The trajectory of physical media has long been headed toward oblivion, with a decline in sales of CD, DVD and BD, and more recently MD and MiniDV.
However, there has been a revival of interest in old formats such as vinyl records and audio cassette tapes, and less so 8-track tapes.
It is suggested that this revival is less to do with the quality of the formats themselves and more to do with the experience of using them and theculture surrounding them.
Other motivations include a rebellion against streaming services and a desire for ownership in the face of ever-shifting digital content.
Commenters agree that HDD are incredibly cheap for storing large amounts of data replication-free, and that physical media in general should be encouraged.
It is concluded that physical media had to die first for us to learn to truly appreciate it.
Otherwise, it is felt, we would forever take the ability to buy a physical copy for granted.
