One of the newest popular saying is “performative male:" tote bag over the shoulder, matcha latte in hand and most important a pair of wired earbuds along with a small collection of vinyl records or CD’s. A key indicator of a Performative Male is their insistence to only listen to physical media, which has been fueling the fire of the stereotype. Yet, it marks a much larger move from digital streaming back to physical media on a larger scale. It seems almost every day more and more people are beginning to own a turntable, a few years ago what was thought as a relic of the past is now a centerpiece in apartments and dorms. I would argue, though, that the increasing demand for vinyl records and CD’s goes beyond just looking cool.
This new trend, to me, marks an increasing distrust in streaming, originally hailed for its convenience and relative cheapness (compared to rising costs of physical media), which has amassed over 700 million users across all streaming services. Regardless of the convenience of digital media, however, you truly don’t have ownership of that music. Apps such as Spotify can remove artists from their platform without any warning, and sadly this is becoming more common by the day.
In 2022, Neil Young, whose popular songs included “Harvest Moon” and “Heart of Gold,” was--without announcement--wiped from Spotify. This was due to disagreements between Neil Young and Spotify, after Spotify began promoting Joe Rogan's podcast; a podcast which Young said spreads misinformation on the COVID-19 Pandemic. For two years, Young’s music was unobtainable on Spotify for its users, before he returned it to the platform in 2024.
This can be seen with other artists as well, such as King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Xiu Xiu, and Deerhoof, among others, have removed their works from Spotify in protest of the Spotify CEO’s investment in controversial AI drone technology. With some of listeners favorite artists disappearing without warning, along with all music streaming service's low payouts to artists, people are beginning to lose their trust in streaming companies. So insteead of continuing thewir use of streaming services, listeners are opting to support artists directly through physical media: a piece of music that no one can take away from them once purchased.
As much of a joke as the "performative male" have become, they bring with them the true trend of physical media returning into the hands of the consumers; something tangible that truly supports artists without being lost. So, whether it’s a Clairo vinyl and a matcha latte, a Metallica CD, or a classic music cassette, lets hope the trend of physical media is here to stay.
Hello! My name is Chase and I'm the host of WUSC's educational interview show The Grapevine! Feel free to join me Thursdays 11am-12pm for conversations with many figures from around the Columbia and extended SC area. Beyond the radio in my free time I love traveling and surfing! My favorite artists and bands are The Strokes, Jack Johnson and Flipturn!