I have researched, written and posted a lot on this blog about how annoyed I am at fans who support and wear their engagement with streaming services like Spotify like a badge of honour. People who call themselves fans but who never seem to buy a physical or digital copy of content to support the artists and musicians they profess to love.
I have expressed personally how much I hate streaming services, either music or television although I have never used them personally as I don't like paying to view content I will never own.
Streaming services are known for giving cheap access to content, getting people addicted and then finding it unsustainable and put the prices up. Users have no choice but to pay the increased prices or cancel their subscription.
Users to the best of my knowledge, need the Internet to access their content and steaming from my experiences with movies consumes a lot of data so users never stop paying for their goods.
Over the years I have read a lot about stores around the world selling physical content like records, DVDs and CDs slowly closing down because streaming services are impacting their ability to make a living. That means a loss of jobs for employees and money coming into the economy.
Yes. I want to buy locally and support the local economy and jobs but that is not always possible for a consumer like me with limited resources.
I certainly understand the appeal of buying streaming services for content not available on free-to-air TV, pay TV or over the counter in my country and where buying physical content from overseas while cheap is expensive to post and may take a long time to arrive.
However, I still would rather pay for content either physical or digital where at lease some part of the revenue goes to the content creators rather than a streaming service like Spotify which pays artists and musicians virtually nothing to use their music.
Recently another store in Australia closed down blaming the rise of the streaming service Spotify.
I have shared this story here as a warning to all those music fans around the world who have a favourite music store they go to. Unless they support the stores in their community they may end up going the way of this store in Perth, Western Australia.
No copyright infringement intended.
'78 Records closes in Perth after nearly 48 years, blaming Spotify, retail downturn' by Charlotte Hamlym published 5 February, 2019 at abc.net.au
Iconic Perth music store 78 Records has announced its closure after almost 48 years in the vinyl business, blaming the rise of streaming services and declining retail conditions for its demise.
The store opened in Forrest Place in June 1971, stocking 300 mainly imported titles.
The business relocated several times to buildings along Hay Street, becoming an institution in Perth's local music scene, before eventually ending up in a laneway off Murray Street.
Current manager Andrew "Fang" de Lang started working at the store in 1986 as a 19-year-old.
"When I started we were in an old building next to His Majesty's [Theatre]," he said.
"The thing that attracted you to the shop was that it had this storefront window that you couldn't see through, but just had album covers in the windows so you couldn't actually see inside the store.
"You'd walk in through this big wooden door and see masses and masses of records in these racks.
"It was quite impressive."
The compact disc revolution
Mr de Lang said back then the big selling artists included Paul Kelly, the Hoodoo Gurus and U2.
"That was just as the CD era was kicking in and CD players were quite expensive technology. They were out of the reach of the common person," he said.
"But it took off big time and it's just been such a trip since then.
"I'm 52 now, so it's all I know, basically."
A black and white logo for 78 Records
He attributed the closure to the current economic and retail climate and a big increase in music streaming services.
"It's just things like the downturn in retail, rents in the city," he said.
"But when the streaming service thing kicked in, that had the biggest impact in physical product."
Vinyl renaissance not enough
A vinyl revival in recent years had given the business some hope, but Mr de Lang said it had not been enough.
"It hasn't kept pace with the way that things have been going economically," he said.
"It is very sad.
"Probably one of the great things I've enjoyed is just imparting knowledge and sharing music with people.
"It's a job I've loved and enjoyed and I've never had to sit in an office. It's been a massive thing in my life."
The store will close in early March.
Lou Reed, Bette Midler among customers
Geoff "Hud" Hudson started the business with two friends in 1971.
"People gravitated to it instantly because we were getting things in that none of the other stores had," he said.
"It was always successful for us because we had lots of fun."
A music store showing racks of vinyl records.
He only learnt of the closure of the business last night and said the news was still sinking in.
"I keep thinking of George Harrison, 'all things must pass'," he said.
"I don't think you can have a store of that size existing on vinyl, as time has proven. I think it can only happen in small niche markets."
Mr Hudson said the store had plenty of famous customers over the years including Bette Midler, Lou Reed and Elvis Costello.
'Celestial jukebox' the new norm
Associate Professor of internet studies at Curtin University Tama
"Most people don't carry physical media with them," he said.
"Streaming media, Spotify in particular, has eaten a lot of the music market.
"The reality for most young people is that they don't physically own music anymore, they own a subscription for the 'celestial jukebox', everything that's out there on Spotify rather than a specific album at a specific time."
Professor Leaver stands outside on a balcony with trees in the background.
But Associate Professor Leaver said streaming music had its disadvantages.
"One of the challenges with streaming music is that the quality is reduced," he said.
"I think there is a demand for extremely high quality, high fidelity audio still.
"But I think the music cycle is much more deeply linked to live music now.
"That remains sustainable and a growth area in the era of streaming music."
