Confessions of a Fugitive Mind
April 18, 2008
Five on Friday for April 18, 2008
- 1. How often do you listen to music?
- I listen to music when I wake up every morning and in the car on the way to and from work. So, three times a day, for 30-45 minutes at a time. I also try to use my iPod when I'm crafting or at the gym, but those events are more sporadic than regular.
- 2. Do you ever listen to the radio? What is your favorite station?
- Most of my listening is radio these days. The alarm clock is tuned to 92.5 (WXRV) and so is the car stereo. I will occasionally flip to 92.9 (WBOS) if I've heard too much Sting or U2 on the River. It's like listening to my iPod on shuffle, but with more new music.
- 3. How do you find new songs, albums, or artists to listen to?
- One of a few ways: hearing them on the radio like Rodrigo y Gabriella, Gomez, and Lucinda Williams; hearing a song featured in a TV show or commercial like Ingrid Michaelson, Ben's Brother, or Landon Pigg; or recommendations from friends, family, and online communities, like my old VP's suggestions of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, or the "Music Like..." stations on Last.fm.
- 4. When was the last time you bought a CD? A digital music file?
- I bought three CDs yesterday, although it had probably been close to 6 months since my last purchase. I picked up a few songs on iTunes about 6 weeks ago.
- 5. Do you think any of the technologies and distribution methods mentioned above will still be around in ten years? Why or why not?
- I think music distribution methods will become increasingly digital. First, we'll start downloading albums and individual songs inside retail stores instead of buying hard copies. Then instead of downloading songs, we'll just get an access code to stream them. Data transfer is getting so good that we won't need 160 GB drives to hold our data, because we'll just need a few KB of links to the servers that stream it. Since tape/CD singles didn't kill the album, I don't think the ability to download individual songs will either. Fans will always want more from their favorite artists. It might force artists to release shorter albums on a shorter schedule instead of 20-song marathons every 3-4 years.
Posted by criminal at April 18, 2008 1:36 PM