Before music streaming, CDs, cassette tapes, 8-tracks, but after wax cylinders and shellac records, there was the vinyl record. A simple and cheap way to store audio. Used from the 40s, all the way until the early 90s, vinyl records were the choice for music to be played on. But as time pressed on, Technology improved, and music formats became smaller and more convenient. The record gave way to the cassette, which gave way to the CD, Which gave way to mp3s, which gave way to streaming, where we are today. But in today's modern age of instant music, what purpose does vinyl records serve? Vinyl records are currently the best way to directly support an artist, by giving them your money directly. Artists recieve more money from record sales than they do from individual streams. The best way for independent music to thrive is through record sales. I will argue that, based on the data given by the RIAA, that vinyl records are the current best option for the music industry.

PART 1:
starting out how do vinyl records actually help artists? It comes down to 2 main factors. The amount of money made from a music stream, and the profit from a vinyl sale. To up and coming artists, the money made from records could mean everything. according to the article "music streaming is fueling vinyl's resurgence" artists only make 7/10ths of a cent per stream from spotify. compare this to a sale of a vinyl record, Which, on average, costs 6 dollars to manufacture and produces 14 dollars in profit. In other words, it is more likely that an artist will make more money from one sale of a vinyl record than an average year's worth of streams from a single user. it would take 200 streams to get the same amount of money made from one sale of a vinyl record. To an up and coming artist, this can mean a world of difference. It allows them to have more control over the profits made from their music, and makes it so that they are able to see the fruits of their labor sooner.