Digital Mediocrity

[good_god]

OKAY.

This question is only for people old enough to have actually used CASSETTES i.e. "old school" vinyl lovers (myself included):
Ever dubbed a CD or 12" LP and only put on your favorites?...and forgot about the other tracks because they really weren't that good? remember that?

If YES, raise your hand.

THAT is why selective digital digging is good, not "unnatural" or "evil". The concept of the album was motivated by marketing as much as the mp3 or the 7" single. It was actually Frank Sinatra's idea of packaging songs built around a theme that spurred this. Then the rock establishment adapted the idea as a structure within which songs could be written. Then people started releasing filler on what should have been EPs. Then we started cherry picking the wheat and ignoring the chaff—but still paid for it.

So the idea of full releases as being sacred is very questionable to me. There are undoubtedly great LPs/EPs that work as complete works of art and are listenable and enjoyable throughout. But they're rare.

@ anizz: leave the tracks in your hold bin for at least a week and listen a LOT before buying. I have not any bought tracks that I consider 'disposable' since i began doing this. bad for beatport/traxsource/juno, good for my brain/collection.

[upekah]

i've got to agree that I hope that the 'analogue' way of using music is not forgoten. this has nothing to do with vinyl versus mp3s, but that the idea that music has a format to be used, something that both the musician and the listener finds value in.

I don't have too much of a problem with someone who likes to pick and choose their favourite peices from a release. For label owners I'm sure they'd rather that someone paid a little for 1 or 2 tracks that they liked than just download the whole thing from rapidshare. And everyone has their own way of finding the music that they like, so. I don't have any reason to say one method is better than another.

But yeah, I hope that in however many years time there are still great LPs (digital or brain wave.. whatever medium works at that time), and that people want to listen to the piece from start to finish, and the artist chooses howto use the format to take people on a jouney. And of course, that all those great little tracks which aren't the standout on first listen still get the attentioned that they deserve... all those B sides that stand the test of time, that wierd overlooked EP between the 2nd and 3rd album.

I totally agree with you!
I think it's sad to see DJ's just banging the Dancefloor hits instead of playing more listenable more calm stuff too! It just bores me to hell!

[Atheory]

But then I am not selecting music, just collecting music, in my opinion.
I want to select good music, not just any music..

Do you think that if a track doesn't do it for you immediately that its not worthwhile? Can't you take a risk on the 3rd track if you like the other 2?

Are you talking about buying music to listen to or to dj? Do you think they are different things?

[Themis]

i believe if we can turn bateman the rest will follow !

[patrick bateman]

But then I am not selecting music, just collecting music, in my opinion.
I want to select good music, not just any music..

Do you think that if a track doesn't do it for you immediately that its not worthwhile? Can't you take a risk on the 3rd track if you like the other 2?

Are you talking about buying music to listen to or to dj? Do you think they are different things?

So you REALLY want me to buy that track I REALLY don't like, eh?
Of course I could take the 'risk/chance' and buy the track that doesn't do it for me, but why should I? What is the sense of buying something that doesn't do anything for me?

I agree that there has been 12" in the past where you after 1-2-3 years discover the B2 track, of course. But I can also discover tracks in the club, in mixes, by browsing the online store and stumble over the 'b side' track again, so it's still possible to do this. I also buy, from time to time, older tracks on Beatport. Just because you buy digital doesn't mean you only buy the latest 'bombs'.

But seems like we just disagree on this one.
You want to buy complete releases and think it's disrespectful to the artist not to do so AND you think a DJ/or whomever is not able to pick for himself.
I and the other hand, think that I am doing a selection of what I find to be good tracks (which doesn't need to be 'bombs' or 'dancefloor hits', but just good tracks, which to me is worth buying).

I'm just surprised that you don't put a bit of confidence to people that they actually can think and hear them selves what they like and don't like, instead of buying full releases.

my 2c

[Atheory]

^^^

i get what you are saying, and i suppose this comes down to a personal thing. i just always want to hear the whole album/ep. its important to me to listen to the whole thing.

I mean, i don't propose that anyone does anything i say, but i wonder about the way music is consumed and the effects that has on producers and the type of tracks they make.

[LouisVee]

this comes down to a personal thing. .

Thats a good conclusion to this thread -.-

[infernal.techno]

good discussion panned out...i can see both sides. i love vinyl, but it's just not a viable option for any music on a regular basis. too expensive

without the digital era we wouldn't have netlabels netlabel-only sets are great!