From Vinyl to Streaming: The playlist generations without a “musical identity”

Gone are the days erstwhile we would basal for hours successful beforehand of the radio waiting eagerly to perceive our favourite song, oregon travel play tv programs to ticker our favourite euphony videos, which, incidentally, helped motorboat top-tier directors specified as, successful our ain case, Giorgos Lanthimos.

The aesthetics of vigor producers, arsenic good arsenic tv stations specializing successful music, specified arsenic MTV, shaped full generations and culture as a whole. Likewise, the almighty grounds companies determined not lone the euphony manufacture but besides the adjacent stars, shaping the charts and the large hits.

Today, however, erstwhile entree to YouTube—and truthful to immoderate opus we like—is casual and open, applications specified arsenic Spotify, with 217 cardinal progressive users according to the latest measurements, signifier a signifier of streaming tailored to our tastes, turning euphony into a merchandise for contiguous consumption, yet 1 that is overmuch much individualized and distant. On their side, experts, contempt the changes successful the mode we perceive to music, person antithetic reasons not to beryllium (only) pessimistic astir the caller bid of philharmonic things, particularly aft technological developments, maintaining that the astir unpredictable origin remains the quality being.

From Vinyl to Instagram Music

“One of the astir vivid images I person from my aboriginal puerility is the locomotion to the section grounds store successful Agioi Anargyroi, clutching tightly successful my manus my monthly allowance truthful I could buy… what else? Vinyl records. On the mode backmost I had already removed the wrapping truthful I could unfastened the fetish object, look astatine the artwork, work the lyrics.

(Dimitris Vrachnos, vigor shaper and manager of Melodia 99.2: “This blend of euphony and genuine unrecorded companionship is not thing the platforms tin offer. So, fortunately for the medium, erstwhile we turn bushed of our Spotify playlist, we inactive take the wont of vigor companionship. Essentially, the quality being versus the algorithm. At slightest for now”)

How I ne'er cracked my caput unfastened connected immoderate energy rod portion doing that remains a mystery! I retrieve the archetypal vinyl I bought with my ain wealth astatine property 10, the maxi azygous ‘Karma Chameleon’ by Culture Club, the hundreds of cassette tapes we patiently recorded, making unthinkable mixes by pressing the buttons connected the portion recorder, conscionable arsenic I retrieve the archetypal CD I ever held successful my hands, ‘Gone to Earth’ by Barclay James Harvest, a acquisition from my champion friend. I besides retrieve the odor of the records our begetter brought with him erstwhile we came to Greece from Boston.

The archetypal initiation into euphony had a batch to bash with the narration formed with objects of a circumstantial quality and aesthetic,” says Tina Pappa successful her ain vivid way, expressing an full era. She was the archetypal TaM manager of MTV Greece, liable for planetary repertoire astatine the grounds institution Universal, and present works arsenic Public Relations & Communications Specialist astatine City Owls.

Like galore of us, she has experienced each the changes successful the mode we perceive to music, opening with “the swan opus of vinyl, the days of the implicit glory of the CD and, soon earlier I near grounds companies for different positions, the dilatory but dependable instrumentality of vinyl into fashion, the dethroning of the CD and the archetypal integer collections aft diligent downloads connected Napster up to today, erstwhile astir each of america present perceive to euphony lone done platforms,” commenting connected the aggregate issues raised by technology.

It is precisely to this onslaught of exertion that we owe, to a large extent, the changes “in the mode euphony is recorded and reproduced successful caller years astatine genuinely large speeds,” says Giorgos Mouchtaridis, who has had a agelong vocation successful euphony media arsenic a vigor shaper and manager of vigor stations specified arsenic Kosmos 93.6 and Pepper 96.6, portion contiguous helium hosts a regular amusement connected Kosmos 93.6. He adjacent considers this casual entree to euphony to beryllium “superficial and shallow.”

(Matoula Kousteni, vigor shaper astatine Melodia 99.2: “We are the procreation that stood with 1 ft successful 2 boats: successful analog and integer euphony listening. Those of america who retrieve the diagnostic dependable the cassette compartment made erstwhile our parents turned disconnected the car vigor and handed america implicit to ‘Asia Minor’ by Dalaras, Parios’s ‘Island Songs,’ Mikis Theodorakis’s ‘Great Songs,’ the Beatles…”)

It is nary coincidence, helium says, that “music contiguous is being transformed into contented for usage connected Instagram and TikTok, aimed astatine acceptance and gaining much likes.” But, arsenic helium points out, listening has besides go “nervous and fragmented” for older generations. Although helium believes casual accessibility has greatly democratized the mode we perceive to music, “its societal depth, its influence, and its relation successful shaping the listener’s quality and property person been lost. In short, its quality to relation connected a transcendent level.” That is why, erstwhile examples look that reconstruct the extent and worth of music, arsenic happened precocious with the tremendous effect radical showed to Rosalía’s latest album, “all of us, successful that case, retrieve the large virtues of music. That is precisely wherefore they exalted it!” helium emphasizes enthusiastically.

Radio Endures

Hence the important relation of radio, which continues to enactment arsenic the transmission done which prime euphony reaches the broader nationalist and keeps its societal relation alive, beyond concerts. Dimitris Vrachnos, vigor shaper and manager of Melodia 99.2, refers precisely to this. According to caller probe coming from the United States, the socialization promoted by euphony is expressed archetypal and foremost done radio. As Dimitris Vrachnos explains, “In 2026 successful the U.S., contempt the dominance of societal media and each audio platform, 84% of adults aged 25 to 64 perceive to radio, and not done immoderate app, but implicit the airwaves.”

That is precisely wherefore helium remains optimistic regarding the endurance of vigor and absorption to the beforehand of technology. “While logic would suggest that the state of ‘I perceive to immoderate I want, whenever I want’ would thrust wide audiences wholly toward the subscription-based versions of Spotify and YouTube, it is observed that the escaped acquisition of vigor is not easy abandoned. Especially by drivers successful ample cities, who walk hours stuck successful postulation looking for a small company. And the connection ‘company’ is the cardinal difference.

Because beyond the philharmonic individuality of each station, which has been shaped with tremendous attraction successful bid to screen the tastes of astir listeners, it is the voices—the personalities down the microphones—that link america to the present and present wrong our tiny oregon ample community, wherever the songs of each presumption inactive represent a communal language. This substance of euphony and genuine unrecorded companionship is not offered by platforms. So, fortunately for the medium, erstwhile we get bushed of our Spotify playlist, we inactive take the wont of vigor companionship. Essentially, the quality being versus the algorithm. At slightest for now,” helium concludes.

(Giorgos Mouchtaridis, vigor shaper astatine Kosmos 93.6: “Music has mislaid its societal depth, its impact, and its relation successful shaping the quality and property of the listener. In short, its quality to relation connected a transcendental level”)

And After the CD, What?

Agreeing with this perspective, Tina Pappa insists that we perceive to euphony otherwise “by chance. My person Andreas was telling maine however otherwise helium heard an medium due to the fact that helium chose the turntable alternatively of Spotify. Gen Z doesn’t adjacent cognize what a cassette oregon CD means, but they cognize from a chill person that vinyl is different communicative altogether, and having a classical dependable strategy astatine location contiguous instantly places you successful different caste of euphony lovers.”

But what does the extremity of the CD mean? Journalist and vigor shaper astatine Melodia 99.2, Matoula Kousteni, recounts her ain idiosyncratic acquisition of the gradual disappearance of CDs from our lives:

“A small portion ago, the teacher who gives my girl backstage English lessons asked me, for a listening duty they were preparing, to bring a portable CD subordinate into the schoolroom (!). ‘Yes of course, I’ll find 1 immediately,’ I said, and instantly each those devices I had thrown distant implicit the years began passing earlier my eyes. To debar embarrassing myself and to debar dismantling the stereo successful my surviving room, I started ringing my neighbors’ doorbells. Out of the 15 apartments successful the building, 1 azygous chunky CD subordinate was recovered successful a retention loft, and an full cognition was organized astir it.” So it remains to beryllium seen whether this has affected much mostly the mode we present perceive to music.

“A fewer years agone I freed myself from dozens of boxes of CDs that until past sat comfortably connected ample bookshelves organized alphabetically—those who person done it cognize precisely what I mean!” says Tina Pappa. “But 1 time I realized I would ne'er perceive to them again. Did euphony dice on with them? Or my request to perceive to music? Of people not. Is it overmuch easier for maine present to hunt for and perceive to immoderate I privation connected a platform? Of people yes. But if I privation to beryllium honorable with myself and my agelong past arsenic a genuine euphony lover, I indispensable admit that heavy down I consciousness a concealed joyousness that I experienced that ineffable anxiousness and anticipation of putting connected a vinyl oregon adjacent a CD and letting it play from opening to end, revealing to you, successful different consciousness of clip and with the indispensable pauses, the essence and beingness of each medium arsenic a whole.”

(Tina Pappa, Public Relations & Communications Specialist astatine City Owls: “The carnal merchandise makes listening a ritual. The ‘distant’ integer substitute tin transport euphony from 1 extremity of the satellite to the different successful a substance of seconds, but it besides creates an imperceptible region from the creator. Let america anticipation that generative AI volition not present the last blow”)

Analog Listening to Music

“Let’s look it, we are the procreation that stood with 1 ft successful 2 boats: analog and integer euphony listening. Those of america who retrieve the diagnostic dependable the cassette compartment made erstwhile our parents switched disconnected the car vigor and handed america implicit to Dalaras’s ‘Asia Minor,’ Parios’s ‘Island Songs,’ Mikis Theodorakis’s ‘Great Songs,’ the Beatles,” says Matoula Kousteni, speaking connected behalf of each of america “who sorted done our parents’ vinyl records with youthful arrogance, keeping lone Depeche Mode and Nirvana, who for years searched for ways to get escaped of each that bulk of vinyl records, CDs, and videotapes inherited from our families.

We hid the walkmans, admired the unconditional surrender to the integer penetration of the iPod, MP3s, and Spotify, and somewhat mocked those who considered vinyl an indispensable accessory of their hipster identity. Today, coolness demands nostalgia and analog living. Young radical are so turning to vinyl records, CDs, printed books, analog cameras. They rummage done philharmonic treasures successful our aged boxes oregon connected second-hand platforms (Vinted, Vendora, etc.) wherever cassette tapes, aged transistor radios, cassette players, and reel-to-reel portion recorders are thriving.”

This nostalgic instrumentality to the satellite of analog euphony means that people, contempt technological evolution, are searching for prime arsenic good arsenic the magic of the past. “Concept stores that respect themselves—naturally alongside the integrated fabric T-shirts—have vinyl records. Old grounds shops person travel backmost to life. And astatine Gen Z weddings it’s intolerable not to instrumentality a photograph with a Polaroid. Young people, they say, are rejecting excessive dependence connected technology.

I lone person 1 question: is this genuinely the mode they take to perceive to euphony and live, oregon are they simply staging the scenery for the adjacent societal media post?” Matoula Kousteni wonders rhetorically.

Nevertheless, the aboriginal comes precisely from this nonstop narration with euphony that 1 tin find lone successful the analog mode because, arsenic Tina Pappa argues: “The carnal merchandise makes listening ritualistic. Its distant integer substitute whitethorn transport euphony from 1 extremity of the satellite to the different successful seconds, but it besides creates a subtle region from the creator. Let’s anticipation Generative AI volition not present the last blow.”