Yes
I’m not unique in stating that my love of music stems from searching through my parents record collection; it is not just nostalgia which causes us to cling to our CD and vinyl collections as our most prized possessions. In a world where things are increasingly digitized, the musician and his music are becoming increasingly seen as commodities which should be available cheaply and readily.
And downloading music directly to your computer is the easiest way to gain access to the music you want. Done either legally or illegally, it is gradually bankrupting musicians and record companies. This is due to a decline in profitable sales and increased competition to lower costs which consequently increases the bulge in the wallets of corporate giants who hold monopolies on ‘legal’ downloading and streaming.
The decline of yet another physical object which the action of downloading replaces, should tug at our heart-strings. The joyous, and now lost, rainy afternoons we spent as kids flicking through our parents records are paralleled by the numerous Kindles, and E-Readers which are gaining more and more popularity. You cannot digitally replicate the feeling of holding a CD in your hands and opening the case for the first time, or pulling a record out of its sleeve, just as you cannot replicate the feeling of turning the pages of a book.
Surely, even if this argument can be dismissed as old-fashioned, traditionalist
and nostalgic it still remains a very pertinant one. At a time when many things are intangible and transitory, is it not human nature to seek comfort in the permanence of things which can be physically grasped and experienced? If downloading means the slow and steady death of CDs and vinyl, then the feelings and emotions those objects provoke in people will fade along with them. By choosing to spend a few more quid to prevent this we can guarantee that we are able not only to appreciate music as it was intended, but that our children can too.
Samuel Steed
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No
Though seeing your collection of CDs and vinyls evolve over a period of time can evoke feelings of nostalgia and pride, it’s a bit showy isn’t it? Displays of cultural capital, they’re used to highlight to others how ‘hip’ and ‘with it’ we actually are; when the actual act of listening and consuming music is an extremely personal act. In exactly the same way I purchase books to show potential lovers how intellectual I wish to be, having records on your shelf is a prententious act for the failing bedroom DJ or a desperate attempt to be a social climber.
Anyway, even if you have a valid reason for buying records and CDs, reguarly adding to a physical collection of music just isn’t financially viable for everybody. With the average price of a singletrack on MP3 download around 79p, and the average price of a vinyl album around £20, for those on a limited budget who still want to own and share music, downloading provides an excellent service.
It is also part of the way consumption works in an increasingly technologically indebted society. We cannot ignore this. If I were more computer savvy, I’m told I could organise my daily activities, buy my food, read my books, chat to my family as well as listen to music (the one I currently can do) all from my laptop. Whether we agree with this fast-paced, condensed trend that pervades westernised consumption; it makes sense to not get left behind.
This way of obtaining music not only allows you to own the music you wish to own instantaneously, but can also broaden our musical tastes. Popular platforms such as iTunes and Amazon recommend other tracks, genres and artists you may be interested in based on your purchases. Yes, this is shameless advertising and commercialism but whilst you probably never knew that downloading Michael Buble displayed your interest in dubstep, iTunes probably does.
Daniel Cave
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Despite the debate, the general consensus here at Vision is that whether you download music or not seems rather inconsequential. Choosing to listen to your music via illegal or legal download, vinyl, CD or good old fashioned Spotify ultimately doesn’t matter. Who cares who gets money and how much, as long as you’re listening to the music that you want when you want to.