It seems many kids these days, starting at 7-9 years old, if not younger, are getting their own iPods or other digital music players. This leads me to wonder if the future of tangible music, be it in the form of a compact disc or even the ol' vinyl record, is in serious jeopardy.Maybe I am romanticizing the craft, but is anyone else bothered, even just a little bit, by a generation of kids growing up thinking of music as merely a bunch of digital files?
I cannot imagine ever becoming the passionate fan of music I am today without having liner notes, artwork, and the physical disc in my hands to pour over, cover-to-cover, while the disc was playing. I would, and still do, read through a band's "we would like to thank" section of the liner notes to see what bands or artists that particular group considers friends, an inspiration, cool, etc. I would then go check those other acts out. I discovered so much of the music that I still listen to today, by simply connecting those dots and following the path to new and exciting musical discoveries.
Does a band's My Space page and their list of "friends" replace all of this? Considering how false that whole process is and how the word "friend" has been completely degraded by it's My Space usage - I seriously doubt it.
In addition, will kids learn to appreciate the work that goes into making a full length record if they never actually see the thing itself?
Also, at what point does a child need a $200+ personal electronic device? I mean, where is an 8 year old going that they need an iPod? Commuter train, workout session? I would not consider it safe to be listening to music while riding a bike at that age, so how and where are these things being used by that age group?
The other factor to consider is the "bar-raising" issue. Say you do spend $200+ on one single item for your child's birthday or as a holiday gift. What do you do next year, their own personal plasma screen television? At that rate, by the time they become a teenager they will be expecting Chanel handbags and a personal submarine!
Jeff
OWTK
http://www.owtk.com
3 comments:
I think I have sounded off about this issue many times. Jeff you said it well...I don't think I would love music they way I do if I didn't have liner notes to read, thank yous, producers, and extra musicians. Also that monumental moment as you open a cd. The awkward sticky thing at the top, the slide of the vinyl out of the package. The sound of that needle hitting the record. It's all magical and an irreplaceable part of the music experience. Does the anticipation as the track downloads replace those feelings. God I hope not. And I know my kids (and Im sure yours too) will have those experiences.
Nice post
Thanks for the post Zak. I certainly am not the first or last to bring up this topic, but it never touched me directly before this month when I learned that my brother got rid of all his cds (after loaded into iTunes) and that his 8 year old daughter is getting an iPod for Christmas. It occured to me that she may never see a record or cd in her young life. Now, I love my iPod but I still buy my music from independent reord stores and burn it onto the laptop/iPod. That way, I get the best of both worlds and help out the record shoppes. Full disclosure: My old label does have a My Space page, created by one of the band members.
A few years ago I sold most of my 1200 CDs (after ripping them to iTunes, of course)... Helped us with a down payment on a new house.
I may be a "digital dad" but my kids aren't ready for it yet. Little steps for my 8-year-old son. Currently he has a small CD player in his room and I make mixes for him, introducing him to The Beatles, Paul McCartney, XTC, classical. Every CD I make for him has a theme and is intended to educate him about popular music.
He likes to learn about the artists, so it would be nice to have liner notes and such. I did get him a kids' book about The Beatles that he has read twice already.
When will I get him his own iPod? Not for many years... Maybe when he's a teenager. Right now he's very content with the CDs I've made for him.
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