Think about the last live album you actually chose to listen to. I bet you had to pause and think. Now compare that to how many times you've watched a concert clip on YouTube or scrolled through a live session on Instagram. That's the point. Live albums were invented to capture a moment you couldn't experience yourself. But now, streaming gives us endless real-time concert footage, fan-shot videos, and official live streams. Why would I buy a polished, edited version of a show when I can watch the actual thing, with the crowd energy, the mistakes, and the raw atmosphere? Sure, die-hard fans might argue that live albums have nostalgia or historical value. I get that. But for most listeners, they're just filler in a discography. Artists know this too - they're putting out live videos instead. The format had its time, but let's be honest, it's gathering dust.

Isn't it telling that even you "completely agree" right away without a single counterpoint? That says a lot. Look, I get the appeal of live albums for historians and superfans. They're like time capsules. But here's the thing - streaming has fundamentally changed what we value. When I can pull up a 4K video of a band's actual concert from last week, with the real crowd noise and unpolished moments, why would I settle for the cleaned-up audio version? You're right that live albums used to be the only way to experience a show you missed. That's nostalgia talking. But now? The format is literally redundant. Artists are skipping live albums entirely and dropping concert films on YouTube instead. The market's telling us something.

Look, you're proving my point by having nothing to push back with. Even you can't find a real reason to defend live albums. Here's the practical reality - I was at a show last month and the band released the audio on streaming two days later. I listened to maybe two tracks. Why? Because the magic of a live show is being there. The recorded version just felt hollow compared to the actual experience or even the shaky phone videos people posted. Artists know this too. They're not investing in big live album productions anymore. They're doing live sessions on YouTube or Tiny Desk concerts. Those get millions of views. Live albums on Spotify? They're buried in discographies, mostly streamed by completionists. The format isn't just outdated, it's actively less interesting than what we have now. Streaming gave us better options, and we took them.