Two Hundred and Seventy-Seven Physical Albums

"Stage King Novel ()" Find the latest chapter!

Kane couldn't believe his eyes, and followed Sophie a little hesitantly. Seeing that Sophie couldn't wait to mingle with everyone, the sound of laughter and conversation was loudly stirring in the night. The square echoed with their unscrupulous voices.

"Excuse me... are you all here to buy albums?"

Although the question was raised by Kane himself, even Kane himself couldn't believe it, because such a question is really... a fantasy.

Kane is a senior music lover. Unlike Sophie, he likes music very much. He regularly goes to professional record stores to shop for albums, from cassettes to CDs to vinyl, all at once, including classic old records and trendy new records. , unknown underground indie band records, and popular pop records on the Billboard charts, all of them are not picked. As long as he likes it, he is willing to collect it. This is his hobby.

At home, Kane has a bookcase where his collection is neatly placed. Although there are not many at present, there are only more than a hundred books. All his pocket money and part-time income are invested in his two hobbies More than hobbies - collecting records and enjoying concerts; however, Kane cherishes his collection very, very much. He has a dream that he can have a special study room in the future to store all his collections.

Music is the source of passion from Kane's heart.

It is precisely because of this love that Kane is deeply aware of the difficulties faced by the contemporary traditional music market—or the physical music market.

From the first appearance of digital audio sources, to the rapid development of the Internet, to the comprehensive update and popularization of portable music listening devices headed by the iPhone, after entering the 21st century, in just five years, the record industry has undergone earth-shaking changes. .

Now, people are gradually getting used to downloading music through the Internet. Debates about the advantages and disadvantages of digital audio sources and physical albums will be staged every three to five times, but the "debate" has not yet been able to distinguish the winners. The online music listening platform led by Spotify has begun. A new round of impact, that is to say, the paid download music platform led by iTunes has not fully occupied the market, and a new way of enjoying music has already struck.

At present, Spotify's market share is still rising slowly, far from being mainstream. However, the concept of "don't download, listen online" is gaining more and more influence in the digital age of the Internet. Slowly, even digital The market share of music downloads has also begun to be eroded.

Before the wave subsided, another wave came again.

Therefore, listeners who are willing to walk into the record store to buy physical albums,

It is gradually declining; further, even if they are willing to buy physical albums, the convenience of online sales channels makes the younger generation willing to sit in front of the computer and click a few buttons to complete the purchase, so the sales of physical records decline geometrically every year. Shops are falling down one after another.

Once upon a time, in the classic love movie "Love Before Dawn" released in 1995, the hero and heroine searched for records in the ocean of music in the record store, and then crowded in the narrow audio-visual box to listen to the flow of music, the intersection of sight and The touch of the skin brings people closer together.

But now, life is getting more and more convenient, but the distance between people is getting stranger and stranger.

Young people seem to be unable to comprehend the joy and happiness of standing in a physical record store and changing albums, and then accidentally discovering classic records or excellent singers.

In 2006, Tower-, one of the largest record store chains in North America, declared bankruptcy—however, this record store flourished in Japan, the second largest physical record market in the world, and was acquired by a Japanese company after bankruptcy ; Soon after, another industry giant in North America, Virgin-Megastore, also announced the closure of its stores, keeping only the online transaction part.

Waited and waited, persisted and persisted-HMV (His-Master's-Voice, the voice of its owner), the world's largest record chain, has not been able to persist after all. The last piece of paradise in the British mainland, but this last little wish is also unsustainable in the torrent of history.

Just last week, HMV officially sent a final request to the world's five largest record companies led by Universal Music, hoping to raise 40 million pounds to help the company tide over the difficulties. The signs of brick-and-mortar record store chains collapsed.

For record companies, this is a bitter battle, because the sales of physical records still have important strategic significance, not only the new records released every year, but also the re-recording and release of classic old records in previous years is also very important in the current market component.

How those big record companies will choose is unknown for the time being, but what is certain is that the global record industry is entering a new era, and the decline of physical albums is just like comics, pocket novels, and newspapers. Slowly forgotten in the torrent.

Kane does not reject digital audio sources, and he also recognizes the convenience brought by the Internet, but this will not affect his special interest in physical albums.

The cover design of the physical album, the photo of the inside page, the texture of the album, the texture of the touch with hands, and the colors and objects seen by the eyes are all feelings that digital audio sources cannot bring, let alone vinyl records. The unique sound texture is a unique color that digital audio sources can never match.

If he encounters a physical album he likes, Kane will not hesitate to put it in his pocket.

But Kane knows he can’t speak for everyone—otherwise, the brick-and-mortar record industry and brick-and-mortar record stores wouldn’t be in such a slump.

At this moment, looking at the lively crowd in front of him, Kane really couldn't believe it——

Now? After two o'clock in the morning? In order to buy a physical album, and then a group of people squatting in front of the supermarket, looking from a distance, they look like homeless people? Moreover, not one or two, but... a total of fifteen people? What's even more exaggerated is that everyone is bustling with each other, discussing and chatting, with excited and excited expressions like entering a club?

This reminds Kane of the occasions when he went to the physical record store to change albums, and true lovers can always find like-minded people there.

God! He had never participated in an after-concert event before, and left alone after the show, so what world did he miss? Could this be the concert version of "Alice in Wonderland"?

The heart, involuntarily, jumped up quickly and powerfully, hitting his chest so hard that Kane himself didn't realize the excitement and anticipation in his heart, and it surged again, and the fatigue disappeared without a trace .

For the convenience of reading next time, you can click "Favorite" below to record this (Chapter 277 Physical Album) reading record, and you can see it next time you open the bookshelf!

If you like "The King of the Stage", please recommend this book to your friends (QQ, blog, WeChat, etc.), thank you for your support! ! ()