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Digital music or physical product? Local artists discuss
St. Petersburg rhythm ‘n’ blues vocalist Alex Harris has a new song out there, and it’s starting to get national attention. But you can’t buy it on a CD, or a slab of vinyl. Not yet, anyway.
“Lose My Religion,” which finds the baritone belter in full octave-leaping Al Green mode, with a smooth band and chunky horn section, is only available digitally – that is, it can be streamed, or downloaded or both, for a price.
In its 2022 recap, the Recording Industry Association of America reported that streaming (single listens) accounted for 84 percent of music purchased by consumers. Digital downloads (the buyer owns a digital copy) continued to drop from previous years, down to 3%.
Eleven percent of sales were to those who opted for physical media – vinyl and compact discs. Vinyl, of course, almost went extinct in the 1980s (when CDs arrived) but has been enjoying a resurgence in recent years.
In late September, distributor and marketer Shanachie Records will include “Lose My Religion” on a nine-song album, Harris’ first, in all formats. Including CD and vinyl, which will include the photos, notes, titles and other tangibles digital can’t accommodate.
“There’s a large part of the population that still appreciates that nostalgic experience,” Harris points out. “Even though they have it digitally, some want the product in hand and the experience of the touch and feel. And according to the numbers, since the pandemic that appreciation for the touch and feel has risen significantly.”
Harris, who co-wrote “Lose My Religion” with Shannon Sanders, one-time musical director for India.Arie, says that while digital access makes an artist’s music accessible globally, there are benefits to signing with a company like Shanachie for the next step. “They have a strong network because they’ve been in business for over 42 years,” he explains.
“You have access, as an artist, to a global music consumer market. However, it’s important for any artist, here in our community or wherever is local for them in the world, to understand the importance of the business side, of any product: How can I take this product to the masses? Even though, yes, it’s available to them.”
The single is starting to turn up on national charts, including the USA Today #1 Music Chart and radioairplayexperts.com.
Ona K
Other local artists say digital-only releases have more immediate benefits. “We don’t need to invest money in a physical format that most people are not using anymore,” explains singer/songwriter Ona K, “and it’s an eco-friendly decision as we are not using plastic or materials that aren’t really necessary. Having the CDs might be good as a ‘business card’ sometimes, but currently, everything is happening in the digital world.”
Nevertheless, she adds, “you don’t make the money that you’d make out of selling albums at concerts.” So while Orilla, her duo project with Alejandro Arenas, released a 2022 holiday collection purely digital, there was a small run of CDs made for their all-original Daring Flowers album.
Ona K’s 2022 solo release Mirage was digital only; “for the next one, I’ll probably do something in the middle. Very few physical CDs to sell in concerts for whoever still uses them, but mainly digital.”
Have Gun, Will Travel
According to Scott Anderson of the veteran Americana band Have Gun, Will Travel, “many of our singles have been released digital-only at first, but we’re still somewhat romantically connected to physical media, and eventually these singles have been released on CD and vinyl, with the album from which the single originated.”
Deb Ruby, Poetry n Lotion, Tension Electric and others record at Anderson’s studio, and most of their music appears only in digital format.
“Another major advantage,” Anderson continues, “includes the mountains of demographic data that follows in the wake of digital distribution. I use an app called Chartmetric to track our online distro data, and all of the streaming services include tools to track, identify, and analyze your data. Actual listening data, too, not just the sale.
“Traditional physical media like CDs, cassettes, vinyl, these days are all essentially take-home souvenirs, to be stacked or displayed alongside other memorabilia, not necessarily the primary way any particular fan will listen to your music.”
RIAA data indicates that sync music, licensed to play on TV shows, films or in online productions, accounted for the final 2% of recorded music revenue in 2022.
David Manson
“I do digital licensing on all of my physical CDs, and have sync music on seven networks from that,” says jazz musician David Manson, a St. Pete college professor of music who has several performing and recording bands. “I’ll probably do one more physical CD, since they make short runs affordable now, and it’s nice to have them as merch at shows. In the past, you had to do larger runs.”
St. Pete rocker Kirk Adams has released numerous full-length albums in CD format, but he’s put out one or two digital-only songs, too.
“It is a very viable format these days,” Adams says, “and most people I know tend to release one song at a time rather than a whole album.
“I still dig the album thing, of course.”
Kirk Adams
