My Bass Rocks

Straigh Outta Brockton…

So I was doing some thinking about the current state of music, and how the situation we’re in seems to be a direct response to the digital age. If you want to pinpoint the moment the music went downhill, start back around 1998 when Napster first hit the web. Songs became easily accessible, and even more notably FREE. Thus, began the age of the free downloads.

Continue on to get learned..

Fast-forward 10 years….Album sales are in a terrible state, record labels are losing their grip, and the quality of music isn’t what it once was. All can be traced back to Napster and the beginning of this decline. You see, when someone gets the new Nas album for free from their homie, they are less likely to feel attached to it. Naturally, anything we receive for free doesn’t hold as much weight as something we pay $15 for. In this case, instead of walking 10 blocks to the local record store and spending a fair amount of money for the music, it is offered for free. Think of other things we get for free…A fortune cookie after Chinese? A mint from the dry cleaners? Both of which we aren’t too concerned about.

Now that the attachment to the music isn’t there, the quality naturally declines. We throw out music just as quickly as we get it. That being said, the industry fills itself with one-hit wonders that make catchy phone jingles (i.e. Webbie, Plies, Flo Rida, etc.), take the money, and disappear forever. It’s a dangerous cycle that leaves the industry in a worse state than before.

Also, now that music comes mainly in digital form, there is no physical representation we can relate to. In the past, whether it be vinyl. tapes, or CD’s, music came in a physical form that we could hold onto, interact with, and collect. This allowed the listener to feel somewhat attached to the music, which is nearly unheard of today. For me, I remember exactly when and where I found my first copy of The Chronic and what it felt like the moment I found it. However, when I got a digital copy for my iPod, the excitement factor was lost.

Now that music is so easily accumulated, the appreciation for an album in its entirety isn’t there as well…With all these tracks coming in, people have to pick and choose. That being said, the patience to sit through an 18-track LP, isn’t where it once was. Instead, we say stuff like “Ohhh! Have you heard track 2? That’s my shit!” Most the time, I can’t even remember the name of the song that I picked from the litter.

Naturally, human beings are drawn to things they can see, touch, and smell…Imagine what the reaction would be if an album like The Chronic dropped for free in 2008. Would people still regard it as an instant classic? Or would the digital age factor be too much to ignore?

Here’s the test: Name the last time you listened to a new album all the way through. Harder than you thought. huh?