Music in the Age of Information

Listening to music on Spotify today, something struck me and for a minute I had a case of the sads.

As much as I love so many aspects of the digital revolution, the information age, and the lighting speed of communication technology, there are some things that are gone now and can never be replaced.

When I was growing up, I would hear about a new band via a few different means.  Most commonly, I would hear a song on the radio or see a video on MTV.  Sometimes, my friends at school told me about a new band or artist.  Or, I would read about them in Rolling Stone or some other magazine.  That was about it.  Once an artist was on my radar, I could wait until I heard them on the radio or saw them on MTV, or I could just take a chance and buy their album.  By the time I got to the point of purchasing their music, I was usually already pretty certain that I was a fan, but once in awhile I'd get burned and end up disliking the album.  But, for better or worse, I would own that album and would either listen to it a lot, a little, or not at all.  Sometimes, I'd own an album for years and not get into it until some weird moment transpired and then I would become obsessed. 

Now, there are bands and musicians coming at me from all angles.  It's a full assault.  It's on the television (in shows, advertisements for random products and cars), the movies, the internet, billboards, stickers stuck on utility poles, people handing out flyers on the streets, signs hung in windows, in my e-mail, on my phone...  I might hear a band I really like, and then in the blink of an eye, something else is distracting me, demanding my attention.  And maybe something that I don't like ends up getting my attention and I forget about the thing I did like.

I don't have the album, or the article, or the video anymore to remind me.  I have to sift through the endless amount of information in my brain and hope that I can find what I'm looking for.  I can google or search spotify or phone a friend, but before any of that can be effective, I have to sort it out in my own mind.

Once upon a time, music was a tangible, respected art form, that people would seek out and pay to make it a physical part of one's universe.  Now, it's a fleeting thought on a subway or a set of binary numbers recreated on a handheld electronic device.