By Erin Grieve

When video recorders became readily available for people in their homes, everyone said that it was going to be the death of cinema. The same thing with CDs which were supposed to be the death of vinyl. Now, we have digital streaming apps available to us at the touch of a finger which you would think would mean the death of not just CDs, but all forms of physical music, right? Wrong.

Despite the popularity of online streaming as a way for people to listen to their favourite songs and artists, recent data from YouGov shows that the use of physical media is on the rise among people in Scotland.

You would probably expect the number of people that use streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music to be constantly increasing due to how easily accessible and popular they are; however there has been a 9% decrease from 57% to 48% of people streaming music monthly between July 2024 and January 2025.

The percentage of people using streaming platforms as their main way of listening to music in a typical month was 60% on 19 July 2023. This percentage has been steadily declining since then.

This recent decline in people listening to music on streaming platforms could possibly be due to the rising costs of digital subscriptions. In 2024, prices rose from £10.99 to £11.99 for an individual plan, £14.99 to £16.99 for a duo plan, and £17.99 to £19.99 for a family plan. For some people these prices are simply unaffordable due to the current cost of living crisis.

On the other hand, physical music has been regaining its popularity. Although thought to be dying out, the number of people that are listening to CDs in Scotland is currently the highest it has been since January 2021. In January 2021, the percentage of people listening to CDs was at 34% and dropped consistently each year after that until July 2024 when it was at 17%. Between July 2024 and January 2025, the number of people listening to CDs has increased to 23%. Does this mean that we should expect to see a revival of CDs in 2025?

It’s not just CDs that have recently seen a surge in their popularity, vinyl is also back on the rise. Since July 2022 the popularity of vinyl as a way to listen to music has been both increasing and decreasing. As of January 2025, this figure is currently sat at 10%.

The amount of Scottish people listening to CDs and vinyl isn’t the only thing that has seen an increase in recent years. People have also began purchasing them more often. The percentage of people buying vinyl has doubled from 4% in July 2024 to 8% in January 2025. Alongside this, the percentage of people purchasing CDs has increased from 12% in July 2024 to 17% in January 2025.

The sudden demand for physical music is likely because nowadays there are many different variants of vinyl and CDs available that people enjoy collecting and displaying in their homes. Not only this but by buying physical music, it means that it’s yours to keep and listen to whenever you want without having to worry that it will get removed from a digital platform.

As efficient as apps like Spotify may be for music lovers, some people much prefer the feeling of going out and buying a brand-new vinyl or CD. With almost 50% of vinyl buyers being under the age of 35, it is clear that the desire for physical music is not going anywhere any time soon.

Are Scottish people turning away from music streaming platforms?