Media Today: How To Get Your Music and Movies
Previously we discussed the evolution of music through disintermediation and digitization. The media industry has taken numerous critical hits since the introduction of P2P file sharing over the Internet about a decade ago. Today we see evolution in this industry most apparent and drastic.
As a consumer today you are littered with ways to get your hands on media. There's traditional physical purchase of DVDs and CDs, the digital purchase through Google Play Store and iTunes Store, and the recently trending By-Subscription services.
Today we explore the difference between them and by understanding them a little better, you can figure out which method of obtaining media best suit your preference.
Physical Goods
Traditionalists always prefer the idea of actually owning a physical item they bought. They also find the need to showcase their collection at home on shelves their friends will probably never get the chance to see. It is after all the same idea as owning trophies.
DVDs and CDs are best for being able to provide the highest quality media format. Enthusiasts would rather spend more money on these items than expensive headphones trying so hard to refine low quality digital files. Some would even go to the extend of collecting records.
Good
- Cold hard device you actually own
- Highest quality format
- Traditional distribution and marketing methods pave way for employment
Bad
- One and only item you have. Once destroyed, you'll have to get yourself new ones
- They use up too much resources to burn, print, pack and ship
-They take up physical storage space at home
- Most expensive format
- Availability only based on local demand
Verdict
I've gone completely digital even before iTunes Store came to Malaysia. No plans on going back to physical, unless I get myself a record player.
Virtual Stores
I remember the virtual impossibility of buying many song albums banned in Malaysia for explicit content and grey importers charging an arm and a leg for them. I remember not being able to get the albums I want because not many listen to the kind music I like. Now I can instantly buy and get the rarest media, and they follow me wherever I go so long as I have access to a smart device/ computer, iTunes and the Internet.
Other virtual stores are Google Play Store and Ubuntu One Music
Good
- Instantly search, buy and get media without having to go to the physical store
- Availability of product not subject to local demand and authority's scrutiny
- Cheaper than physical products, less material and logistics costs
- provides a good platform for independent musicians to grow without going through giant labels
- Pays musicians more in royalty after cutting out the middlemen
- fresh copies of files can always be re-obtained in case the original is lost or destroyed
Bad
- One don't actually own anything apart from the rights to download and listen privately
- If the media company closes, so will your access to new copies of the purchased material
- Keeping files in hard drives and cloud drives do not guarantee eternal existence
- Lower quality format than physical copies
Verdict
I personally prefer it to owning physical media because they're more sustainable and efficient. Also I can get almost all the stuff I want. What I don't like is that I need iTunes to enjoy most of my purchased material, and my Ubuntu machines don't run iTunes. This is actually the Number One reason I've been using iTunes less these days too.
Subscriptions
This is the newest way to obtain media (well, just music for now at least). Pay a monthly fee and get unlimited access to music library. One can even download it into the device and listen offline.
So I used to pay RM 30 for every album I buy from iTunes. These days I pay RM 15 a month, and get as many songs I like.
Good
- Best value-for-money package for people who buy more than 1 album per month
- Very good selection of mainstream and Indie music of all genres
- Users are able to create their own custom playlists and put them up for public download
- Musicians still get decent amount of royalty, comparable to virtual stores
Bad
- When subscription ends your account will revert to Free, and your playlists will disappear
- One will never actually own anything, merely 'rent' them during the entire subscription period
- Music can only be played through subscription-enabled players, eg Spotify and Google Music, which may not have the best equalizer options.
Verdict
I've been using Spotify for a month now since I first found out they're available in Malaysia, and I love it. And now that Google Music has also gone by-subscription I think we can see a good competition in this end of the spectrum. If I can find anything between Wildstylez and Portugal. The Man, I'm complete.
