Protecting physical media in an age of streaming

It’s been repeated, echoed and understood ad nauseam that we live in the streaming era.

We get it. Something that streamers may not understand, however, is that nobody owns their digital media.

The $12.99 spent through Amazon Prime Video to purchase “Barbie” is not “your” copy of the film. A person only has access to it until Amazon decides it doesn’t want to support the licensing anymore. This concept is not new or nuanced, but it is lost. The constant shuffling of online media between major streaming conglomerates has resulted in physical media’s futility in the eyes of the general public. We indeed live in the streaming age, but it’s also an age where the cultural impact of art preservation is needed more than ever.

This sentiment is not a condemnation against people using services like Netflix and Spotify. The convenience factor of these platforms is undeniable. However, combing through records, DVDs and books at local businesses should become something other than ancient practice.

Art preservation is at the forefront of this streaming puzzle because of the cultural significance of owning physical media. Much like artifacts, art has been replaced, lost and not protected. Now, instead of encouraging ownership of your favorite titles, businesses that still champion the physical media medium are fighting an uphill battle.

With all the revenue that floods in through streaming platforms, physical media becomes a nuisance to the profit margins of online Fortune 500s.

So, when a seemingly neglected and inevitable problem like this presents itself, the starting point of where to spark the renaissance can get blurred. Viewers, listeners, patrons and readers should look to local shops that allow physical media literacy to return to the mainstream.

The Twin Cities have one of the country’s most affluent and burgeoning art scenes. As a reflection of that scene, Urban Lights Music, Mr. Zeros and Electric Fetus have been a haven for those who want to purchase and own their media. These three shops have stretched their impact over the greater Twin Cities community in more ways than one.

Timothy Wilson, owner of Urban Lights Music and local luminary, spoke on the importance of connection to music in today’s streaming era.

“People are not in touch with the music as much … music doesn’t have shelf life anymore. When we used to open an album, we could see who produced the song and who wrote the song. Now nobody talks about what came out two weeks ago; they’re wondering what’s coming out two weeks from now because there’s no physical attachment to it anymore,” Wilson said.

Wilson also touched on what purchasing physical media means for the artist and not just the consumer.

“At the end of the day, a physical sale is worth more to an artist than the stream. Their stream is worth three-tenths of a penny. Whereas I can still buy an album and it might cost me 20, 30 or 40 bucks, but now the artist actually makes more for their art,” Wilson said.

A place like Urban Lights Music has also served as a creative outlet for those living in the Twin Cities. With open mic showcases and DJ invitationals, the St. Paul landmark has become beloved in its 30-year run.

For some, there’s a much more enjoyable nature when picking out, setting up and then putting on a record. Electric Fetus’s retail music department manager, Bob Fuchs, said records and CDs are the ultimate physical artifact for music.

“It just feels human as opposed to streaming,” Fuchs said.

Mr. Zeros provides an authentic one stop shop experience for all things movies, music, books and video games. The eccentric store offers a vast collection of genres in virtually every medium one can think of. The impressive collection has garnered interest from many community members for more than 10 years. Mr. Zeros opens up the door for those newer to purchasing physical media.

On the topic of not owning anything purchased digitally, Richard Schwinden, aka Mr. Zero, used this analogy.

“It’s like thinking that you’re filling up your gas tank and in ten years from now, it’s still gonna be full,” said Schwinden.

If we just protect it, there’s a path to a much more fulfilling endeavor with the media we enjoy.

Aside from the somewhat always daunting conversation about how soon physical media will no longer be a part of the coming generation’s programming, there’s also all the intangibles that physical media offers.

The bonus features on Blu-Rays and artwork layouts inside records are replaced with scrolling through the Netflix “recommended” aisle for 45 minutes. Taking the steps now to seek out and contribute to the resurgence of buying DVDs and records won’t just add to your bookshelf at home; it’ll play a role in art preservation for future generations.