What in your opinion would you say is the most impressive chart accomplishment. A song or an album having the most downloads in a week thereby topping the download chart during the era when downloads were at their peak? or a song or album having the most physical sales (i.e. CD and cassette) during the peak of physical sales in the chart. Or a song or album having the most streams in a week during this current period of the charts topping the streaming chart in the process?

Physicals for sure! The effort to go and buy music!

Physical, definitely. More expensive than downloads, you actually have to make the effort to go out and buy and it’s a conscious decision, not a passive playlist play

 

Physical > downloads > streams

Actually seems crazy to think people would go out and buy physical singles when you have access to pretty much every song ever with streaming nowadays.

Physical, definitely. More expensive than downloads, you actually have to make the effort to go out and buy and it’s a conscious decision, not a passive playlist play

 

Physical > downloads > streams

Yeah, this exactly. I don't even get why this is even a question!

Who actually voted for Streaming!?!? :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Physicals easily, I mean you have to actually go out of your way to get it, yes it's like a download if you buy it online I guess with a few clicks, but before the Amazon really took off you went out to town to get your copy. Also costs more for physicals then downloads (and streams).

 

Physicals > Downloads >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>. Streams.

It takes less effort to stream but it also takes (a lot) more people. I don't get the dismissive attitude in this thread (I mean I do, because DAE streaming is bad and destroying the charts and playlists are evil etc.), it's a pretty valid question.

 

I don't think there's a single answer to this because it always depends on what the strength of the market on the given week is.

I'd say the answer, quite comfortably, is STREAMING. Because it's a damn sight harder to top it than either of the other two. 300,000 a day compared to 1,000 odd downloads or even less CD's.

I mean they're all more or less the same really. Not really a tangible comparison for so many external reasons but they all more or less represent the zenith of consumption for their time. You can say the pay factor makes it more impressive pre-streaming but you could also argue the opposite; putting it behind a paywall merely limits the audience who get a say. I also find time a more valuable resource than money (and a better Pink Floyd song), so I'm inclined to trust streaming more as well.

actually with album streaming, if we look at proper album streams (not when it's a joke like Mabel), that's impressive

like when Taylor released Folklore, she did 25K on streaming alone, which is a lot of people streaming

I'd say the answer, quite comfortably, is STREAMING. Because it's a damn sight harder to top it than either of the other two. 300,000 a day compared to 1,000 odd downloads or even less CD's.

The poll does say during the peak of digital and physical sales !

Who actually voted for Streaming!?!? :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Physicals easily, I mean you have to actually go out of your way to get it, yes it's like a download if you buy it online I guess with a few clicks, but before the Amazon really took off you went out to town to get your copy. Also costs more for physicals then downloads (and streams).

 

Physicals > Downloads >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>. Streams.

You couldn’t have been more patronizing even if you wanted to.

 

‘You go out of your way to buy it’. Yes, because that used to be literally the only way to have a copy of something to listen to whenever you want.

 

Things changed, downloads became more convenient. Now streaming took its place. Just from the sustainability point of view and impact on environment, physicals were doomed from the start.