Does having everything at your fingertips make you listen more??

kirk57

kirk57

Some guy on the Internet
Subscriber
another piece pondering the impact of all the music you could ever want, when ever you want it:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/enter...media-20111019,0,6942196.story?obref=obinsite

Maybe this attachment to physical media will die out over time.

I think my age and attachment to 3000 carefully selected LPs makes it impossible for me to be impartial. The author or the article is 38. Interesting to see how people feel about this and if the reaction is different for different age groups....
 
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
I have an answer to this question he posed: "If I've opted for convenience over shelf space, why don't I listen to music more often... ?"

(a) The music sounds like crap; (b) when you're overwhelmed with choices, it's harder to choose; and (c) if you opted for convenience, you're not a true music lover anyway.
 
The physicality of it must be part of the experience for me...I don't own an iPod, or kindle. Its not that I can't deal with digital media, I'm a programmer, so any of that isn't a issue, I just don't have any interest in it. I've downloaded a handful of songs, that's all. Ripped a few CD's to the PC, put a couple on my blackberry for air travel, thats about it. I toy with the idea of a music server, but I've never made the time to do it, it just doesn't do it for me. (I'm 44 if its of interest.)
Nice article though, good read. Oops, I read that on the internet, maybe I'm being converted...but I don't think so. :D
 
Interesting topic, I find scrolling through a sterile list of ipod tracks to be not only rather uninspiring but incredibly fiddly.

Would much rather stand up, walk to my shelving of albums, touch and look at something tangible, locate it quickely and smell that wonderful smell that only an LP exudes.

Plus, no one will ever question if I legitimately own my music... :D
 
RichPA said:
I have an answer to this question he posed: "If I've opted for convenience over shelf space, why don't I listen to music more often... ?"

(a) The music sounds like crap; (b) when you're overwhelmed with choices, it's harder to choose; and (c) if you opted for convenience, you're not a true music lover anyway.
Click to expand...

it is conceivable that point (a) will not always be true, if bandwidth continues to expand as it has in the past

(b) I think is a very good point. If you only have 200 lps for example (more than I had at age 18 I'd guess), your choice of what to play is much simpler.
I think it's also possible that you come to know the music you do have on a deeper level. Or just get really, really sick of it :D
 
RichPA said:
I have an answer to this question he posed: "If I've opted for convenience over shelf space, why don't I listen to music more often... ?"

(a) The music sounds like crap; (b) when you're overwhelmed with choices, it's harder to choose; and (c) if you opted for convenience, you're not a true music lover anyway.
Click to expand...

Gotta differ with you on (c)- I opted for convenience when the DAC and Flac technology got good enough to replace my other gear. I still have vinyl and CD's, but my system evolved over time toward digital media, and it sounds as good as anything I used in the past. No storage issues, no cleaning LP's, no buying new cartridges- just 6,000 plus songs I can play with a few mouse clicks. And Spotify helps me discover new music, too. The sound is great, and the convenience is also great!
 
Different position

I have a different perspective on music everywhere. I have a music system in my home office, bedroom, media room, living room, and on the back patio. I have CD/DVD-A/SACD players in all locations plus I have an Airport Express at each location as well. If I am doing critical listening I will either go to the living room where I have my turntable or else I will use a disc in any location. If I am listening to background, I will probably listen to MOG (I think the sound quality is better than Spotify --> see the ComputerAudiophile review which compares the two services) which I can access from any computer in the house or my smartphone. If I'm on the road, I can listen to my laptop or smartphone. So my solution is to have high quality when/where I can and I can get 16/44.1 anywhere except the car where the audio system sucks anyway. I don't spend much time in the car 8^).
 
I don't listen more, but I definitely listen to more.

I recently downgraded my subscription to Rdio (similar to Spotify) because I found I was only listening to a bunch of albums once, maybe twice. The ones I listened to a few times and loved I ended up buying on LP anyway, so in that respect one thing worked toward the other, but I rarely use my streaming service anymore. It's good for some things though: to give a new album a quick listen, "bookmark" something I read about on the web, or satisfy an itch for an old song.

I'm fine with having less choice but more familiarity. It also justifies the investment!
 
Last edited:
The ability to listen to downloaded music as one option along with lp, tape and cd hasn't made me listen less but I think his point is well taken if/when it gets to where we can pay a subscription and have access to virtually all recorded music in the "cloud". I think "option anxiety" could easily kick in and discourage listening. It's a bit different with Netflix et al because movies are less of a repeatable expreience. Ultimately I believe there will be a balance between tactile and purely digital media. If you remember John Nasbitt's book Megatrends from the 80s, he talked about society moving to a "high-tech, high-touch" place. Advancing technology often increases the desire for real, physical experience. Maybe, along with the growth vinyl and tape are experiencing, there will be a greater interest in live music. It will be interesting to see.
 
wizargoz said:
Gotta differ with you on (c)- I opted for convenience when the DAC and Flac technology got good enough to replace my other gear. I still have vinyl and CD's, but my system evolved over time toward digital media, and it sounds as good as anything I used in the past. No storage issues, no cleaning LP's, no buying new cartridges- just 6,000 plus songs I can play with a few mouse clicks. And Spotify helps me discover new music, too. The sound is great, and the convenience is also great!
Click to expand...

I agree. I use Squeezebox streaming Apple Lossless files to Music Hall DAC then to my system. I have my entire CD library at my fingertips.

I also like to play vinyl and it still has the edge in quality but my digital files sound soo good it doesn't really pay to not use the convenience.

I just read in Absolute Sound that Aiff or Wav lossless files sound better than Apple lossless or FLAC. If true I may have to start ripping all over :scratch2:
 
there was something almost 'perfect' about cassette's 90 minute length as a format to 'listen' to...
if you're bored of having 10,000 songs in whatever storage format..grab a good old fashioned cassette and roll a mixtape...:thmbsp:
 
I stream radio when I want background music (like right now), but if I'm listening, I've gone back to vinyl. My digital setup is pretty good, and I've ripped most of my CDs lossless, but I recently rebuilt my TT, and am rediscovering my LP collection (including ones that should have been cleaned long ago). Last night I spun a half-speed mastered copy of Born to Run that I'd forgotten I had.
 
This digital stuff helps me listen more. Meanwhile the record player sits usually unused unless I want to play some music I have only on LP, which isn't much. Or when some pals come over and want to hear some wax on the pick, mainly as an audiophile novelty.

Yesterday I was in the new hi-fi store across the street and the owner told me about a group called Low Strung that plays Pop music on cellos. Today I downloaded their album from Amazon and my wife and I (she's a cellist) enjoyed the music this evening. Now how are you gonna beat that?
 
Last edited:
Speaking as someone with a large personal collection of digital sound (some high quality stuff, lots of crappy MP3s from over the years) I can say that I listen to music both more and less. On one hand, it allows me to have music constantly going as background music with no repetition because I have so much. But on the other hand, I sometimes find myself overwhelmed with choices and choose to not listen to anything, or to go downstairs and listen to something from my vinyl collection which is much smaller but also growing..
 
RichPA said:
(b) when you're overwhelmed with choices, it's harder to choose; and (c) if you opted for convenience, you're not a true music lover anyway.
Click to expand...

On that note...for some reason I love NPR classical station,,,there is something about listening to great music and not feel overwhelmed by all the CD's, LP's and reel to reel's...:yes:
 
Big change in my life. Over 800 CDs ripped to computer - goal was 30 days - 720 hrs.

Once you rip it, it is yours. Music is on 24/7. Like having a personal radio station.

For the music industry it is a boon, I purchased 100s of CDs (the biggest investment in the system). I bought more equipment. It is so much more convenient. Sounds as good or better.
 
I have a subscription to Rhapsody and a Squeezebox.... I actually can listen to whatever I want whenever I want. And yes it does make me listen to music much more.
 
what do you mean by "listen"? ..there's the rub : do you mean 1: "hear the soundwaves with your ears"? ...I think we all do more of that ....but do you mean 2: "really listen" ? : eyes closed , no distractions , ... you get the picture ......I rarely get to experience # 2 ...although I once had time to (no kids back then) .....
to me its a contradiction ..... you lived life to its fullest when you had the least ....most people say that : kinda like audio ....when the world is at your fingertips do you take it for granted? : YES !! ...thats why my personal "step backwards" to try to get more #2 option was to reconnect with vinyl...... I dont get to "listen" often ...but when I do the vinyl thing gives me what I want ... its almost religious : the choosing / the handling / the cleaning / the dropping of the stylus ......and no ffwd button to press ....so you do listen .....sometimes you have to......my personal theory is that the average (so no dissing me now : because if you are here ...you are not what we call "average") person has a narrower tolerance and appreciation for music these days ....with playlists and ipods and sirius feeds you can have what you (think) you want 24/7/365 ...people don't usually venture out of their groove ..... and by doing so they get exposed to less "new" stuff ..I think that 'back in the day tolerance was forced on you , listening wise, .....you didnt have a satellite feed of one flavour or a ffwd button .... and in "Having" to listen to those "other" choices I was inadvertently exposed to some gems that I enjoy to this day. I also think that this , in a wholistic way, even effects what is offered ..... a band nowadays has a "sound" and if they venture outside of it they are usually dropped and gone .......that wasn't the way it was when I was a kid ....just listen to early Floyd compared to later (and imho Floyd sucked early on...ymmv) ......they developed their sound : just like the Beatles and many other acts ....I don't think it could successfully be done today. Sorry for the long post : just had a few ideas rollin around.....
 
I agree with barkerd's sentiments. I only listen to music when I really want to listen. My vinyl rig sounds the best, so my choices stay there. But Tom's comment got me wondering...
Tom Brennan said:
Or when some pals come over and want to hear some wax on the pick, mainly as an audiophile novelty.
Click to expand...
...maybe us old guys are the novelty?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom