The slow death of my music
I've written previously about how much I love music. I was recently left incapacitated for a couple of weeks after an ear infection left me almost completely deaf. I tried to keep as positive an attitude as I could during this time but the worst thing was not being able to listen to music. I tried all sorts of tricks to keep my mind occupied but everything kept coming back to music for me. Not only could I not hear my favourite tunes, I couldn't play guitar or sing either (something I try and do everyday and an exercise I view as almost meditative). I got through this period and believe my hearing has actually improved somewhat. But this time got me thinking. What would I do if I lost all my music, i.e. my CD collection, to start with. As a musician, I am lucky enough to be able to write and play my own tunes, but what about my favourite recordings?
A recent Rolling Stone article highlighted the fact that a lot of CD's, touted as being indestructible, actually have a fairly limited life. This is of major concern to me as I have a considerable collection. According to the sources quoted in Rolling Stone, the major label discs will 'probably' last the average person's lifetime. But discs produced by smaller, independant labels who cut costs by using cheaper blank discs won't last. My collection is a healthy mix of both major label and independant products, which I would not be happy to lose. Yeah, sure, I could convert everything to digital and save it on an I-Pod or similar device but why should I have to buy another piece of technology just to retain my collection? Then I read a recent article that suggests in the near future I won't be able to physically buy music from my favourite artists as they will only be available to download. I just about had a conniption. Part of the reason I collect music is for the physical product. I like having the artwork, words, pictures and other bits and pieces often included in the packaging today.
I am not a luddite. I am for having technology make things as easy for everyone as possible. But I equate the above with not being able to buy artwork or a book. How would it be if the best any of us could do is downloading a picture or text to a computer then viewing the art or reading the book off the screen? I want to be able to refer back to the album cover to see who the producer was or who played glockenspiel on track 8. I'm sure some are probably saying 'what is his problem, he can still listen to the music'. The crux of my problem is that I want something to hold on to and not an ethereal idea of something either. It won't matter much music I can store on my handy-dandy portable all-in-one digital player, I still want to be able to go to my CD rack and pull the disc out.
The major label recording industry is rife with lies and trickery all in aide of having us buy their products. There are grave concerns for the state of the industry and the greed which propels a lot of their activities. To quote Hunter S Thompson "the music business is a long shallow plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs… There is also a negative side." We, the consumers, should have the power to decide instead of being told by greed-motivated fat cats who are only interested in the best way they can scam us out of our hard-earned cash.