Think buying music is too expensive? If you look at things from a historical point of view, music has never, ever been cheaper.
If you go back to the 1950s, the average price of an album was about $5.50–and that’s in 1950s dollars. If you adjust for inflation, that’s over 60 bucks today. Single digital albums sell for around 10 dollars on iTunes today. A CD certainly goes for less than 20. In the 70s, a 7-inch single sold for between 99 cents and $1.29. Adjust that for inflation, and that’s equivalent to over $7.50 at the high end.
Today on iTunes, singles go for between 69 and a buck twenty-nine. Talk about DEflation. And that’s for physical and digital product. When you look at the free streaming from Spotify and YouTube, music costs nothing.
So, is it worth less or worthless? That’s where the discussion gets interesting.
© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Ad Choices
