I’ve been collecting DVDs and VHS tapes my entire life. I’m 20 now, meaning I have obviously grown a pretty expansive collection. My love for physical media didn’t stop there, though, but instead festered into an obsession with magazines, books, CDs, and vinyl records. I’m not the only member of Gen Z that is a firm believer in the superiority of physical media. According to Ben Sisario, in a 2021 article for The New York Times about vinyl, “…records are now the music industry’s most popular and highest-grossing physical format…” In the late 2010s, for the first time in nearly 30 years, vinyls gained traction, and they only continue to grow in popularity–but why?
One of the main reasons for this vinyl revival, and the persistence of physical media in general, is streaming services. Compared to a Spotify or Apple Music subscription, you pay a one-time fee for a record, and it pays itself off after so many listens. The same principle can be applied to movies or television shows: instead of paying a subscription fee every month to only watch a few select movies out of those they offer, you can pay once for a DVD you’re sure you like, and chances are, it will also pay itself off after so many viewings. Plus, you don’t need access to the internet, or signal, to listen to a vinyl or watch a DVD.
Another is the fact that the options are pretty much endless when it comes to physical media. For people like myself who enjoy “older” movies, some of which came out during the height of consumerism in the 80s, you don’t have to worry about not being able to locate them on streaming services. The movies don’t even have to be old; streaming platforms only offer so many at a given time, so much so that you might not always be able to find your favorite movie, even if it’s considered recent.
The downside to physical media is, of course, the cost. Even when you purchase the vinyls, you’ll need to invest in something to play them on; the same thing goes for DVDs. For vinyl lovers, Audio-Technica is a widely preferred brand, and for movies, I personally love using my Sony Blu-Ray system! Once again, though, these costs are incurred once, not month after month. Vinyl prices are high as well, given the time and effort it takes to produce them. If you have a good eye, thrifts and second-hand shops will be your best friend on the hunt for physical media! Whether you enjoy finding collector’s edition DVDs, hanging up albums for their covers, or chopping up a magazine (after reading it, of course) to create your vision board, physical media is finally being recognized for what it really is: art!