A matter of choice
When everything means nothing, less is more
They say our favourite music informs our preferred format. Techno fans have always favoured vinyl, even before the revival. Classical music listeners typically prefer CD due to the convenience of having twenty tracks, intermissions and all, in one small disc.
Some genres have become synonymous with a certain format. But I believe the format also feeds into our music habits.
It works both ways: the music leads to the format, but the format also leads to the music.
Streaming works from the comfort of your phone: anything, anywhere, anytime.
Like broadband or an all-you-can-eat: pay a flat fee and help yourself. To everything. Non-stop, if you can handle it.
In fact, you can leave the tunes playing in the background while you take out the laundry, clean the bathroom or vacuum clean the house.
If you change your mind, you can change the music more quickly than you can change your underwear.
It doesn’t matter: there’s no effort required. No hassle, no investment, no clear beginning or end, no maintenance, no hard choices to make.
No commitment. No purpose. Nothing.
With vinyl, you constantly have to make a choice. A conscious choice to buy a record over another. A choice to spin a specific album at a certain time.
There’s a clear intention. You are no longer randomly switching from one song to the next.
Time and money are, for most of us, limited. Sooner or later you realise that your choices do actually matter. A lot, in fact.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t use streaming services at all. For me, streaming is convenient whilst on the move, at the gym, or to discover new music. It’s a bit like my music in-tray.
But when I really like an album, I delete it from my phone, add it to my vinyl wantlist, and make a conscious decision to buy it as and when I can.
During my daily vinyl hour, I spin records I specifically chose. Records that mean something to me.
Consciously choosing your music means that, on an average week, you end up listening to great records that have marked you, as opposed to a random selection of everything and nothing.
Over time, one choice influences another, so you become a better listener. More selective. More refined. More devoted to the artists and records you really love.
The limitations typically associated with vinyl (investment of time, money, space and resources) actually work in your favour. They teach you to focus and to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Do you want to spend your time listening to the sounds you love? Or a random selection of everything and nothing?
For me, the choice is clear.
Thanks for reading and/or listening. Happy spinning!
Beautifully stated Andres. Vinyl lovers get placed in the same category as coffee lovers, maybe for a similar reason. Having to make something slowly and with intention in a pour over or espresso machine instead of a drip machine is making a choice to stay in the present moment. I do love streaming playlists for parties or the gym.
In my case, streaming services have given me the opportunity to discover new and different music, which have also lead me to make the commitment to build a playlist every fortnight. I mainly listen to music on the go and do not consider myself as an audiophile, but a music lover. However, I really appreciate and respect those like you, who make listening to music an experience to all 5 senses.