Maura wrote interestingly on
her site the other day about downloading new or highly anticipated tracks from Napster and the slight disappointment this engendered - are we being spoiled by Napster? Has the thrill of new music gone? Do you resist downloading much-waited-for tracks or do you dive right in?
― Tom, Monday, 8 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
No.
Maura's piece was nostalgic, and in that respect it had much in
common with most of my nostalgia, in that it made sense theoretically
but not in practice. Six months ago I'd have seen things her way,
but not now.
Let us appreciate how things used to seem, but we should never allow
that to distort our use of what is now available to us.
― Robin Carmody, Monday, 8 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
Interestingly, Napster's effect on me has basically been to sniff out
odd/hard to find/unreleased corners of things I already like as opposed
to striking out for the new, which perhaps is more a metaphor for me
than I know, for all I know. How else could I create my now prized 16
disc collection of Cure wonders? It's interesting that the fact that I
know the 'heavenly jukebox' is out there is more important to me than
necessarily using it -- a bit like how I'm always glad I live very near
the ocean, but rarely actually go and see it.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 9 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
some time last week i downloaded 'B O B' by Outkast. i played it very
loudly. the exact same thrill of the new, innovative and exciting as
when i baught myself a few kenickie singles wwith illicitly obtained
money all them years ago. (i was 15, once. god i wish i hadn't have
been.) interestingly, i enjoyed that far more than i enjoyed going and
purchasing the album for £14.99. having parte with that little money,
i had naught left for booze, naught for travel.. the thrill of new
music is in the music, the means of obtaining it is peripheral, if
nostailga-engendering.
― matthew james, Tuesday, 9 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
A remark I made, somewhat facetiously back when this question
was essentially asked back in 10-Words-Or-Less, was that
Napster is all fine and good but in the end I want to hold the
jewel case in my hand and have the original liner notes at my
disposal for whatever reason I should decide to use them.
This [Napster Revolution] is a continuation on the mid-ninties
prospect of a "paperless office," wherein all businesses would
be 90-95% digital by 2002 or some such nonsense. Everyone
forgets, of course, that people like to touch things and hold
things in their hands and smell them and that's something that a
paperless office couldn't provide.
In order for Napster to be 100% wonderful, I would need to be
able to get all accompanying materials off the internet as well --
liner notes, posters, label art -- and at a professional quality, and
that just ain't gonna happen anytime soon. Burned CDs are jus'
plain ugly sitting next to your Caught Between The Twisted Stars
VU Box Set
So what Napster becomes is a glorified tape deck where you
copy down all the songs you like and make a mix tape and put it
in your car, only now the mix tape is on your computer in your
office taking up several gigs of space and irritating others.
― JM, Tuesday, 9 January 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
eight years pass...