CP NEWS: From Vinyl To iPods

[ddm-news]

Meet Clubplanet's new music columnist, Adam Singer. Check back regularly for his album reviews, artist interviews, and thoughts and insights into music culture. Get more Adam at www.agsinger.com.

I’ll admit it. I'm a vinyl-junkie. There’s something special about seeing the grooves in a record, feeling its weight in your hands. Brilliant cover art on a record or even a CD always compliments the music, and while that's an extrinsic benefit, it’s something that is an integral part of owning an album.

When I delved into my artist career, digital music was just a blip on the radar – fast forward a few years and the digital age is in full swing (and yes, I’m fully aware CDs are in fact a digital medium). Of course, I’m referring to music downloads in the form of wave, mp3, wma, etc--the massive trend's seemingly unstoppable. According to wikipedia, over 60 million people own iPods, and that's not even counting the iRivers and Dell Digital Jukeboxes of the world. In 2005, iTunes downloads reached nearly half a billion.

From high school students listening to death metal in their bedrooms while cursing their parents, to hipsters strolling the streets of downtown listening to jazz fusion, the mp3 player is ubiquitous. CDs still account for around 95% of music sales, but with the overwhelming popularity of iTunes and its clones, and the fact that mp3 players are being built into everything, it's not far-fetched that digital music will one day be the standard.

As an artist, I find digital mediums an exceptional way to share my music quickly and easily to thousands, even millions of people, which, hopefully, sparks more interest and provides instant access. Many modern artists would never have found listeners without the sharing of their art freely in a digital form. There's something to be said for receiving new music at the touch of a button, which can easily be burned to a CD to play at a gig that evening, or even loaded into something like Ableton Live and edited on the fly. It’s also pretty cool to have an entire music library in your pocket; which proves especially useful if you’re traveling and can’t carry around an entire CD case.

Digital music production technology is bridging the gap between the small, independent artist and the large, corporate label and its barrier to entry. Just a few years ago, it required expensive synthesizers, stacks of studio gear, and the all-important connections to successfully distribute electronic music (or any type of music, for that matter). Today, a PC coupled with a software suite can provide you an entire DAW solution, and an internet connection plus a clever Web site can function as your distribution center and marketing department in one – all without leaving your house, purchasing expensive gear or needing to getting signed to a major label.

Whereas just a few years ago, having the latest slabs of vinyl for gigs as a DJ was the norm, now it’s customary – and just as accepted – to bring a CD book instead of wax to a gig, or even perform from your laptop using Traktor or Live. It’s great to see audiences accepting new ways of having music presented to them, and most seem very positive and open-minded about the fusion of technology with music in a live setting. It shouldn’t matter to audiences what vehicle an artist is presenting his/her sound to the crowd in, traditional or non-traditional, and it’s exciting to see artists like Richie Hawtin or Sasha embracing innovative tools that take the traditional electronic music performance to the next level.

As much as I love how digital music levels the playing field, and how convenient it makes life, I end up purchasing the best of my digital downloads in CD or vinyl format (if I can track them down), as it really does add a personal touch to the music itself, something lost in digital formats. The cover art is more than just aesthetic, it's also the possession of music in a tangible form.

I have a foot planted on both sides of the digital and analog realms, which leaves me in probably about the same place as you – having a vinyl collection, a CD collection, and several hard drives and mp3 players full of music. Is there a web 2.0 startup to organize us? I’m sure it’s in the works…

The tipping point will be reached in establishing digital music as the new standard when the younger demographic comes of age, who will already be accustomed to purchasing music in an online format. Most of us love our CDs and vinyl too much to give them up entirely, and while I would love them to have a place in the music realm of the future, unfortunately they may end with us.

You've heard the argument: "Music presented in a solely digital format will cheapen it somehow." But digital formats haven’t ruined pictures, articles, or anything else. Just the opposite. They've created an even greater value for them; this seems the natural progression of where most mediums are moving towards.

We shouldn’t fear the future, as video, telecommunications, even news are all benefiting as they find their new homes in a digital format. Music will, too. Now all that’s left is to get rid of DRM, but that’s an argument for another day.

E-mail Adam at ASinger@Clubplanet.com.

Link To Original Article