The Cloud vs. Mixes, or "Get Off My Lawn: Music Edition"

From: Rebecca Ferraro

To: Matt Kasznel

Subject: The Cloud vs. Mixes

So, I've been meaning to get to you about this article I read in the September 8, 2014 issue of The New Yorker. It's called "The Classical Cloud" by Alex Ross. He/she (I don't freaking know) was talking about rearranging CDs and how sad it is that they are becoming obsolete. 

Some quotes:

"The tide has turned against the collector of recordings, not to mention the collector of books: what was once known as building a library is now considered hoarding. One is expected to banish all clutter and consume culture in a gleaming, empty room."

"If I were a music-obsessed teenager today, I would probably be revelling in this endless feast [of cloud/Spotify/online music], and dismissing the complaints of curmudgeons. No longer would I need to prop a tape recorder next to a transistor radio in order to capture [a song]."

Kids don't know what they're missing. I LOVED doing that. And seriously, if you have ever made or received a mix tape you understand the absurd amount of time that goes into perfectly timing not only the flow of the songs but also the time on each side to provide continuum to the second and not cut a song off. 

Additionally, songs played on Spotify only grant the artist "two hundredths of a cent" for each play of the most popular track. As more people subscribe to Spotify, they have promised the pay will go up, in what Ross calls a chilly "if you give us dominance, we will be more generous" proposition. 

Thoughts on any or all of the above?

From: Matt Kasznel

To: Rebecca Ferraro

Thoughts - Alex Ross is a man, not a woman.

Oh, the rest of it? Okay.

I never really used cassette tapes to make mixes - I wasn't exactly a big music fan until middle school, when CD-writing disc drives starting becoming the norm in desktop computers.

But I loved the challenge of trying to distill a single band, moment in life, or gift into 80 minutes. It's much harder to pick an hour's worth of songs to give someone than it is to dump 10 gigs of MP3's.

Mix tapes have given way to mix CDs, which gave way to iTunes playlists, which have now given way to Spotify and Pandora radio stations. It used to be "I like you, here's this mix of 8-10 songs I made you," or "If you really like Pink Floyd, here's a tape of songs you might like." Now, everyone has an unlimited quantity of tunes at their disposal at all times. There's no longer a need to be selective in acquiring songs. I'm as guilty of this as anyone - hey, Google's got a free Ariana Grande CD? It's mine! I don't even know anything about her, but I have it now.

Theoretically, more options should lead to people finding more good songs and more good bands coming to the forefront, but it never works like that. Bands get drowned out by the options. It's the same reason not everyone is a genius or a walking encyclopedia even though we all have access to literally all human knowledge via the Internet.

From: Rebecca

To: Matt

I get that. I feel that it's a loss though. There's something inherently missing from today's society in that it's depriving people the struggle and pleasure of trying to parse through an entire library of songs to select the ones that flow just right and convey just the right message for one particular person. A mix is a unique thing. One I would make for you is different than one I would make for my sister, Alex, Jenna, or even Ki. There's a message behind each, a way of saying "I get you. I know what you're into. These bands sound like you." 

A playlist is easy. Take every song in your library, add it to a list, and share.  No thought, no struggle. It's my biggest issue with today in general: there are wayyyy too many options for EVERYTHING. Be selective, make a decision, and commit. A slightly tangential point but one I feel is true nonetheless.