The search for professional music we can play any time we want, anywhere we want has been ongoing since the days of the wax cylinder. Sounds have been recorded since the mid nineteenth century but they were only able to be played back during Edison’s time. We have progressed through acetate ‘78s, vinyl LPs, 8 track tapes and cassettes to CDs and beyond. It took a while before technology advanced enough to allow average citizens to play musical recordings in there living rooms and once they discovered that they could listen to musicians like the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers there was no turning back.
With the recent passing of Tony Rice I examined my collection of recorded music and realized that I didn’t own much of his best work, for example with the Bluegrass Album Band. I went on an online spending spree and the experience made me realize just how much the recorded music buying experience has changed over the years. A lot of these changes are great. As a music consumer I can find any content I desire without a whole lot of effort. On the other hand my new purchase exists only in digital format on my devices which can play music.
It takes quite a bit of time before changes like this become apparent to aging boomers like me because the evolution of digital technology has been at such a miraculous pace. I first became aware of what a drastic shift had occurred when I bought a new car a couple of years ago. At that time much of my musical life consisted of popping in a CD of my choice into my car sound system to make an otherwise boring drive more entertaining. But when I bought my new car I was informed that they don’t put CD players in cars anymore. Not many people want them.
So I learned how to network my phone and iPad into the car sound system and life was almost as good as before. Still I wondered what was going on so I did some research. As physical media for music, CDs were losing ground to, of all things, vinyl LPs! At least in terms of dollars spent. Digital downloads like I just splurged on were about equal with the two physical media but by a large margin people prefer streaming their music these days.
I had used various music streaming apps but it never occurred to me that people would ever find that more enjoyable than choosing a cherished piece of music to play based on a music library they had collated over time and for which they owned the playing rights outright. The mindset is totally different! Often the streaming service chooses music for you based on a computer algorithm that tracks your preferences and suggests similar music that you might like. That’s good for their business but it can also be good for the music listener. It can be a huge help to people who are thirsty for new music they like! Streaming replaces the network of like minded friends you may have had in the past who could clue you into those sorts of things.
Streaming can be like having a really good disc jockey. Here’s one you might like. And from my experience the algorithms are often right. Maybe not as right as my friend who recommended the Bluegrass Album Band upgrades recently but still right.
I think it is important to consider what ways this drastic change in our habits regarding listening to recorded music are affecting our music, our musicians and our lives. When we next convene for our festival in Grass Valley will there be any activity at the CD signing booth? Will some of the musicians not be there because they couldn’t make it in a cutthroat digital world in which they weren’t compensated adequately by the companies streaming their material? Who knows?
The music buying experience has certainly changed and continues to do so. I am happy with my recent digital download purchases mostly because the content is so good. I don’t have the vinyl album cover with original art work and liner notes that educate me about the music in ways that could have enhanced my experience greatly. I can never have it signed by one of the musicians while I chat with them as if I were in their living room. You still can find some of the old liner notes if you search online archives but it is not easy. Apple used to have a iTunes LP project which included some of those extra content features but they discontinued it a couple of years ago.
Since the title of this essay is Audiophila, I want to say a word or two about the need for good sound reproduction of recorded material. We all know how important sound reproduction is when we hear a live band. If the sound system is not done well the performers don’t sound as good. Technology has come a long way with the dispersion of recorded music in digital format but it seems to me that the physical production of the precious sound waves has taken a back seat. My car stereo system sounds OK but I imagine that it could be so much better. I think I had much better sound quality in the days when I could place a new LP on the Thorens turn table and send the vibrations via my preamp and amp through my Advent loudspeakers. That was good enough. I didn’t need four speakers with quad sound that many audiophiles were experimenting at the time. But where is all of that technological effort today?
Maybe recorded music will always be just a poor substitute for the rich aural experience we get when we go to a live concert. That’s probably true but even if it isn’t there is so much more going on with a live performance that it makes up for the lack of liner notes, targeted shuffles and all of the rest. 2021 is here! I hope we can all get out there soon and hear some real audiophile music soon!
