Recomendar
Now
Jun 22 2009, 20h52
So I haven't been scrobbling for months now. My computer broke in November last year and would just freeze when I turned it on. On Friday I decided I'd try and turn it on and for some reason it seems to have healed itself. Which is very nice. I should probably get it looked at some time though...
It makes me sad that I've lost just over 7 months worth of scrobbling. I really enjoy being able to look at how what I've listened to has changed and that's harder to do when there's massive gaps like that.
Another thing that I have missed out on having not had a computer for so long, is using spotify, which I signed up for almost straight away on Friday. To be honest I'm not really sure how I feel about it. On the plus side, obviously there's the access to loads of music quickly, easily and legally. I still can't help but feel guilty using it though. As someone who still regularly buys CDs, and who knows a fair few struggling musicians trying to make a living, it feels bad being able to so easily listen to an album and not support the artist in any way. I'm not really sure exactly what it is that makes me feel more guilty about this than illegally downloading all the stuff that I have in the past, especially given the fact that all you can do with spotify is stream on a computer, not burn the music to a disc or carry it around on a portable device. I think perhaps its the fact that when I illegally downloaded music, it was clearly illegal, but being told I'm actually allowed to listen to so much music without really supporting the artists I find weird. Although there is the (I'm guessing small) revenue from adverts and the (probably much smaller) revenue from premium subscriptions, I can't see how they can pay any artist very much, especially when the money has gone through the record labels.
I do think it is a good thing that people are trying to create a new model in which maybe people that make music can make atleast some money out of digital music, but I'm pretty sure I'll always want something physical for my money. And I don't mean like being able to buy a tshirt with a download code, or even a message in a bottle (which whilst I thought was a![]()
really cool idea, and did buy, it's just not the same. I love being able to take the booklet out of a CD case or record sleeve and look at the artwork and read the lyrics and liner notes. Plus I love having my music collection on display, and going around someones house and browsing through their CD or record collection is so much better than the closest modern equivalent of scrolling through their iTunes. My dream is to one day have a record collection like Ant of Atmosphere or Rob from High Fidelity. More in terms of size rather than content necessarily.
Having said that, this weekend was the first time I have ever paid for a song on iTunes. Two songs infact. Riz Mc -
Post 9/11 Blues and Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Thou Shalt Always Kill (De La Edit) incase you were interested. And only because I wanted them on my computer and it was too much hassle to get them physically.
Anyway, I've been using spotify this evening to listen to a few new releases by bands that I've liked for a while. First of all the new Alexisonfire album that came out today, old crows young cardinals I think I like it. I've only listened to it once so far though. It seemed to have the cleaner sound that I liked on Crisis but it doesn't seem to be as... melodic? Didn't sound like there was enough Dallas on there really I guess, I don't know, I'll try and pay more attention next time I listen to it.
Second of all, and what I'm listening to currrently is 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day which I still hadn't got around to listening to. I used to love Green Day back when I was a young teenager and still like them, but my taste has definitely grown a lot since then. It seems a fairly good album though. Sounds pretty much like what I thought it would, building more on the sound on American Idiot, but some of the tracks seem to have hints of an older (as in younger!) Green Day. Again, still only a first listen. I'll probably buy the album at some point, but wait until it gets a bit cheaper!
Up next will be the new Rancid album, Let The Dominoes Fall, which I actually bought the special edition of, with the bonus acoustic disc and DVD online today. Although it seems like the acoustic tracks are on spotify too. Rancid are a band that anyone who has been in my room in my parents' house would probably agree I was perhaps a bit obsessed with at one point. More recently I've gone a bit off them. I still think that they're good, but what with being less than impressed with the second Transplants album, Haunted Cities (their first one didn't come out of my CD player for about 4 months), the departure of Brett, and the somewhat embarrassing antics of Tim at times (the whole hanging out with pornstar types he has/[had?] going on, I don't keep track these days), I have found it hard to like them to the same extent that I once did. So I'm really interested to hear what they've come up with this time. I had a bit of a look on the Rancid board that I used to frequent and generally it looked like people liked it.
In other news, I saw Lemuria in Kingston lastnight who were amazing live. Seemed like really lovely people too. I managed to catch the last few songs of Dave House's set too, which is always a pleasure.
It makes me sad that I've lost just over 7 months worth of scrobbling. I really enjoy being able to look at how what I've listened to has changed and that's harder to do when there's massive gaps like that.
Another thing that I have missed out on having not had a computer for so long, is using spotify, which I signed up for almost straight away on Friday. To be honest I'm not really sure how I feel about it. On the plus side, obviously there's the access to loads of music quickly, easily and legally. I still can't help but feel guilty using it though. As someone who still regularly buys CDs, and who knows a fair few struggling musicians trying to make a living, it feels bad being able to so easily listen to an album and not support the artist in any way. I'm not really sure exactly what it is that makes me feel more guilty about this than illegally downloading all the stuff that I have in the past, especially given the fact that all you can do with spotify is stream on a computer, not burn the music to a disc or carry it around on a portable device. I think perhaps its the fact that when I illegally downloaded music, it was clearly illegal, but being told I'm actually allowed to listen to so much music without really supporting the artists I find weird. Although there is the (I'm guessing small) revenue from adverts and the (probably much smaller) revenue from premium subscriptions, I can't see how they can pay any artist very much, especially when the money has gone through the record labels.
I do think it is a good thing that people are trying to create a new model in which maybe people that make music can make atleast some money out of digital music, but I'm pretty sure I'll always want something physical for my money. And I don't mean like being able to buy a tshirt with a download code, or even a message in a bottle (which whilst I thought was a
Having said that, this weekend was the first time I have ever paid for a song on iTunes. Two songs infact. Riz Mc -
Post 9/11 Blues and Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Thou Shalt Always Kill (De La Edit) incase you were interested. And only because I wanted them on my computer and it was too much hassle to get them physically. Anyway, I've been using spotify this evening to listen to a few new releases by bands that I've liked for a while. First of all the new Alexisonfire album that came out today, old crows young cardinals I think I like it. I've only listened to it once so far though. It seemed to have the cleaner sound that I liked on Crisis but it doesn't seem to be as... melodic? Didn't sound like there was enough Dallas on there really I guess, I don't know, I'll try and pay more attention next time I listen to it.
Second of all, and what I'm listening to currrently is 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day which I still hadn't got around to listening to. I used to love Green Day back when I was a young teenager and still like them, but my taste has definitely grown a lot since then. It seems a fairly good album though. Sounds pretty much like what I thought it would, building more on the sound on American Idiot, but some of the tracks seem to have hints of an older (as in younger!) Green Day. Again, still only a first listen. I'll probably buy the album at some point, but wait until it gets a bit cheaper!
Up next will be the new Rancid album, Let The Dominoes Fall, which I actually bought the special edition of, with the bonus acoustic disc and DVD online today. Although it seems like the acoustic tracks are on spotify too. Rancid are a band that anyone who has been in my room in my parents' house would probably agree I was perhaps a bit obsessed with at one point. More recently I've gone a bit off them. I still think that they're good, but what with being less than impressed with the second Transplants album, Haunted Cities (their first one didn't come out of my CD player for about 4 months), the departure of Brett, and the somewhat embarrassing antics of Tim at times (the whole hanging out with pornstar types he has/[had?] going on, I don't keep track these days), I have found it hard to like them to the same extent that I once did. So I'm really interested to hear what they've come up with this time. I had a bit of a look on the Rancid board that I used to frequent and generally it looked like people liked it.
In other news, I saw Lemuria in Kingston lastnight who were amazing live. Seemed like really lovely people too. I managed to catch the last few songs of Dave House's set too, which is always a pleasure.
