Has streaming completely ruined the consumption of music?To listen to music used to be an enthusing experience. I used to look forward to announcements and release dates, album roll outs and to watch the genuine hype around upcoming artists and producers.The typical fan of music would go out of their way to be exposed to new sonics and tunes they couldn’t generally find anywhere else. Places like the car wash, bars or at the club. These were some of the different spots one could go to and experience music in a raw form.Now with streaming, it’s always right in front of you. These days, all you need is headphones and any device that has Internet connection and can fit in your pocket. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I guess it depends on your personal preference and way of taking in music..I believe music has been made too easily accessible and the severe lack of effort one needs to obtain music sort of takes away from the amusement once felt when searching for music. The little struggles that came with finding the playlists and mixtapes, scouting for the reliable music stores and “digging up in the crates” for vinyls. Do you remember the process of ripping music to your desktop, organising all the files to ensure all the correct titles, producer tags and artists were labelled in your library? I went as far as browsing music blogs for the original album artwork too. It might not sound like it but these were way simpler times. Most importantly, these were the times that the value of music and the connection we once had with it felt more real. I feel the joy that comes from discovering, listening and making new music is dialed down due to a good chunk of it existing on digital streaming platforms or the music being easily created with production software. Instruments can be found as “plug-ins” from a computer and don’t necessarily have to be played or recorded live in a physical studio to compose the music. It’s all digital now and all you really need is the appropriate applications. This, I feel, shouldn’t be the only way of consuming or producing music. Streaming and software has taken away from the organic way of feeling the rhythm, the beats, the lyrics, the flow and most importantly the emotions that the music purely evoked..At this point, it is clear that I am not too fond of this digital age. On the other hand it is convenient to have an online library of music readily available at any given time – a library capable of storing as many as 50 million songs. The moment a project or album is released, you can download it at the click of a button. It is great that technology has enabled a faster and more direct access to the product but it is unfortunate that the music lacks the opportunity to create a lasting memory, a unique experience all because we heard it through some earphones connected to a touchscreen. What are you doing to protect your individual routine of discovering new or old music? I have no clue how to come up with different ways I can consume this special kind of art, or where to begin to get back to the older and traditional ways. Surely, there is a means to preserving the true nature of music creation and consumption, right? Until this time has come, I’ll have to shuffle through my folders and archives to get my beat for the day.
Has streaming completely ruined the consumption of music?To listen to music used to be an enthusing experience. I used to look forward to announcements and release dates, album roll outs and to watch the genuine hype around upcoming artists and producers.The typical fan of music would go out of their way to be exposed to new sonics and tunes they couldn’t generally find anywhere else. Places like the car wash, bars or at the club. These were some of the different spots one could go to and experience music in a raw form.Now with streaming, it’s always right in front of you. These days, all you need is headphones and any device that has Internet connection and can fit in your pocket. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I guess it depends on your personal preference and way of taking in music..I believe music has been made too easily accessible and the severe lack of effort one needs to obtain music sort of takes away from the amusement once felt when searching for music. The little struggles that came with finding the playlists and mixtapes, scouting for the reliable music stores and “digging up in the crates” for vinyls. Do you remember the process of ripping music to your desktop, organising all the files to ensure all the correct titles, producer tags and artists were labelled in your library? I went as far as browsing music blogs for the original album artwork too. It might not sound like it but these were way simpler times. Most importantly, these were the times that the value of music and the connection we once had with it felt more real. I feel the joy that comes from discovering, listening and making new music is dialed down due to a good chunk of it existing on digital streaming platforms or the music being easily created with production software. Instruments can be found as “plug-ins” from a computer and don’t necessarily have to be played or recorded live in a physical studio to compose the music. It’s all digital now and all you really need is the appropriate applications. This, I feel, shouldn’t be the only way of consuming or producing music. Streaming and software has taken away from the organic way of feeling the rhythm, the beats, the lyrics, the flow and most importantly the emotions that the music purely evoked..At this point, it is clear that I am not too fond of this digital age. On the other hand it is convenient to have an online library of music readily available at any given time – a library capable of storing as many as 50 million songs. The moment a project or album is released, you can download it at the click of a button. It is great that technology has enabled a faster and more direct access to the product but it is unfortunate that the music lacks the opportunity to create a lasting memory, a unique experience all because we heard it through some earphones connected to a touchscreen. What are you doing to protect your individual routine of discovering new or old music? I have no clue how to come up with different ways I can consume this special kind of art, or where to begin to get back to the older and traditional ways. Surely, there is a means to preserving the true nature of music creation and consumption, right? Until this time has come, I’ll have to shuffle through my folders and archives to get my beat for the day.