Out With the New?

As the years have rolled by, access to media has become more and more streamlined with the invention of the digital realm—the infamous World Wide Web. However, this is not necessarily for the better. While the internet does make our lives easier (why visit the RMV to renew your vehicle permit when you can do it online at a fraction of the time?) it has also robbed us of certain experiences that we take for granted. I am referring in this case to the musical experience.

The internet, being ever so vast, is home to a multitude of different access points from which users are able to procure music—one of the largest (legal) sources available today being iTunes. Internet users are able to input their credit card information—or, alternatively, purchase access codes from local shops—and with just the click of a mouse, are able to purchase not only individual songs or albums, but entire anthologies as well. While on the surface this seems like an endearing quality of digital music, this humble blogger argues the contrary as this accessibility represents an infringement of the music experience.

Now, before all you eager commenters annihilate your keyboards in protest, please, hear me out. ‘How is making something more accessible contrary to the point of the medium itself,’ I hear you asking? It’s quite simple really, and all you need to do is think back to your own experiences of music acquisition before your discovery of the innovation that is the online download. Think back to the last great CD—or maybe even cassette—that you purchased. Remember the anticipation as the release date grew closer and closer. Recall getting your hopes up as you entered your local music shop, and the subsequent disappointment when you discovered that your present desire was not in stock. Think back on how many different shopping malls you visited on that day just to find that one album, and smile to yourself when you remember how giddy you felt when you finally hunted it down. There it was, all along, tucked away behind the surplus of Foreigner’s greatest hits albums, freshly wrapped in plastic, with a newly stuck-on price tag. Do you remember that experience; the thrill of the hunt? Now, do you recall ever feeling that way about a digital album? No, you don’t, because that experience is eliminated with the internet—everything is easily found when you have Google on your side.

‘Okay, big deal’ I hear you typing. ‘Is this the only thing that digitally accessible music does away with?’ No! Absolutely not! The internet has made the acquisition of music outrageously simple, meaning, new tunes are always available. As such, it is easy for the listener to go overboard with their purchases, which could lead to the undervaluing of a particular album. Furthermore, users of iTunes are able to preview songs (usually in 1:45 chinks) and judge if that piece is worthy of their digital library. This, I would argue, ultimately detracts from the musical experience because if certain songs are deemed “unworthy”, then they simply do not get downloaded. Many artists choose not only which songs are included on their album, but also the order, in an attempt to create a certain meaning or movement. Not including certain songs in the collection is like reading a book without all of the chapters; you may not like them, but they could change how you experience the rest of the work. Let me illustrate these points with an example from my own life:

I recently purchased the CD Birds on the Roof by Canadian alternative rock group Head of the Herd. I figured I would love this album immediately, because I loved their previous album, By This Time Tomorrow after only a cursory listening experience. However, “Birds on the Roof” features a sound which is a noticeable departure from is predecessor. Now, I have undoubtedly outed myself as an advocate of physical media with the creation of this very blog post, but, were I an avid iTunes user, I likely would have written off Birds on the Roof, downloaded only 5 of the 13 songs, and then gone on my way in search of the next catchy sound—I would have missed out on a great album experience. Because I choose to purchase music in the physical realm, I am forced to sit with my decision and get my money’s worth. So, I put the CD in my car stereo and listened to it on my drive to school, and I have to confess: it is an amazing album! Sure, there are several tracks which stand out to me, but the songs all fit together in such a way that, had I not been forced to endure the album in its entirety, I would have missed out on some great “feels”. And hey, now I like at least 10 of the 13 songs!

Am I right? Is physical music better than digital music? Am I crazy and just stuck in the past? Who knows; the jury is out. But, the next time you think about purchasing some music, stop and ask yourself: should I go on iTunes, or should I go for a walk around the city and try and hunt down the CD? I certainly know what my answer will be because, if nothing else, a large collection of CDs looks far more impressive than a large collection of digital media files!