One App that can almost certainly be found on any smart phone, is a music App of some kind. iTunes, Pandora, and Spotify are just a few I can name off the top of my head. The songs and instrumentals you can find on these music Apps did not start here, and I am sure they certainly wont end here.
In the early 1800s, the Phonautogram was created, leading the path for music development. Over the next 156, we have seen over 50 changes made to create what we have today, digital music. From the music roll to the vinyl record and the 8-track to the cassette tape, we have made great strides within all of these inventions. But with these strides come a stronger and stronger sense of insensitivity to the artists creating this music, especially with the most recent updates.
When consumers first tarted purchasing music in stores, they had to buy the entire set of songs from a particular artist and therefore listen to everything on that record, weather is be vinyl or a cassette tape. Consumers made a stronger connection with musicians because they couldn’t choose which songs they wanted to hear, they heard every song and every emotion or story that went into it.
Today, consumers pick the songs they want and have nothing to do with the rest of the artist’s work. It leads me to think, why do artists take the time to put out entire albums when most consumers only buy a few songs? This change in technology, though, has I think taken away an aspect of connection the listener has with the artist.
Yeah, we probably save money by not buying the songs we see “unnecessary,” and it’s a more convenient way to make playlists and listen on the go, but song writers and singers don’t do what they love to do in order to make every one else’s life simpler. These artists put their heart and souls into these albums in hopes of connecting with a bigger audience about a commonality they both have. So other than convenience, is anyone really gaining anything?
Excellent post! Music is one of the most interesting examples of a medium that has changed radically through the process of remediation. In European music, the change from modes to major/minor keys in the middle ages completely changed the way music sounded to peoples’ ears (did you know that at one point the Church taught that music written in a minor key invited evil to the listener?)– much closer to today, digital music has destroyed the concept of an “album.” It’s a pretty big deal if you think about it. Imagine if some kind of technological innovation made people prefer reading chapters instead of whole books. It has changed the way artists conceive of their music (not to mention the way they have to make a living).