The music industry is dying, and pirates are killing it.
It’s a dramatic statement, one that conjures images of task-chair buccaneers stealing hordes of booty from major record labels before sending their helpless executives on a one-way trip down a digital plank. I’m imagining a tall ship covered in blinking lights flying an adolescent Jolly Roger.
I don’t buy it, not even for a moment.
Still, the abundance of digital media is changing the way we as consumers access and process music, and not for the better. DJs are making mixtapes more like Girl Talk’s “Night Ripper,” catering to the ever-increasing number of listeners with musical ADD.
I used to be devoted to albums, listening to every single track, declaring an album a favorite only when I could say I liked every song it contained. I’d buy LPs so I could hear every song in order, praising the vinyl record for making me work that much harder to skip through individual songs.
Then I came to college. Records were harder to come by and took a bigger bite out of my budget. I couldn’t afford to listen to side B, as taking the time to cross the room and flip the record inevitably set my thoughts drifting away from my work.
Naturally, I turned to my digital music collection, allowing albums to play through my computer, clicking through windows instead of physically flipping and changing records. It all felt so convenient.
Now I can see that this was all part of a larger trend away from whole albums, and even whole songs. I find myself changing songs on my iPod once I’ve heard a chorus twice, itching to get the next hook, the next fix.
It’s merely a personal annoyance when it’s all coming through the headphones, but I’ve gotten more than a few dirty looks skipping through songs that were halfway finished in a room full of people.
It’s even worse when my newfound impatience finds its way into a live performance. Openers used to be a sort of grab bag, providing some ammunition for a little snarky commentary, if not a pleasant surprise. Recently, I’ve caught myself eagerly awaiting the announcement that this is, in fact, their last song, whoever else is playing that night will be up shortly.
It just never seems soon enough.
But I’m trying to put a stop to this trend, at least as far as I’m concerned. It’s just never worth going to a show and letting myself grow bored. Sure, I may still be quick to hit the “next track” button when I’m walking around, but I’ve reminded myself why live music is worth the price of admission: spontaneity.
I would never have guessed based on the recording that Pela’s Billy McCarthy got so worked up about performing. I could not have predicted that Kim Schifino of Matt & Kim would ride into Against Me!’s moshpit on the back of a short, tie-dye-clad man when she performed in Eugene.
We can only hope that live energy, that obvious and infectious excitement, is enough to keep us ADD kids watching.
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Digital media are changing music – for the worse
Daily Emerald
October 10, 2007
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