I think streaming makes music a “throwaway” product.

I well and fondly remember when a new album of my favorite band came out and I met friends at the music store to listen and buy it from my saved pocket money. And I still habe most of these albums… and I still listen to them… all though they live on my music players hdd permanently

This is why stores would let you listen to it before purchasing

Wasn’t 1999 the peak of the price gouging from the record labels? It was like $20-25 for a new album for a ton of the major record labels from what I remember.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD_price_fixing

Where were you getting albums from popular bands/artists for $10 in '99? That shit was approaching $20 or more when Napster finally took care of those assholes.