Why Albums Used To Matter

I miss my records....

The downloads I've been hearing lately I don't know if you could call them "music"...I don't think they would have made it to vinyl

"chess move that made all the record labels look like they were playing checkers" -- haha loved it. so true.

people who still love music still buy records but it is not enough to keep record stores alive. Illegally downloading music is kind of like going to a grocery store and stealing bread. They will keep putting bread out but eventually they are going to not make any money then stop putting bread out and then you are going to go in for some bread and there won't be any. Then you end up starving.

No sorry mate, downloading may be "immoral" it may be illegal, but it is not stealing.

If i go and steal your car, then you don't have it anymore.
If i copy your car and we both have the car, well you are not missing anything...

The pinstripe mofos who run music labels have no clue; being able to download (without paying) actually helps decent bands, whilst it makes sure people don't buy shitty albums from shitty bands. The second part is the one they don't like.

sorry owwnmykneecap but to quote you "it may be illegal, but it is not stealing." This negates itself. However, I do see what your saying. If you copied my car, sure you would not be stealing from me but you would be stealing from the dealership down the block a.k.a. "the record store" which is what I was directing my statement at. I do believe times are changing and the dream of making a living by selling records independently is surely fading. I think downloading music is a great way to find bands that are amazing and would never get other kinds of air-play. Looking at it from a social standpoint, it is not like searching for a band was impossible in the past and the word of an actual human mouth can sometimes spark great conversation. much love.

I believe in downloading music to hear what I'm getting, but if I'm going to keep it then I should pay for it. Music is like any other good or service, why should we get something for nothing?

great pod and ideas,
i love my records, and would never give them up, and before anyone says anything, i still buy vinyl for my home collection at actual record stores
but speaking from a DJ point of view
it is not worth going to a record store to buy an album or a cd if i am going to playing said music out...the reason being is the fact that when traveling it becomes cumbersome and fiscally it makes sense to me to buy the digital version( only with good encryption rates)...
but audiophiles will always crave the plastic analog way of listening to music, whether it be tape or a record

to let youself know that you 'copped' a new record, YOU GOT IT.. the physical aspect of album coppin' was hot because you get to see all walks of life when you get to that release and it's not only YOU who loved it, there's others too.

It's such a catch-22. Sure! You want to be heard, and in more than just your local market, but you also want to be able to make a living at what you love.

Downloading music for free via BitTorents and other P2P sites is crazy convenient and will spread your word like wildfire, but you won't bank a thing.

iTunes is not only convenient and regulated but is not free - and it shouldn't be. There are deals to be had on iTunes though; sometimes the album price (and possibly the artist's entire catalog) is much lower than in the physical marketplace and the 'complete your album option' is pretty cool if you've already purchased previous tracks - but who really profits there? It's in the same vein as eBAY/PayPal. EBAY will get you out there, but both will share in your bottom line. That's not including agents, producers, etc.

No matter what, there's always a cost in everything advertising, but how do the upstarts get the fanbase. MySpace is awesome for this without a doubt, but what if MySpace never came along? How might that have affected the industry, and more importantly, society?

12" by 12" album covers were, and still are, artwork to be treasured.

Hmm. I think there's always a generational gap with new technology changing the way we're used to doing things. While I can remember running to the local record store to get in line for my favorite band's new album, I can also remember a lot of times where a friend made me a mixed CD from his or her itunes. The ritual is changing to meet the needs of a new media, but the tradition ultimately remains the same. PS - Thanks for offering truly compelling content on Current TV!