CD, vinyl, and streaming: Which music medium is the most environmentally friendly

Physical media

Streaming platforms now occupy the main part of the music market, but sales of some traditional music media (especially vinyl) have also been steadily growing in recent years. For example, the British Phonographic Industry Association noted that the demand for vinyl records is increasing, and in 2020, 10% more records were sold than in 2019. In the US, vinyl popularity increased by 30% in 2020. Another analog media  —  audio cassettes  —  has an even more indicative result: in 2020, their sales in the UK increased by more than 50%. Accordingly, as the popularity of physical media grows, so does the burden on the environment.

It is interesting to note that records were originally made of shellac, a natural resin produced by parasitic insects living in India and Southeast Asia. Discs made of this natural material were relatively environmentally friendly, but fragile and heavy. Therefore, they were replaced by vinyl plastics: their production was started by RCA Victor in 1931. Since the late 1940s, thanks to the American label Columbia, vinyl records began to actively take over the market.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), from which records have been made since then, is toxic: when exposed to heat, it releases dioxins, and during combustion (for example, during disposal)  —  hydrogen chloride. When in contact with water, this substance creates hydrochloric acid, which has a detrimental effect on nature. PVC also contains many toxic additives, such as phthalates, lead and cadmium (they are used to make the material flexible). And since these additives are not chemically bound, they are easily washed out of the plastic, getting into the soil or water.

When analyzing the harm from material music media, it is important to take into account the logistical factor: distribution, especially international, leaves a significant carbon footprint, as does the provision of energy to offline sales points.

After vinyl, audio cassettes came into fashion, and then CDs. The latter are made of laminated polycarbonates and aluminum. Such discs are difficult to recycle due to the mixture of materials, which are quite expensive to separate. In addition, CDs are quickly damaged by the sun and moisture, and they are easy to scratch, after which the disc becomes unusable and is sent to the landfill.

Vinyl is relevant again today. Sharon George, a lecturer at Keele University, notes that although it is difficult to recycle, vinyl can still be considered a relatively environmentally friendly medium. The thing is that people tend to collect vinyl records and even pass them on from generation to generation, rather than throwing them away, as is usually the case with many other plastic products.

Photo: Unsplash

In addition, businesses are now gradually trying to make their products more environmentally friendly. Alexandre Desroches, Marketing Director of the Canadian record manufacturing company Viryl Technologies, says that the industry is moving from lead PVC stabilizers to calcium ones, which are safer. He also notes that many companies in this industry are trying to regularly update their infrastructure in order to use less electricity while maintaining high production rates. Peter Quick, Managing Director of the Ninja Tune label, believes that records can be made more environmentally friendly by reducing their weight.

Another way to make vinyl production more “green” is to use recycled materials. This is what British singer Nick Mulvey did, for example, when he released his single on a record made from recycled ocean waste in 2019. However, such media are still difficult to produce and are not suitable for mass distribution: Nick managed to release them only in a limited edition of 100 copies.

Streaming services

Streaming platforms are growing in popularity just as rapidly  —  they have changed the music industry dramatically in recent years. In 2021, revenue from streaming (including paid subscriptions and ad-supported music) accounted for 62% of all music distribution revenue. It would seem that the spread of intangible media should have significantly “greened” the music industry. However, the negative impact remains  —  only its form has changed.

According to a joint study by the University of Glasgow and the University of Oslo called “The Cost of Music,” the transition to listening to music online has helped reduce the amount of plastic used. But at the same time, streaming has increased the carbon footprint that the music industry leaves on the planet.

Why is this happening? Streaming platforms require powerful servers to operate, while 60–70% of the world’s electricity is produced at thermal power plants that emit huge amounts of carbon dioxide. Thus, in 2019, Spotify produced 229 thousand tons of greenhouse gases, and in 2020  —  another 169 thousand tons. The company notes that energy is spent not only on directly listening to music on the service, but also when downloading the application, as well as on charging that devices consume. The brand admits that it still has a lot of work to do on the path to “greening”.

The impact of listening to music in the US on the environment

• 1977 (the peak of popularity of vinyl records): 140 thousand tons of greenhouse gases, 58 thousand tons of plastic.

• 1988 (the peak of popularity of audio cassettes): 136 thousand tons of greenhouse gases, 56 thousand tons of plastic.

• 2000 (the peak of CD popularity): 157 thousand tons of greenhouse gases, 61 thousand tons of plastic.

• 2016 (the popularity of music downloads on the Internet, the active development of streaming platforms): 200–350 thousand tons of greenhouse gases, 8 thousand tons of plastic.

Streaming services will be able to meet people’s needs for music with minimal damage to the environment if they switch to renewable energy sources. For example, Apple, which owns the Apple Music music streaming platform, plans to do this. In the spring of 2021, the company announced that it plans to completely switch to renewable energy sources by 2030. If the task is completed, it will avoid the emission of a huge amount of carbon dioxide, including through streaming.

How to listen to music and harm the environment less?

If you listen to a song only once or twice, then the best option is streaming. But if you have favorite tracks or artists that you listen to often, then it is more environmentally friendly to download music to a drive and listen to it offline. This will reduce the need for streaming from remote servers over networks that consume a lot of energy. You don’t have to use pirate sites for this: many streaming platforms have an offline playback mode.

Kyle Devine, a professor of musicology at the University of Oslo and one of the authors of the Cost of Music study, notes that even buying a physical medium will be better than streaming the same song multiple times. “If you listen to a song or an album more than 27 times, then it will be safer for the environment to buy a CD with this music. In this case, less energy will be spent on producing and distributing the disc than on playing the same thing over and over on the Internet,” he says.

If you prefer physical media, it is important to store them carefully. In this case, although their production is far from environmentally friendly, they will at least be able to serve you for a long time, which will slightly reduce the load on streaming platforms.

“We could also consider the possibility of at least partially returning to public listening to music — for example, on the radio. Or taking CDs and cassettes from the library, like books,” Devine notes.

illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of leading Sustainability & Energy writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.

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