Music has always been a huge part of my life, my daily life. Sometimes I wake up with a song in my head and that's what I have to hear. Other times my choice is just a mood thing, like it is for anyone. Older stuff bringing me back to a different time and place, a particular tempo/genre that I crave, or the desire to hear the new stuff. Whatever it is I'm listening to, I'm listening.
But as much what's stayed the same in my own music world, there's quite a bit that's changed too. And recently, those changes are happening at an accelerated pace.
Being of a certain age, I actually grew up with a handful of 8 tracks in the car. They may have been my mother's - Carole King Tapestry, Cat Stevens Buddah and the Chocolate Box and a Bette Midler - but they were there. Even back then, I actually remember thinking how incredibly irritating that format was - although i may not have used the word format - having to listen all the way through some tracks to get to others. The mustard-colored portable record player my sister and I had was far easier to use than that.
LP's of course were the ultimate, the heyday, escalating my love from mere hobby, buying 45's at the local record store, to full fledged - and full length addiction. Hanging out, alone or with friends, listening to the album from beginning to end, A side first, trying ever so delicately to put the needle just where you wanted it, reading the liner notes, looking at the band pics, memorizing the lyrics...
Then came the CD. I worked at CBS Records during the big switch, and happened to sit right next to the cabinet. When I first started there, I had to get an especially large bag to bring albums home every night. But by the time I left, I could haul a hell of a lot more home in disc form each night, using that same bag. At first people balked and moaned about CDs. The sound wasn't the same, whine, whine... and then they went off and bought a 5-disc carousel. I got mine from the Sony store...
Fast forward to ipod, itunes, napster and the proliferation of other alternatives and business models. There was moaning about the sound quality then too, but people quickly accepted the mp3, because it was easy and good enough - and the ipod was totally cool and fun as hell. I had, and still do - although it died - the first incarnation, the fat 5 gig model.
As with most things, and most people, I got into my own routine of digital consumption. Rhapsody, last.fm, hype, Amazon, and a few others... each for it's different purpose. Hype and last.fm for social & recommends, Rhapsody to listen whatever I wanted to, especially new full releases to determine if I wanted to make the big purchase. And for the purchase, Amazon. I made the switch from iTunes because of that not so little DRM issue. Although iTunes eventually changed their tune (no pun intended), I stayed loyal to Amazon as a first choice. Then came eMusic.
eMusic has been around for a a fairly long while, but last year I found their interface and offerings were more appealing and I got an annual subscription. It seemed to make good sense. For the annual fee of $100, give or take, I could have 30 downloads a month. In the end, worked out to much cheaper than iTunes or Amazon at .99 cents per track. The only downside, use it or lose it. If you don't use your 30 per month, they're gone. And now I've chosen to completely lose it. My subscription is ending and I decided not to renew.
Why? Because after all my years collecting, I don't feel the need to own anymore. And feeling like I have to buy, doesn't feel right at all. I got rid of all my discs last year. Spent months burning them one after the other. No more room. (LPs, however, will never be thrown away.) Although, of course, I have plenty of space for more digital files. And could for a very few bucks, always buy another external drive, I just don't see why I would. I'm almost always with computer. And if not with computer, there is the mini-computer called the phone (or maybe soon, the Tablet?) where there too, I can listen to anything I want.
I'm not saying I won't download tracks anymore, but the occasion is getting rarer and rare. And eventually it will become non-existent. Now that streaming services are starting to offer "everything, anywhere, anytime, on any device," a la Rhapsody and Spotify for iPhone, I believe the way of the purchased download will go the way of the horse and buggy... and CD & LP.
Listening in the clouds is the inevitable future. And I'm absolutely okay with that, in fact I'm all for it. No matter how I listen, or what I listen to, I'll always be listening.
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