an official copy as opposed to consuming said media on a website or as downloaded content.

I like the physical thing in my hand more of a connection to what i am reading

There is just something special about physical media. Whether it’s a CD/Vinyl or a magazine, I have always loved the idea of having the physical copy. It almost has a certain vintage feel.

When streaming services lack certain content, physical media is always there to be utilised

I feel like there’s a drastic difference between owning physical media and being able to touch it and gather collections than there is with seeing a digitised library. I also like directly supporting creators and media I enjoy and want to see more of

Because it gives me dopamine

The smell of a new book gives me wet dreams. My shelf of blu rays impresses girls

To support creators and industries. I also like collecting physical media and having a physical copy of things. I guess it just feels better to own the media you like.

I don’t

They’re timeless. If there’s no internet they’re not going to disappear.

I then wanted to know participants’ opinions on whether or not they thought physical media would continue to survive. Out of the 14 responses, 11 stated yes, 2 maybe, and finally 1 believing it wouldn’t.

Forms response chart. Question title: Do you think that Physical Media will continue to survive?. Number of responses: 14 responses.

I then gave my final question, asking participants:

Why, or why don’t you think Physical media will continue to survive?

I think that there are too many people who still enjoy collecting and owning Physical Media

Because of its rarity and historic significance

Got me fucked up if you think I’m buying 20 different streaming services

There will always be collectors for not only media but also for a variety of different items. Because of this, I believe that media will continue to be distributed physically as there will always be a demand maintained by those who collect media as a hobby and/or interest.

Physical media won’t be as popular in the future for a range of reasons, but companies will continue to produce it for niche audiences who want to obtain physical copies. In a society where we flaunt and show off materialistic objects, physical media will also be utilised by society to represent oneself and show off their personality to the world.

Many people enjoy having a physical copy of media for collections and display

Same as before – I think they’re timeless. But at the same time I think with the way media has progressed with distribution, marketers might think it won’t be as profitable for them, and phase physical media out.

Physical media will overcome as people prefer media at their fingertips

I think people will eventually realise that they may possibly lose their rights to own or buy certain books or music due to government bans regarding racist or sexist material or content

Because people like looking at the product they have bought, not in a cloud

People like to know they own the media they enjoy. Whether that be for collecting, physical sentimental value, the perks of better image and audio or the freedom to consume media when they want and however they please.

I hope physical media will continue to survive and not become a thing of the past. I feel that millennials support physical media quite strongly, especially with the massive increase in Vinyl records in the last few years.

I think that there are too many people that still enjoy actually owning the media that they buy. While for some it may be easier to jump on netflix and press play, that same person may prefer reading a physical book to a digital version of it. People still enjoy collecting and owning things

REFLECTION

When reflecting on my research and how it was conducted, I must say I was quite happy with how it turned out. The data collected, my findings, and my overall project I believe came to a solid point and was very enjoyable to research. In saying this, there are a few things I believe I could have added or pushed harder for to improve my overall project. The first of these things would be interviews. Although I stated at the time that I didn’t feel I needed interviews because I could ask all the questions I needed to in my surveys, after reflecting, I feel interviews could have helped my research to go more in depth on people’s opinions and properly dissect their views on physical media. I feel as though I could have pushed for more people to engage with my survey as well. Although I had a decent amount of responses, more is always great and putting my survey in the BCM212 discord and asking classmates to fill it out could have been beneficial in gaining more responses. Overall, I am happy with how this project has turned out and enjoyed the experience of researching my own and also others opinions on the topic of why do people still buy physical media in the day and age of streaming and downloading services?

https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/docview/2099991422?accountid=15112&pq-origsite=primo

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ACADEMIC SOURCES

Nobile, J 2018, ‘Song remains the same for indy shops: Surging vinyl sales haven’t boosted margins for record retailers’

https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/docview/2099991422?accountid=15112&pq-origsite=primo [27th May 2021]

Hough, J 2019, ‘THE RACE TO WIN THE STREAMING REVOLUTION’

https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/docview/2307083915?pq-origsite=primo&accountid=15112 [29th May 2021]

REFERENCES

Sharpened Productions, 2021, ‘Emulation’

https://techterms.com/definition/emulation [27th May 2021]

Holland, L 2021, ‘The price is not right: are there too many streaming services?’

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/mar/22/the-price-is-not-right-are-there-too-many-streaming-services [28th May 2021]