AN ANALOG REVIVAL IN THE DIGITAL AGE: THE SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL MEANING OF VINYL IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

Abstract

With the emergence of Industry 4.0, innovative technologies such as cloud architecture, the internet of things (IoT), and big data have begun to exert a significant influence on the music industry, as in many other sectors. The acceleration of digitalization has profoundly transformed cultural consumption practices; within the framework of Hartmut Rosa’s concept of the “acceleration society,” music listening habits have been continuously reshaped. This transformation is not merely the outcome of technological progress but is also closely linked to shifts in temporal perception and changes in consumption patterns. Physical formats such as cassettes and CDs, which were widely adopted by large audiences in the late twentieth century, have gradually been replaced since the early twenty-first century by subscription-based online listening models. Data from IFPI and RIAA indicate that, since the 2010s, physical format sales have steadily declined, while revenues from digital streaming services have shown consistent growth. In this context, the annual reports issued by IFPI, regarded as the most authoritative global institution in the music sector, together with those of the U.S. based independent recording industry association RIAA, offer empirical evidence of this transformation. The findings also reveal that, despite the volumetric decline in cassette and CD sales, vinyl records have demonstrated a steady upward trend each year. The emerging picture represents a phenomenon highly multilayered to be explained solely through technological or nostalgic perspectives. Therefore, the study adopts a social psychological framework to evaluate the process in a holistic manner. The research aims to uncover the codes and dynamics through which digital streaming services products of capitalist modernity operate, while simultaneously interpreting the “resilient” position of the vinyl format within the same analytical framework.

Keywords

• Vinyl
• streaming
• music technologies
• music industry
• social acceleration

DİJİTAL ÇAĞDA ANALOG BİR CANLANIŞ: PLAĞIN MÜZİK ENDÜSTRİSİNDEKİ SOSYAL PSİKOLOJİK ANLAMI

Öz

Endüstri 4.0’ın ortaya çıkışıyla birlikte; bulut mimarisi, nesnelerin interneti (IoT), büyük veri ve benzeri yenilikçi teknolojilerin birçok sektörde olduğu gibi müzik endüstrisinde de büyük ölçüde etkisini gösterdiği bilinmektedir. Dijitalleşme sürecinin hızlanması, kültürel tüketim pratiklerini köklü biçimde dönüştürmüş; Hartmut Rosa’nın “hızlanma toplumu” kavramı çerçevesinde müzik dinleme alışkanlıkları sürekli olarak yeniden biçimlenmiştir. Bu dönüşüm, yalnızca teknolojik ilerlemenin bir sonucu değil, aynı zamanda zaman algısındaki değişimler ve tüketim kalıplarındaki dönüşümlerle de yakından ilişkilidir. 20. yüzyılın sonlarında geniş kitlelerce benimsenen kaset ve CD gibi fiziksel formatlar, 21. yüzyılın başlarından itibaren yerlerini giderek abonelik temelli çevrimiçi dinleme modellerine bırakmıştır. IFPI ve RIAA verileri, 2010’lu yıllardan bu yana fiziksel format satışlarının istikrarlı biçimde azaldığını; buna karşılık, streaming hizmetlerinden elde edilen gelirlerin sürekli bir biçimde arttığını göstermektedir. Bu bağlamda, müzik sektörünün küresel ölçekteki en yetkin otoritesi olarak kabul edilen IFPI’nin ve ABD merkezli bağımsız bir kayıt endüstrisi kuruluşu olan RIAA’nın yıllık raporları, söz konusu dönüşümün ampirik kanıtlarını sunmaktadır. Bulgular ayrıca, kaset ve CD satışlarının hacimsel olarak düşmesine karşın, plak satışlarının her yıl düzenli bir artış eğilimi sergilediğini ortaya koymaktadır. Ortaya çıkan tablo, tek başına teknolojik ya da nostaljik yaklaşımlarla açıklanamayacak ölçüde çok katmanlıdır. Bu çerçevede, sürecin farklı boyutlarını bütüncül biçimde değerlendirmek amacıyla sosyal psikolojik bir perspektif benimsenmiştir. Araştırma, kapitalist modernitenin bir ürünü olarak ortaya çıkan dijital akış hizmetlerinin hangi kodlar ve dinamikler üzerinden işlediğini açığa çıkarmayı; aynı zamanda plak formatının bu sistem içindeki “dirençli” konumunu aynı analitik çerçevede yorumlamayı amaçlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Plak
• dijital veri akışı
• müzik teknolojisi
• müzik endüstrisi
• toplumsal hızlanma.

Kaynakça

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