Benefits Of The Availability Of Digital Music

Introduction

This has been partly influenced by Julian Cope's "Copendium" that I am reading at the moment and it is introducing me to a lot of music that I was unaware of, having said that I completely missed AC/DC although I sang several of their songs when I played with Spoon and The Abominable Showmen. You can see me here much fatter singing "Wuthering Heights" (Kate Bush) and Highway To Hell (AC/DC)

The Pros And Cons Of Digital Music

One of my earliest posts on Vocal was a lift from Seven Days In on the history of music media:

I have made no secret of my disdain for streaming platforms like Spotify which are thieves who care nothing about music, their CEO described what they had as "content" not "music" and doubt he has ever listened to anything bar what he hears in lifts, on phone hold, and adverts. If no new music were ever produced, streaming services would not be affected because we have reached a stage where there is so much music available that everyone can be satisfied with what is available.

There were three years where music exploded:

1957: Rock and Roll hit

1967: Psychedelia and the summer of love

1977: Punk

Since then there has not been anything like that on the music scene, that is not to say great music is not being produced. My observation is that 95% of music is rubbish and it's up to us to find the good stuff. The most recent gig name, which is also local to me is Sam Fender but there is always great music being produced.

In my interviews, there are some great current musicians that you can check out here:

Once music became available on CD the move to online digital started with illegal peer-to-peer sharing by Napster, Limewire and others, but I signed up with Emusic who offered a reasonably priced subscription service. The model has changed significantly but they are still going strong.

I also use Bandcamp who treat artists like artists and allows streaming, downloads and physical copies:

When I signed up with Emusic there was a local label called Voiceprint founded in November 1990 by Rob Ayling.They specialised in re-releasing old material, especially progressive rock, but also had new releases, under the Resurgence and Blueprint labels.

The thing is holding digital music (and this is true of books and video) means that you do not have to invest in a production run, so although a lot of the music had been effectively deleted (but could be picked up expensively second hand) Voiceprint made it available at an affordable price.

This meant that you could download and burn your own CDs or listen on a digital device. I use my Google Pixel phone with Bluetooth earbuds to listen when I am out walking.

Back to the Julian Cope book and so far there are three bands who I have wanted to hear. If I had gone for the second-hand vinyl or CD copies those three would have cost me close on £300 but by downloading digitally I have spent less than twenty-five pounds and the artists get paid for it.

The albums are:

Badgeman - "Ritual Landscape" - Current CD Price £241 MP3 £7.99

Comets On Fire - Current CD Price £26 MP3 £7.99

Comets On Fire - "Field Recordings From The Sun" - Current CD Price £50 MP3 £7.99

Conclusion

Digital music (and books) means that creators can make their creations available without having to invest in physical copies. If an artist becomes successful physical copies become an option, but digital copies do not become rare as physical copies do so prices can remain reasonable.

Thak you for reading and I hope you have found this interesting.