The Transition

I came across a lovely article the other day comparing the mediums for listening to music and the timeline thus far. The article is called "Vinyl vs Tape vs CD vs MP3" and it was really nice the way it was all in one place. The author (Mel Clarke) said some nice things about old school vinyl records; "...vinyl records give music lovers and collectors a reminiscent approach to their music listening, which also creates a hobby and a passtime for those who like to remember one of the most traditional ways to listen to their music." 
I almost wish I had been a teenager in the 70's/80's just so I could have grown up with the experience of listening to traditional vinyl records. As Clarke points out in her article, the quality is fantastic and the mass production of records kept the cost down and the supply up. It also placed much more value on the album artwork! Think of the Pink Floyd record- Dark Side of the Moon. A classic piece of art which many people have posters of, but how great would it be to have the actual record sleeve? I know you can buy record players today and purchase old vinyls, but it's not quite the same because that medium of listening to music has been completely phased out; you are aware that you are buying an antique. Listening to records today is a way of experiencing music of the past and taking yourself back in time. Don't misread me, I think it's great! I have very fond feelings for vinyl records, but it has undoubtedly been replaced as the main way to experience music.
Tapes and CD's... pretty similar. I did grow up with cassette tapes (all time favorite- Gin Blossoms) but the rewinding and fast forwarding to restart, skip, or find a song got pretty tedious. So when CD's came out and you could push a button and be at the next song it was a big step. CD's also brought CD players which were pretty easy and transportable for us (at the time). Today it is funny how seeing a CD player would seem "old" to us... So 2003.
So you know, the cassette tape was quickly replaced with the ease and portability of CD's and CD players. But the 21st century also hatched iTunes and the beginning of our society's obsession with the internet. We began to see if we wanted to have music, we didn't have to go out to the store and buy the actual CD but we could do it from our computers! We could also take CD's we already had and upload them on our computers into MP3's- digital music files. 


Take a look at vinyls vs mp3's... have our music values changed? It seems to me that listening to vinyl records was pleasing partially because of the collection experience. Each single record with it's beautiful cover was literally a tangible piece of art, and I just think they held much more value. With mp3's I think there is a focus more on quantity instead of quality. I have at least 200 songs in my iTunes library I haven't listened to yet. Now that music is electronic it is intangible. We don't physically buy records or hold cassette tapes too often anymore, and perhaps this switch from the physical aspect of music to digital has taken away some of the value we placed on owning a piece of art (which music is). 


If you ask me my favorite way to experience great music, I would absolutely say concerts. What better way to hear your favorite songs than up close and live? It creates a connection between you and artist unlike what you get when you listen to their music at home or on your iPod. It is personal, and it is real. And I sincerely hope the originality and togetherness of live music keeps it from ever dying out, no matter where technology takes us and the industry in the future.


Final Thought: This is an awesome song by Relient K called 'No One Knows What Vinyl Is'. Listen to it hereeeee!


So to the best, to the best of our knowledge we
are doing our best to fight technology
cause back when our parents were in college we
weren't even born, and neither were CD's
cause when our folks would listen to their rock n roll
they'd gather round, and play it on their turntables
but these days, their records are worthless
cause DJ's scratch the records on purpose


So let's put this in perspective
in the present day in which we live
it's all the same with all the kids
no one knows what vinyl is
cause they just burn the mp3's 
onto their stacks of blank CD's
and during all the arsony
the records stay right in their sleeves
it's all the same with all the kids,
yeah no one knows what vinyl is


cause these days, the kids they are so ignorant
they have no clue what to do with a 7-inch
they say, it won't play, it's my CD player's fault
I'll take it to the park and play some frisbee golf
So give me side A, give me side B
it really doesn't make any difference to me
I tried to burn it, like all the CD's that I get
But what the heck is all this melted plastic mess?


So let's put this in perspective
In the present day in which we live,
it's all the same with all the kids...
No one knows what vinyl is!