Rhapsody: Where my argument of ownership breaks down
Over the course of my life, I have owned perhaps 1000 MP3s. But subscription music has shown me that I'm a bit of a music nut, as my Rhapsody catalog is at 4600 tracks and counting. Like the days when I used to sack and pillage library book sales, I find myself gathering at a far greater rate than my actual consumption rate. I have boxes of books in my closet, even after thinning the herd, that I suspect I will never crack open.
Although the subscription music services naturally focus on profitable music, frustrating my efforts to find great independent music, I've been able to really dig into the catalogs of bands I should have been listening to since day one, like Television, Nick Cave, Pulp and "underground" hip-hop acts like Rahzel, Black Star, Latyrx, and Talib Kweli (and god do I hate the term "urban"--it's almost a pejorative euphemism, as far as I'm concerned).
I've also gotten a proper introduction to the back catalogs of artists whose music I simply could not afford to explore financially, like Stevie Wonder, Sleater-Kinney, Velvet Underground, Tom Waits, Flaming Lips, and tons more. Were I to buy all those CDs, I'd quickly be out on the street. I don't know how some people manage to amass enormous libraries of CDs and vinyl.
And even when you have the money... Henry Rollins waxes philosophical about his collection in his spoken word material (and it's criminal that only his relatively underwhelming Think Tank seems to be available online). But he travels so much that he couldn't possibly have enough time to listen to it all... right? Well, maybe he's slowed down in recent years. He has his own radio show now, after all.
At any rate, I love how modern technology has allowed me to listen to an assload of music for a small fee. Does that not rock? I think it does.
Over the course of my life, I have owned perhaps 1000 MP3s. But subscription music has shown me that I'm a bit of a music nut, as my Rhapsody catalog is at 4600 tracks and counting. Like the days when I used to sack and pillage library book sales, I find myself gathering at a far greater rate than my actual consumption rate. I have boxes of books in my closet, even after thinning the herd, that I suspect I will never crack open.
Although the subscription music services naturally focus on profitable music, frustrating my efforts to find great independent music, I've been able to really dig into the catalogs of bands I should have been listening to since day one, like Television, Nick Cave, Pulp and "underground" hip-hop acts like Rahzel, Black Star, Latyrx, and Talib Kweli (and god do I hate the term "urban"--it's almost a pejorative euphemism, as far as I'm concerned).
I've also gotten a proper introduction to the back catalogs of artists whose music I simply could not afford to explore financially, like Stevie Wonder, Sleater-Kinney, Velvet Underground, Tom Waits, Flaming Lips, and tons more. Were I to buy all those CDs, I'd quickly be out on the street. I don't know how some people manage to amass enormous libraries of CDs and vinyl.
And even when you have the money... Henry Rollins waxes philosophical about his collection in his spoken word material (and it's criminal that only his relatively underwhelming Think Tank seems to be available online). But he travels so much that he couldn't possibly have enough time to listen to it all... right? Well, maybe he's slowed down in recent years. He has his own radio show now, after all.
At any rate, I love how modern technology has allowed me to listen to an assload of music for a small fee. Does that not rock? I think it does.
lokischild:
huh....the book thing sounds familiar...i have boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes up in my attic and a shitload of bookcases full....and i wish i had that much music....good lord i'd be in heaven
