You buy one CD once times the number of CDs you buy in a lifetime. Multiply that by the number of people in the world buying CDs to start getting an idea of the cradle to grave environmental impact compared with that of a streaming music data center.
From a financial standpoint paying a monthly fee equivalent to the purchase cost of one or two CDs per month makes perfect sense to anyone buying more than one or two CDs per month. It also provides access to a library of music greater than most would consider purchasing individually.
I have a bit less than 200 CDs and I have buying them for 30 years. So I am way money ahead from that standpoint.
I think the overwhelming majority of the population realizes that automatic investment plans like 401Ks are are a fantastic way to build wealth.
Conversely, plans that automatically spend money are tremendously destructive towards building wealth. Every time you spend money you deprive yourself of the opportunity to invest wealth.
$
10 a month over 30 years invested at the historical rate of return for the stock market of 9.5% would give you about $18,000.
When you add up all the music and video streaming services, an Adobe subscription, the extra money on your car payment for for all those nice options, payments for a top of the line phone every two years, etc and it results in a huge amount of money disappearing easily and effortlessly without any thought.
Buying CDs on an individual basis at least makes you contemplate the purchase. It is still money being spent but there is effort involved.
Sure, we all have different things we want to spend money on but there is absolutely no such thing “as low monthly payments for the rest of your life”.
And no, I am not pretending to be a financial advisor, I am just saying the math is totally cold blooded. Totally, heartlessly cold blooded.