More Teenagers Ignoring CDs, report says 48% of teenagers bought no CDs at all in 2007, up from 38% in 2006. Music downloads continue to grow, though, with iTunes leading the way.
I once had a conversation with a younger colleague who claimed to have never purchased a cd in his lifetime. At first I felt a little sad for him, having never experienced the joys of Peter Buck’s liner notes or the navigational nightmare that can be found in an import Bjork single. But then it got me thinking… What if I had followed a similar consumer trajectory? I’d certainly have more money in my bank account, that’s a given; I’d have a heck of a lot more shelf real estate too. But deep down I knew I would be missing something had I not chosen the path of reckless musical consumerism. Those little five inch aluminum discs and four yards of vinyl held within them my own life story. These were the songs that guided me on the path, the songs that got me through the break ups, the songs that made me feel better when work was getting unbearable, and the songs that reminded me of every person I had ever met. That music defined me.
And that is why that headline in the LA Times Business Section made me a little heartbroken for an entire generation. Where would they stash their prized ticket stubs? Without their physical copy of Raw Power just what would they get Iggy Pop to sign at Tower Records? Or skip school to meet the Ramones just to have them sign the most important record in your teenage life?
“Gee Iggy, could you sign my download?” I don’t think so.
The downward decline and imminent demise of the cd is well documented. It is on the way out, despite all of my kicking and screaming. So just this once, go out and buy your favourite ten year old a copy of London Calling or even Blonde on Blonde on cd, vinyl anything and let them live with it. Let them grow with it. They might not get that chance in a few years. It's a certainty that their experience will be different. But give them that disc; talk to them about music. Once they discover it’s magic I guarantee they’ll treasure that disc for the rest of their lives.
Oh and one more thing... Joey Ramone really was that tall in real life.
And that is why that headline in the LA Times Business Section made me a little heartbroken for an entire generation. Where would they stash their prized ticket stubs? Without their physical copy of Raw Power just what would they get Iggy Pop to sign at Tower Records? Or skip school to meet the Ramones just to have them sign the most important record in your teenage life?
“Gee Iggy, could you sign my download?” I don’t think so.
The downward decline and imminent demise of the cd is well documented. It is on the way out, despite all of my kicking and screaming. So just this once, go out and buy your favourite ten year old a copy of London Calling or even Blonde on Blonde on cd, vinyl anything and let them live with it. Let them grow with it. They might not get that chance in a few years. It's a certainty that their experience will be different. But give them that disc; talk to them about music. Once they discover it’s magic I guarantee they’ll treasure that disc for the rest of their lives.
Oh and one more thing... Joey Ramone really was that tall in real life.
2 comments:
Did you buy much vinyl back in the day? THAT was the place to read liner notes ... find out which studio musicians played on the record ... and such. Man, I miss folding a gatefold across my lap to lap up the liner notes.
That first band should try recording on something besides a fisher-price microphone. Unless it's some kind of ode to Oscar, it's not cool when a song sounds like it was recorded in a trash can.
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