Do you think internet has killed music?

Peanut1971

I am Not Naturally Evil
I miss going to record shops. Internet has made it too easy. In my opinion internet has made music "disposable". As a music fan, I love having the actual CD/record in my hand - not just a digital download. I miss the record covers, the art-work, etc.
 
I think that the internet has changed music. Whether it is for the better or for the worst is entirely subjective.
 
I think that the internet has changed music. Whether it is for the better or for the worst is entirely subjective.

This. I love collecting records but I appreciate that the internet has made music accessible to people who may not have the money to actually buy albums. Before the internet, if you were broke you were subjected to mix tapes at best.
 
The internet hasn't killed music...it has killed sales, however.
 
This. I love collecting records but I appreciate that the internet has made music accessible to people who may not have the money to actually buy albums. Before the internet, if you were broke you were subjected to mix tapes at best.

You say that like it's a bad thing.
 
I miss going to record shops. Internet has made it too easy. In my opinion internet has made music "disposable". As a music fan, I love having the actual CD/record in my hand - not just a digital download. I miss the record covers, the art-work, etc.

So keep buying CDs. You can buy them on the internet, you know.
 
I don't think the internet ruined music like Bon Jovi would have you believe.

There are drawbacks of buying digital of course. You don't own the music you buy for example. You are "licensing" it. I haven't heard of mass deletions like ebooks but if you change computers you don't always get to put the music back on there.
It's actually Morrissey itunes wouldn't let me put back on my ipod when I changed computers. I'm not authorised to have "Years of Refusal". No idea why.

CDs, records and tapes don't last forever either. I was distraught as a kid when the tape player would eat my tapes. I used to make copies of my favourites and outplay those to make the actual tapes last longer. I will not miss that trick [demonstrated on the awesome show "flight of the conchords".]
The kids in rural American cities have more options than their local Wal-mart stocks thanks to the internet.

I started buying music online when I was 16 so I remember both options. I don't think album artwork is a big deal when you have more options at your fingertips.
I won't miss snotty record clerks telling me "pet sounds" is the best music ever made.
I'm more nostalgic for book shops than music stores.
 
....I think Record stores themselves are killing Music....
I went to my local ( Only "Music"store for Miles around) HMV Superstore on Tuesday. I couldn't find the album I wanted (....An "alice cooper cd, if that's of any interest...) Under "C", they only had ONE item.)...Alice cooper has released @ 37 albums). The store was crammed with Movie DVD's, and X-box games,and books, and......SWEETS!!!
While I was there, a lady asked the Counter assistant what is the music that is playing now....he didn't know....and didn't seem to be in a particular hurry to find out either for her....
 
....I think Record stores themselves are killing Music....
I went to my local ( Only "Music"store for Miles around) HMV Superstore on Tuesday. I couldn't find the album I wanted (....An "alice cooper cd, if that's of any interest...) Under "C", they only had ONE item.)...Alice cooper has released @ 37 albums). The store was crammed with Movie DVD's, and X-box games,and books, and......SWEETS!!!
While I was there, a lady asked the Counter assistant what is the music that is playing now....he didn't know....and didn't seem to be in a particular hurry to find out either for her....

You are so right. Record stores tend to have a very strange idea of what cds, dvds etc. people want to buy. Plus they put too much profit on each item for themselves while the artists' share is ridiculous.
 
I don't think the internet ruined music like Bon Jovi would have you believe.

There are drawbacks of buying digital of course. You don't own the music you buy for example. You are "licensing" it. I haven't heard of mass deletions like ebooks but if you change computers you don't always get to put the music back on there.
It's actually Morrissey itunes wouldn't let me put back on my ipod when I changed computers. I'm not authorised to have "Years of Refusal". No idea why.

Yeah but couldn't you just burn the DRM tracks to CD-R? Which would then play anywhere? And then re-rip them into the new PC? I suppose there'd be the issue of generation loss argument, but how noticeable a drop in quality could it possiby be? Anyway it'd be better than buying the whole damn thing again.

.CD's, records and tapes don't last forever either. I was distraught as a kid when the tape player would eat my tapes. I used to make copies of my favourites and outplay those to make the actual tapes last longer. I will not miss that trick [demonstrated on the awesome show "flight of the conchords".]

OK but the time it would take a CD to degrade naturally, on its own...you'd be deaf or dead WAY before that, so would your kids and their kids. If you handle them properly (which isn't hard) and keep them out of your car when you're not driving...they'll be fine. I'm referring to CDs by the way. Tapes, yeah, they can be more of a crapshoot, if the deck heads get pissy, well, there goes the ribbon. But why in the 21st century would anyone use tapes? I have nostalgia for them which is romantic but even I would never use them anymore. 15 years ago I did, because I had too. Now you can burn CDs and make MP3 playlists; two options that offer much better sound, and take way less time. Hard-copy music reached its optimum form in Compact Disc. I have no big issue with digital files, but to herald them as the way to go simply because "CDs break"...I mean...hard drives break too. More easily and more randomly than CDs. And there goes ALL YOUR MUSIC.


The kids in rural American cities have more options than their local Wal-mart stocks thanks to the internet.

True, very true.

I started buying music online when I was 16 so I remember both options. I don't think album artwork is a big deal when you have more options at your fingertips. I won't miss snotty record clerks telling me "pet sounds" is the best music ever made.

I think you've watched High Fidelity too many times. What you're talking about is a bit of a stereotype. Sure, you have hipster asshole record store clerks, but most of them are decent people, or at least no more annoying than any other kind of clerk. I've never experienced the kind of elitist know-it-allism that you are talking about, unless I instigated a conversation with them. And anyway I'd rather deal with those kind of clerks than the kind at Best Buy's "music department" who know absolute nothing about music.
 
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Yeah but couldn't you just burn the DRM tracks to CD-R? Which would then play anywhere? And then re-rip them into the new PC? I suppose there'd be the issue of generation loss argument, but how noticeable a drop in quality could it possible be? Anyway it'd be better than buying the whole damn thing again.

Very valid points. I do agree with you. I don't know if cds are really on their way out. I think online ordering has replaced cd shopping.
I forget which article back during the napster scandal pointed out that the same stores whose sales fell saw an increase in amazon.com shipments.
People weren't necessarily downloading illegally but found online stores to shop.

I agree cds AND an mp3 copy is the best way to go. I learned my lesson from buying mp3 only. I started doing that after my discburner broke. I won't make that mistake again.

Does anyone else find it annoying amazon.com mp3 and itunes release stuff on different dates?
I guess they made a deal with the record companies who got the mp3s first.

I think you've watched High Fidelity too many times. What you're talking about is a bit of a stereotype. Sure, you have hipster asshole record store clerks, but most of them are decent people, or at least no more annoying than any other kind of clerk. I've never experienced the kind of elitist know-it-allism that you are talking about, unless I instigated a conversation with them. And anyway I'd rather deal with those kind of clerks than the kind at Best Buy's "music department" who know absolute nothing about music.


You got me there! :)
I was thinking of the kids in the hall doors fan sketch but I have read 'high fidelity'...
[video]http://youtu.be/5xillqqt0Y0[/video]



The comment about stocking candy is probably the truest statement I've read so far about record stores killing themselves.
FYE just closed in our mall this year. They sold dvds and music but mainly stupid twilight merch and candy. It sucked about borders closing but they were guilty of the twilight 50% merch while stocking more new twilight gear. Their cd section kept getting smaller and smaller. Their book section focused on young adult.

http://music-mix.ew.com/2011/03/15/jon-bon-jovi-steve-jobs-killing-the-music-business/

The thing that surprised me the most was how many people complained about wasting money on a whole album for one song before itunes. There is a lot of nostalgia out there for looking at art album work out there.

The sweet kids on youtube amuse me wishing they lived in the 80s or early 90s when so and so was playing. They still have the music NOW made back then but it was doubtful in '84 or whenever they'd necessarily have heard of that music. It's easier to scope out bands your local radio isn't pushing now thanks to the net.


If they were listening to Moz they wouldn't have had that problem?
I used to record songs off the radio when I was 8. The intro was always cut off hahh. But I always listened to the few tapes I did have back to front.
 
....I think Record stores themselves are killing Music....
I went to my local ( Only "Music"store for Miles around) HMV Superstore on Tuesday. I couldn't find the album I wanted (....An "alice cooper cd, if that's of any interest...) Under "C", they only had ONE item.)...Alice cooper has released @ 37 albums). The store was crammed with Movie DVD's, and X-box games,and books, and......SWEETS!!!
While I was there, a lady asked the Counter assistant what is the music that is playing now....he didn't know....and didn't seem to be in a particular hurry to find out either for her....

Really? How annoying. I love my local record store, but the other ones I have gone to have been pretty much like that.
 
My CD collection used to be intimidating. As years passed and technology made high-quality pirated versions available concurrent with my many and varied lapses into poverty, I gradually sold off almost everything. I see old pictures and will notice my CD shelves in the background and get really nostalgic.

But I was happy with MP3s and amassed a disgusting amount of music, all excellent quality, more music than I ever had owned in my life not to mention more than I could ever possibly listen to.

The thing is, within the last six months I noticed a significant and persistent apathy toward music, which for me is like a whore saying she's sick of dick. But I could not figure out why. It wasn't that I didn't like my favorite bands anymore, or that I could not find any new music. I just felt this vague restlessness and discontent...scanning through these endless folders, and looking at all these uniform CD-Rs with Sharpie scrawled over them...I realized I've let the magic of the actual official physical artifact get cheapened by my settling for convenience and cost-effectiveness.

A few weeks ago I went to the local used CD store and started buying CDs. I also picked up a few at garage sales and thrift stores...all discs I'd owned at one time in the past, and a few I never had but decided to give a chance to. Well maybe it's all in my mind but the experience was wonderful; I've been playing them nonstop and loving every minute of it.

I went through my hard drive, too, and deleted about 700 gigs of music by bands I have NEVER heard of and NEVER WILL PLAY. Just stuff I collected to collect, over time. Believe me, I kept all my usual suspects, I've still got shitloads of digital music...but I didn't need all those superfluous files. I'm sure if I had gotten around to listening to some of it, I might have liked it, but probably not. And either way I'd rather get turned onto a band by YouTube or the radio or word of mouth...I don't need to be an MP3 hoarder anymore.

I love technology and I think the internet is incredible, and I have no problem with iPods or CD burning and I think they are both amazing ways to play and give and enjoy music.

Has something tangible and unique been lost along the way of our technological progress? Sure. But just like Kevin Spacey said in American Beauty, it's never too late to get it all back.
 
  • The digital format makes music instantly accessible.
  • It makes music immediate and manageable.
  • Essentially I can set up my own radio station while I work and listen to what I want.
  • If I want to try a new band then I can for $.99 to $1.29 without having to spend $10-15 on a new CD.
  • I can download the show that I just went to in a mastered form from a bands website (LivePhish is wonderful btw)
 
Keeping ( sort of ) on topic, I don't think the Internet is actually Killing music, Music will always be made and performed, as long as humans exist...but record stores are ( in My opinion anyway) almost USELESS to purchase "New" music from. I don't know Diddly about Itunes or downloading stuff, so Thats me Fecked. If I hear of a band that sounds interesting, my first port of call is "Youtube"...then, if I actually LIKE what I hear, I have to ask a friend to go on "Ebay", and buy the album for me ( I don't have a bank account). The "Local" record store is stupidly expensive anyway,....( £20.00 for the Only Alice Cooper thing in stock....I got it for £8.99 ages back from Ebay).

One of the Greatest ( and I believe to be The future of "In your hand" music sales) ideas is this new-fangled idea of Supermarkets selling Limited edition "Fan Packs"....A New album by an artist/band, with a magaznie/Badges/stickers/t-shirt, etc included. The next release like this I am VERY interested in getting hold of is ( Yawn.....sorry..) Alice Coopers "Welcome 2 my Nightmare" new album....Bring it on!!! I can now get an album/cd in the shop I go to anyway EVERY Day!! ( P.s., thats where I picked up Arctic Monkeys new 'un.....and it was WAYYYY Cheaper than the record shop I mentioned earlier....and it's a good Album, BTW.....)
 
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I also have to add that I have really begun liquidating my CD collection. Someone bought all of my Morrissey singles months ago, someone took a nice 20% discount on all of my Dave Matthews Live Trax releases (they are still available over his site but mine were still sealed) and a lot of the U2 singles and CDs are gone. What did I keep? Sintatra, compilations, a few albums here and there, various stuff that I may pop into a machine one day.

The problem is that I am more likely to use my computer to manage my music than the CD player. Some label this disposable music but I am more apt to label it readily accessible. Without the digital age I would have never 'discovered' Elliott Smith, Jack Johnson, Joe Purdy, Damien Rice or countless other acts that I personally enjoy.
 
The music industry killed the music industry.

The music industry doesn't have a piracy problem. It has a content problem. They're selling people crushed, brickwalled, low-fi static, and then charging a king's ransom for it. They need to bring back decent fidelity and stop crushing their CDs to death.

Next, retail prices have to come down. $15 for a CD? Really? Is this a joke? After all we've been through with Napster and Youtube and internet downloads, CDs still cost more than they did 20 years ago. Back in the 90s, I almost never paid more than $7.99 for a CD. I always bought from the used stores around here, and the $19 retail sticker at Tower Records always amazed me. Want people to buy the CD instead of downloading the mp3? Then bring the price down to "impuse buy" range. Five bucks.

Third, ditch the mp3's. It was a good compromise back when everyone was still using a 56k modem, but now that we're all on broadband or better, there's no excuse for NOT getting lossless audio as the standard in 2011. It's like using a cassette tape in 1995...

Last and most important, FIND SOME ACTUAL TALENT. This business has been coasting on computer technology to cover for Ken and Barbie dolls that can't carry a tune or play a note. Bring back actual musicians with actual skills. They're out there. Go find them and bring them to me. That's the job a record company is supposed to do. There, everything that needs to be addressed is. :)
 
If it wasn't for the internet I wouldn't know half the bands I know today.
 
Dunno if THIS incident is On-topic, but...I was in a pub the other sunday, and there was a CD on the bar. I asked the pub manager if a customer had left it by mistake, and he said, "No, they are by a Local band ("Rattlebus"...worth checking out..) and they give them away free whenever they play here"....so, I took it home, played it, and was quite impressed ( Think "Wonder stuff" early years, and you won't be too far off their Sound...), and I plan to go and see 'em with a few mates the next time they play...so, in some small way at least, THAT Promotion tactic has seemed to work....
 
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