Are you on board the streaming music train yet? If not, it looks like Ford is more than happy to put you on it. The company announced that its new line of EcoSport models come with streaming and subscription capabilities — but no CD players.
The line of EcoSport compact SUVs will debut in the United States in 2018. The center console features plenty of technology, like music streaming services, but nowhere to stick a new CD.
Also, the 2018 Ford Expedition allows users in the backseat to stream TV shows and live events through several different devices. The car also serves as a Wi-Fi hotspot.
In justifying its decision, Ford noted that CD sales keep going down, while streaming keeps going up. And according to a new study, nearly half of all the new vehicles in 2021 won't have CD players. That's just four years away.
So what does this mean for the old-fashioned folks who still like to buy CDs? Are country fans ready to fully embrace music streaming?
It's all a mixed bag, really. Technology continually replaces former technology. Vinyl went to wayside when 8-track tapes came along. Then, cassettes made music even more portable. The digital audio revolution brought CDs, which now seem not long for this world.
But, then again, vinyl record sales are way up (thanks largely to young people). The concept of a physical, tangible product still resonates with a large number of music consumers. And, ultimately, we don't really know if the current form of music streaming will last.
Spotify loses an insane amount of money every year, and in its current form, really isn't sustainable. But that's not to say that if Spotify goes, so too does streaming. After all, plenty of other services will pop up. And with the increasing number of Apple compatible entertainment systems in cars, Apple Music may swoop in to reap the benefits.
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Ultimately, music in most capacities is going the way of streaming whether we're all ready for it or not. While experiential music listening — vinyl, live concerts etc. — continues to rise, the casual music listener wants it all and they want it immediately.
With one of the world's biggest car manufacturers leading the push, we may all be headed for a world without CDs sooner rather than later.
