These days, music is consumed a lot differently than when we were kids. My dad’s CB handle was ‘8-tracker’. He sold so many 8-track cassettes that our ozone is going bad from all the plastic in the landfills. He also brought home boxes and boxes of LPs and 45s. He would make me mix tapes from the 45s. He was an awesome father, in other words. I listened to records, tapes and radio.
Then came the Compact Disc. I had one of the first hundred-or-so copies of the first CD printed in the United States. Do you know what it was? *trivia question* Comment below with the correct answer for a free CD. The Compact Disc brought us perfect, lossless instances of our favorite songs. I, being the genius I am, saw the CD as the New World Order. We no longer need this terrible scratchable, warpable medium called vinyl. So I got rid of all my records. Sigh. Feel free to punch me in the mouth. I am rebuilding now, by the way, so don’t punch too hard. We all learn, right?
But these days, we listen differently. Most of us consume with commercial-free satellite radio, or streaming services like Spotify or Pandora. I have a couples’ subscription to Spotify. My wife and I enjoy the benefits of being able to listen to (just about) any song in the history of music at the click of a finger – on demand. It’s wonderful. But it isn’t perfect. Anything being broadcast through the air over radio – whether that radio signal is satellite, cellular or Bluetooth – is lossy. It’s not a perfect signal. It’s compressed, which means it’s giving away data in exchange for speed.
But I believe we should continue to purchase music. CDs and LPs, namely. If you’re someone who collects cassettes, then more power to you. I personally don’t like the thought of buying something that degrades so quickly, but whatever floats your boat. I like supporting artists I love. They are richer than I, and don’t need my twenty bucks, but that’s not the direction I view this from. Rather than looking at what they do with the money, I prefer to look at it from the direction of what I do with the money. I am paying for that which I love. If a piece of music brings me joy then I don’t have any problem paying for it. My money buys me the things I love. My money buys my entertainment.
And before you start whining about how a CD costs upwards of $20, may I remind you that if you forgot to eat breakfast, and didn’t pack your lunch, a day at work will cost you more than that in fast food nowadays? Even a Big Mac meal can’t be bought with a fin anymore.
Buy music. Buy the music you love. And you don’t have to spend a lot. I remember the day I realized that Josey Records had an aisle of $1 CDs. It’s almost a quarter-mile long and there must be sixteen billion CDs in all those bins, but I went through each and every one of them. I came home with about 60 of them in my first couple of visits. And this ain’t shit. We’re not talking about Gordon Lightfoot’s Greatest Hits. Or Bette Midler’s “From A Distance”. Fuck sake. No, we’re talking good stuff! For a dollar! “Jagged Little Pill”! “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy”! “Tuesday Night Music Club”!
I think we should all be collectors of the things we love. And music, being such a big part of our lives, should be one of the top priorities in the collective. Keep it growing. Keep adding to it. Leave your kids something nice when you go. Music is priceless. So if you can own a part of it for a little while, I say jump on it with both feet. Never stop collecting.