I was thinking about seed question number three and the statement "old media rarely die," when my mother called to ask me to set up her new stereo system so that it could play her records. The timing was incredible and since my mother and I have had quite a few discussions about old and new media, I thought it would be best to talk to her about her thoughts on new media as it relates to playing music.
So much of the discourse around technology and new media, including the Wensch video, seems to focus on the habits of young people and earlier adopters. But what is to be said about the transliteracy of older generations and laggards? How is the technological revolution affecting them? Here is one perspective.
Very nice Jonathan! In fact my 19 year-old daughter just bought a record player for her boyfriend and (current) records for him as well!. For me it's a matter of sound quality and the digital equivalent is so much better that I don't understand why anyone would want to play records. She's also very interested in the old record collection we have!
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Barb
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ReplyDeleteThis was really interesting, Atypical Albertan. I understand your Mom's reluctance to part with her records. My husband and I have hung on to our collection, too, even though most of our listening happens through digital files of one form or another.
ReplyDeleteRecords hold some intrinsic appeal that goes beyond their ability to hold music. I think it's partly the record sleeves, which in many cases were great showcases for illustration or photography. The enduring appeal of record sleeves is reflected in the way album covers from bygone decades keep resurfacing on t-shirts, etc.
I think that my sense of connection with the music I buy from iTunes is lessened by the absence of album art, and the printed lyric. Gone is the sweet satisfaction of poring over the lyrics on the inner sleeve during the first listen. The physical presence of the record album meant that you not only got to listen to the record - sight and touch were also engaged, and the act of putting on a record was a form of ritual. (I suppose that being able to actually see a performance of any song you can think of on Youtube is some consolation!)
As has happened in Barb's house, my teenage daughter is enamoured of our old records. (This may be the closest we'll ever come to being cool.) David Bowie, Lou Reed, The Clash, Bob Dylan, The Dead Kennedys and even Supertramp have all been rescued from deep storage lately.
But, with a new media twist befitting her generation, she mines our record collection for gold and then downloads the corresponding discography from BitTorrent so that she can carry it on her person.
P.S. Check out http://www.sleeveface.com/
"people holding vinyl record sleeves and covers in front of their faces" - lots of creativity at work, and a great example of the "appropriative" (a la Jenkins) nature of new media.
Linda, you have a fantastic record collection! I was hoping my mom would talk about sleeves, because I feel that is one of the important aspects of physical music media that is regrettably lost.
DeleteJonathan
Linda, you have a fantastic record collection! I was hoping my mom would talk about sleeves, because I feel that is one of the important aspects of physical music media that is regrettably lost.
DeleteJonathan