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Friday, February 02, 2007

Vinyl vs. the World

Not exactly new news but an interesting article by Sean O’Hagan in this Sunday’s Observer poses the question: Music consumption is becoming increasingly digitalised – is this also provoking a shift in people’s relationships to music? His conclusion seems to be that people need things and so we are not going to see the death of the CD, or even vinyl, quit yet (although cassettes, it’s probably now safe to say, are a dying breed). Based on our own research, I would have to agree. Over the last year and more we’ve been holding groups with people and talking about this subject and there’s no doubt that digitalisation is changing relationships with music. Talking to teenagers (digital natives if you speak jargon) sheds most light on these changes. Music remains as important to them as it ever has been; it forms an important part of their self-identity, of their membership to whichever group: R&B, rap, indie, D&B, 80s, rock, "speedy G". All of this music is more accessible than it ever has been. Importantly, it’s also all available for free, downloaded via LimeWire, shared via Bluetooth or MSN. Doing the sharing gets you musical kudos, for leading the way, for being the latest. It is this sheer availability of music that has probably changed people’s relationships most. For many teens music does seem to have become something of a disposable resource. Divorced from its physical form, it has become something to keep-up-to-date. It is still amassed, but perhaps not cherished as it could have been. But, there does remain a hardcore of more serious music fans for whom music does mean something more. They may still buy CDs or vinyl, they’re still interested in finding out the stories behind the music, they still like to have something to hold. Even when music is in digital form, it can still hold deeper meaning. Knowledge of the stories behind music, of the obscure, the esoteric, the underground is something that you can’t just download. This trend gets stronger as people get older. When music is freely accessible to all, you need to go the extra mile if you want to consider yourself a serious music collector. Underlying all this is something else: As ethical and environmental concerns start to loom larger in the minds of the consumer, so physical music may start to look like a waste of resources. Vinyl and CDs look to be safe on the shelves for the time being (see the above photo of Virgin Megastore Oxford Street's new 7" section) as long as music fans continue to want something more than a disembodied mp3. Perhaps it will eventually be environmental concerns that marks the end of the love affair with music in its physical form.

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