For the Good of Yourself and Others, Destroy Your iPod
flickr user pvera
PopMatters has launched an interesting series on music in the digital age. Part One, is written in a constantly equivocating, annoyingly academic style by Joseph Fischer. However, he pulls out some worthwile insights, and offers a convincing and charming conclusion:
To be clear, I acknowledge that it is not objectively, scientifically, or technologically possible to determine what distribution model actually brings musicians and listeners closer together. That impossibility, however, simply reaffirms my core belief that we need a critical culture in which those who argue for the continued relevance of physical releases are not dismissively tagged as “romantic”—as if writing music, in any form, or writing about music, in any form, aren’t inherently romantic exercises. (Moreover, it is entirely possible that there should be a discernible gap between artists and their fans.) At the end of the day, though, even if it is romantic to hark back to a bygone era when music was distributed in physical form, which might resemble a distributional Dark Age for some, that might not be such a bad thing. After all, when it comes to romance, sometimes a little darkness, away from the computer and all of its bright lights, goes a long way.
Fischer’s argument, which he takes plenty of time warming up in the first half of his essay, is that Mp3s and iPods widen the division between artists and fans, because the artist loses control over the consumption of her intended product. If an album could be likened to a letter to listeners, then iPod shuffle or pick-and-choose Mp3 download transaction is comparable to cutting out favorite sentences of a letter and reading those, and only those, over and over again. AC/DC has resisted this slice and dice by refusing to release their albums to iTunes. Angus Young explained the band’s decision succinctly: “We don’t make singles. We make albums.”
The album is valued and appreciated less as digital filesharing tightens its stranglehold on the music industry and the buying habits of music listeners, most especially young people–many of whom may not even be musically or intellectually prepared to sit down and listen to one album from front to back.
The slow and steady burial of the album is a destructive force against good music. The musical attention span of listeners will continually dwindle, while the songwriting skills of musicians diminish. Digital music commerce and culture reinforces the music business model of instant hitmaking and little longevity. Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, U2 and many other bands and artists did not breakthrough the charts and radio until their third or fourth albums. They were given time and space to grow as artists because record company executives were betting on a big reward in the future. Now, companies demand an immediate pay off, and those freshmen who cannot produce profit, despite their talent and potential, are unceremoniously hooked off the stage.
Fischer is particularly strong when he implies that a certain social divide forms in the landscape of digital musical listening, buying, and sharing. The iPod is an instrument of isolation. It encourages solitary listening, and separates listeners from their surroundings. Headphone wearers on trains and streets effectively privatize the public space in which they move, and render themselves nearly unreachable from people looking for conversation, flirtation, or mediation.
Communal musical listening either becomes an act of auditory terrorism or a fleeting rarity. Any school teacher can testify to the adverse affect the I-Pod has had on the classroom, where students attempt to sneak in a few songs, often in loud and anything but stealthy style. Rushing over to a friend’s house to hear a new band’s song because the friend was the first person to purchase the album no longer happens when the song can be emailed within minutes of download.
Along with the crushing fists of behemoth chains, digitized music also does irreparable harm to the independent record store, and thereby obstructs the independent-record-store-buying experience from many music fans. An indie store is not only a place to make interesting discoveries while browsing, get insightful musical recommendations from workers, and make friendships in the aisles, but it is also a cultural sanctuary for those music obsessed fanatics still stubborn enough to insist on buying albums, valuing high quality sound, and cherishing music as a source of sexual stimuli and spiritual sustenance. If S&J Stereo in Highland, Indiana, where I shop, shut down, I would feel as if a church had just been split by a wrecking ball.
Of course, there is no tenable alternative to digitized music. Its dominance will continue to expand, while the relics of a bygone era will gather dust and receive attention from only nostalgic romantics who are routinely mocked and chided.
A friend of mine once reacted to my uncompromising loyalty to CDs, Vinyl, and independent record stores by saying: “You’re the guy rolling a square up a hill after the wheel had been invented.”
I like my square, and to others who share my preference for physical artifacts of art, entire albums, and keeping public space public, I say, “for the good of yourself and others, destroy your iPod.”
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This piece strikes me as a mix of technological determinism and premature nostalgia. Picture Marshall McLuhan sitting on a front porch rocking chair saying, “when I was a kid we could listen to one band for 42 minutes…in a row!”
The author raises great (if largely implied) questions about the ways that new media technologies transform prior cultural texts and practices, but every time he argues for his answers he oversteps, blaming too much of the music industry’s downfall on mp3’s (rather than the corporate mindset that dominated and still dominates the industry) and paying too little attention to the many ways in which music fans experience music in this “digital age.”
It’s not that Mr. Masciotra is wrong–just that he seems so determined to tell a sad story about how mp3 files killed the album-format star that he overstates the degree to which either artists or listeners are constrained by new technology.
Kevin,
Thank you for the comment. The McLuhan image made me laugh. Although I do believe the mp3 and ipod have terribly influenced the music listening, buying, and production models of record companies and listeners, you are right to point out that there is more to the “sad story” I told. Some qualification and elaboration would have been in order–namely more on the corporate mentality and important changes in radio over the past couple of decades.
In response to another comment. See in context »I couldn’t agree more with that last sentence, David. And thanks, btw, for your reply (sorry it’s taken me so long to check back–should have checked the “track follow-up comments” box). I enjoy your stuff and, like I said, I do think the medium questions have to be asked, and they’re all too often overlooked. I appreciate your work to bring them into the larger conversation about technology and culture.
In response to another comment. See in context »Meh, this is fluff-piece BS. What about mix tapes? They killed the album long before you could stuff thousands of songs in your pocket. Musicians who stay relevant are able to have a back and forth with their audience and _creatively_ work with the way people consume music – that’s what separates “artists” from wannabes. Pearl Jam did this early on. Rather than pissing and moaning about bootlegs, they pioneered the process of letting people buy a CD of their show on the way back to the car. Musicians who want to pitch the concept of linear albums in the new age, merely need to produce an album worthy of such a listening experience. The Decemberists just made such and attempt, and for the most part it was successful. Music listeners get the “problem” here, that’s why we’re seeing a resurgence in vinyl and record players. But these are USB record players being used by people to also rip their albums to MP3, for when they actually leave the house. Smart musicians see the expanding landscape. Those who see it as “destruction” are too nostalgic to accept evolution. You posted this piece on a f*&%ing blog for Pete’s sake. Shall I wax poetic about the death of reading a paper magazine cover-to-cover, while on the toilet? Destroy your blog.
Im pretty sure some artists work out a deal with itunes that forces the fan to buy the entire album… You search itunes for that great song you heard somewhere but when you find it, instead of saying “purchase” next to it, and it says “album only”, and you have to buy 9 unrelated songs that are usually not nearly as good.
I prefer to control who speaks or communicates with me in a public space, especially the Chicago CTA, walking downtown amongst panhandlers and at the gym. I still support my indie music sources (how do you think I get music for my iphone?) and always will. I just enjoy bringing my WHOLE music collection with me when I travel. If you haven’t checked it out yet try http://www.thesixtyone.com as good as any indie store you may find.
This reminds me of David Cross’s character from this Mr. Show skit(starting @ 1:10):
“It’s a mini-victrola, and it allows me to listen to the only decent music ever committed to vin-u-el. Listen, it’s so pure, it hurts!”
And Angus Young of all people, claiming to be an album artist? You know the pretensions of AOR have gone overboard when frigging AC/DC professes the purity of the full LP experience. They’re a singles band if there ever was one.
While I await the 2020 article bemoaning the lost innocence and authenticity of the MP3 experience, I’m annoyed at the condescension of the premise that “kids today” don’t have the attention span to follow full albums. First, album-oriented music wasn’t always the norm, and second, most artists haven’t been able to pull it off. The percentage of good songs to bad on an album didn’t rise simply b/c bands wished it so. Sure, there have been some great album experiences b/c of it, but there have also been some embarrassingly clunky concept records as well.
The truth of the matter is there has never been a better time to be a music fan. It’s an embarrassment of riches out there at your fingertips, and I’m not going to waste my time talking about people younger than me don’t get the good old days of having to switch out albums every time I wanted to hear a different band or song.
Joseph,
Thank you for the comment. AC/DC put out some great albums–song for song albums in the ’70s with Bon Scott. Discovering deep cuts on Dirty Deeds and Powerage is one of the greatest experiences awaiting any new AC/DC fan. Those who are still very enthusiastic will do it. However, many will simply be tempted to download Dirty Deeds’ title track and skip over Powerage because of its lack of singles.
Even later albums like Stiff Upper Lip and Black Ice have some great songs that will never be played on the radio.
In response to another comment. See in context »I disagree with commenter and contributor Joseph Childers.
In the past, sometimes, the best way to judge an album was to listen to the whole album, whether that was an AC/DC album (even if it had great individual songs). The point here being that if an album had two great songs on one side, and one or two more great songs on the other side (like some of the AC/DC albums do), then the overall effort was deemed worthy, and you did not stop at buying just the single itself.
I also disagree about young kids today. I have a 17 year old niece and a 14 year old nephew. They are stuck in single song, no attention span land — although, my nephew has been improving, ever since he started showing an interest in music and bought a guitar.
Personally, today’s music executives are ruthless a**holes who suck and only care for the bottom line (money), that is why most popular music today is so horrible and you have to search far and wide for something good. I mean there are some excellent stuff happening out there, and yet, I am just discovering bands like Gorillaz (because I listened to “Broken Bells” on “The Late Show”), etc. Plus the whole mp3 movement is disagreeable. See my comments on that subject here:
http://trueslant.com/michelecatalano/2010/03/22/the-compact-discs-last-stand/#comment-68
People, just don’t have that personal connection with their music they used to have. Angus and others are right. Waiting for a U2 album to come out, used to be an experience. Why? Because after you discovered that band (was it a friend, a school-mate, a girlfriend who introduced you?), then you just listened to their previous records over and over and over again, until the new album came out.
I honestly can not remember an experience like that with a recent “mp3″ download!
I feel the same way about digital cameras and YouTube, and how people are moving away from celluloid for even making shorts and skits. Bring back film and film projectors dammit! All hail the splicer!
I forgot to mention in my earlier rant — yes, I am getting OFF my soapbox afterward, I promise; that I miss “Perfect Album Sides”.
I remember growing-up and listening to WNEW-FM:
http://nyradioarchive.com/wnewfm.html
and their perfect album sides. Those were the days, when an artist could put out a 9-10 song album, and side A or side B would be such a pleasure to listen to that it would be declared a perfect album side. Typically, that side would include at least 1 or 2 great songs (maybe hits) and other great efforts to go along with them.
I miss those days. You can’t get that on the iPod.
I have to disagree on this article! I still buy whole records(albeit on itunes) but I buy whole records! The only time I have ever only bought a single or couple of songs from a record is when the style of music is typically not my style but I enjoy those two or three songs that have something in them I can relate too!!
I think to help solve the problem of people not buying whole records anymore is to simply make better songs/records and not just put out things quickly with all this concept “BS”(be who you are and stick to it) as we are in an age where we have more options and the era of a 12 song record only having 4-5 good songs on it are over!! Alot of the full records I buy are of singers/bands that I’ve liked and have stuck with from when I first discovered music(I am 29)! Its not often that I buy new artist because as of right now there are far and few musicians coming out right now that are doing anything really worth while! Everything may be good in the moment or in the club but alot of it is sooo disposable!! Everything is so standard and packaged!
Everything sounds the same both in rock/pop/R&B!!
Better artist/music = more sales!!!