27 Feb 08 Death Of A Format

I’m not a teenager. However, I’ve had a life long interest in music, and it’s my number one relaxation activity, besides reading.

I’m always playing it. I almost never watch TV. I don ‘t have an iTunes account, or an iPod but as I type this, I’m listening to mp3s on my Sansa m240, which I’ve downloaded from Napster during the last week.

Interestingly, although, I’ve not purchased any CDs for at least 3-4 years, I do, however, get sent a lot of promo CDs, as I run an internet radio station, NAB Radio, with the accent on showcasing indie bands of all genres.

For me, as a listener,  it’s not the cost so much as the availability. I want to hear something now, and get the one song I want. I don’t need to go to the mall, or get a CD full of songs that I may already have most of, and perhaps have to wait 2-3 weeks for the store to get it in.

Finally, I guess digital is better for the environment, in the long time, and as long as everyone gets paid for their work, does the medium matter?

The 78rpm lasted around 25-30 years, as did the 45, and the 33rpm LP, and the CD is 25 years old next year, so it’s perhaps time for it to bow out.

Finally for those of you that are feeling all nostalgic, I grew up with a Dansette and a pile of 45s. Yes, it was fun, and it was good to hold those new 7 inchers in your hand, but, when I last played them (I still have around 1500 of them in my mother’s attic), I realized what a pain in the rear it was to get and down every three minutes to put on a new one. So much easier to load a few hours worth  into Amarok, or Winamp or whatever your player of choice is on your computer.

Tags: 33rpm, 78rpm, accent, amarok, genres, indie bands, internet radio station, ipod, linux, listener, long time, Music, nab radio, napster, promo cds, relaxation, sansa m240, teenager, winamp