I haven't been one of those that has ranted and raved about file sharing. I used to share music on cassettes with my friends back in the day. It was done on a limited basis and not shared with even dozens or hundreds or thousands of "peers," but I want to talk about something else right now ... another factor that's suffering, not just the finances for the artists.
I'm talking about the music we love. I think we might be falling in love with music less. Not all of us, and not all of the time ... but there is one thing that happens to most of us from time to time. It's called the "free factor" or the "value-less" ideal. Here's the deal: when someone gives you something, sometimes you treat it with less value. "Oh, it was a castaway or extra my friend Tony picked up for me in the freebie bin at the music store." If we don't pay something for it, sometimes we tend to value it less. On the other end of the spectrum, sometimes when we buy an album, that little investment makes us give more than a single chance to like it. We won't be as quick to discard and forget about it. But if it's a freebie, well, who cares?
Think about the difference between being in love with an album, memorizing the words and even the song order (hearing the beginning of the next song as one is fading out) ... the difference between that and "who cares."
So, be it ever so subtle, there are habits and trends out there that are using music and treating it as disposable. When I listen to some music that I love -- that tune or tunes that can give me goosebumps, I compare that feeling to this apathetic one, and it makes me sad a little.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at May 17, 2008 03:05 PMOf course, there is a flip side to that. I was in high school during the late 80s. If you saw a cool video on MTV (remember that? Videos on MTV? Crazy...), you would go to the store and plunk down your hard earned cash for the tape. Sometimes it would rock, and sometimes - it was full of junk. With two ggod songs obviously made for videos. My friends and I could usually pick out which song would debut as the next video for so many groups. Being able to listen to an album before purchasing was such a plus back when I was in to file downloading. But that was where I different - I would either buy what I liked or delete it.
That's the hard thing about music - it's such a gamble. Bands are so touchy about being labeled and put in a box. I guess they expect us to trust that since they look so cool in that little MySpace video that we should go and buy their $18 CD. That's the flip side of what you posted - labels and bands treat our income as disposable so many times - by putting out stuff that you can't fall in love with.
Posted by: Matt at May 17, 2008 10:18 PMThere are way too many bands out there. If their music is good-it will stand on its own. Doesn't matter if the cd was a freebie or not.
As Christians, we have put too much stock in music as it is...it has become an idol for so many of us.
Let us turn to scripture to find our comfort and enjoyment. Music should be a byproduct of our response/faith in God.
For me, that's where the real problem lies-myself included.
D
Posted by: Derrek at May 18, 2008 08:49 AM