Is physical music destined? New research It turns out that many Americans think streaming music is “better” than combining all physical forms of music.
In a poll of 2,000 US adults, 38% believe streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify are better than their physical counterparts. 13% think that CDs are the best, 12% are vinyl purists, and 1% don’t think that quality is approaching the cassette.
Another 14% still believe that radio stations are the best way to listen to music, while 4% think they prefer digital music files.
Surprisingly, only 15% said listening to music live is the best way to listen face to face. However, live music proved to be the most expensive on average.
Americans spend $274 each year on all music formats
was done by Talker researchin one year, respondents said they spent a total of $274 on music, an average of $100 on live concerts, $75 on streaming services, $53 on CDs and $46 on vinyl.
However, many believe that music costs too much. When respondents were asked that they believed different forms of music would be expensive, their answers were consistently lower than what they actually paid.
Despite a majority (59%) willing to pay up to $20 for convenience, 35% of people believe that a month’s stream should not cost more than $10.
The same can be said for digital albums and single MP3 files. 38% don’t pay more than $10, but 27% think that individual files are free.
Respondents said they would spend a little more on physical types of music. According to 54% of consumers, more than half (52%) think a CD or cassette costs $15 and up to $20.
“Streaming is great because you can almost always get almost everything you need. [it’s] Something like fast food – fast and convenient, you can’t even pay too much attention,” explained jazz pianist and founder Stephen Nixon freejazzlessons.com. “In physical music, experience is different. You decide. You step into the store, pick up the disc and take it in your hand.
“That’s the experience. You get artwork from the sleeves, the packaging, the weight of the disc. There’s something you can’t get from streaming. It’s not about music, it’s about the process.”
Fans want live shows, but prices keep them apart
The study also found strong signs that people prefer to support live music, but the cost barrier was evident to some. Two in three said they don’t want to pay more than $100 for tickets, but the average person is happy to pay $427 to watch their favorite artist perform live.
However, the average person can also remember that he missed at least 10 live shows because ticket prices are too high and too expensive to justify.
“It takes time to make something physical. You can’t make it physical right away,” Steve continued. “When you buy something physical, you support the artist. Music streaming platforms pay little for artists’ work. If you pay a little extra for a record, you guarantee that artists will reward them quite a bit of what they have spent their creativity and energy. It’s not just pressing the play button and leaving the next track in the algorithm.
“It’s tough. Music sales may not compete with streaming, but now there are bigger players with connected fans. If you listen to the radio and switch songs quickly, you won’t experience this.
Research method:
Talker surveys surveyed 2,000 Americans in general population;The survey was conducted online and conducted online Talker research Intermediate February 7th and February 10th, 2025.
