Commentary: The Downside of Downloading
By Kara Brenneman, Contributor
“The death of the music industry.” It’s a topic that has been lamented and analyzed by many in the past few years. Music sales have slowly crept downward. Artists don’t seem to have huge blockbuster albums anymore. Illegal downloading has been pointed out as the culprit, but could it be something more? The recent advancements in technology have created a shift in our attitudes and taken away the most important thing about purchasing music: fun. We have been robbed of our childlike excitement toward new releases.
Flashback to the time before you even knew what downloading was, the glory days of the compact disc. You waited ever so patiently for the release of your favorite band’s new album. On that fateful day, you went to the store, scoured the shelves for the CD you wanted, and it was beautiful. Shiny and new, just waiting to be added to your collection, which you coveted. You looked at it, taking in the cover art, held it, even just feeling the weight. You knew you were getting your money’s worth, and you finally bought it. Then once you were in your car, you battled that annoying plastic wrap, which never came off easily since your hands were shaking with anticipation and impatience. You blasted that album on the way home, all the while getting a mini adrenaline rush. Satisfaction took the form of your car thumping and vibrating as your speakers blared as loudly as they could, you reveling in your great new music. It was stimulating, it was exciting, and it all came from such a small event.
Even more than excitement, you felt true ownership of your music. It was yours, and you were possessive about those CDs. Shelves filled, stacks piled up on the floor, it was something to showcase, to be proud of, and to brag about. If a friend scratched one, quarrels would ensue. They were more than just trivial things to you. They had become part of who you were as a person.
Compare all of that to the experience of purely downloading. Sitting by your computer, watching the loading bar as the track or album downloads. Not only is it the antithesis of a good time, but you have nothing to show for it: nothing tangible to prove you have the music, no album booklet (the best part) to flip through while you listen, and no emotional attachment to your possessions.
We all see downloading as efficient, easy, and convenient, but music should be about more than just files on a computer. Music was meant to be an experience. Now it has almost become too accessible to the point where people don’t care whether they even get a certain album. This apathy has caused a downfall in an industry that should thrive, especially with the influx of indie groups for every niche to satisfy even the quirkiest of tastes. Global music sales have fallen 30% since 2004, and 10% of that drop-off happened just last year, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Unfortunately, there’s no going back. Music in the physical format is basically obsolete in our digital age. Therein lies the problem of illegal downloading. People don’t want to steal things (generally), but they lose sight of the fact that it is stealing because there’s nothing to sneak into a bag, no security cameras to dodge, no cashiers to run past. Now, the industry is suffering, and in return, no longer coming up with new innovations to sell music.
However, there could be a light at the end of this music-deprived tunnel. Recently, CNET reported that Apple acquired music site Lala, which combined a streaming music site with a social networking site. Right now, it is not clear how exactly Apple is going to utilize Lala, but what is clear is the fact that Apple is brewing some new innovation in online music. The main technology that Apple could put to use is Lala’s ability to upload users’ own music library online so they can stream it wherever. The combination of iTunes and Lala could have a big impact on the future of iTunes’ streaming abilities. This could add something fresh to the digital music experience for the greater portion of the population. Other music sites that offer streaming, such as Pandora and Last.fm, have become popular, but no other music site has been able to challenge the dominance of iTunes.
People will always be willing to pay for new technology, so in order to resuscitate the industry, something new has to come. Another advance that could become popular is digital music on an MT9 format, being hailed as Music 2.0. This is different from the standard mp3 format because it allows you to customize a song. You can change the levels of individual parts, depending on say, how loud you want the drums, or how soft you want the vocals. You could even completely remove parts you don’t want to hear. Whether this could rival the mp3 seems to lie in the hands of musicians themselves. They might not want to embrace a format where listeners could change a song they slaved over - and rightfully so.
What is needed to boost sales of downloads is incentive. People need to see a difference between a downloaded song they purchase and one they could illegally download for free. The experience needs to be different - and enticing. A social aspect should be implemented.
Downloading from your computer is a very isolated event. If consumers could purchase songs, then share playlists online with their friends, it would be a more enjoyable experience - a substitute for the days of hanging out in friends' rooms listening to new CDs, even. Also, these friends might download the music for themselves, boosting sales.
Bonus tracks are also a good incentive, which haven’t been utilized to their full advantage. Consumers can find free, legal music, but more often than not, it isn’t music they would want in the first place. Perhaps with an album purchase, consumers could receive free tracks from less-known bands with similar styles. That would be incentive to buy the album and lead music fans to discover new bands. Everyone likes finding a hip new band and laughing at those who haven’t heard of them (am I right?).
Recording artists could even be really generous and give the first hundred or so people to purchase a new album a chance to win free concert tickets. Consumers would probably start marking their calendar again with release dates of albums.
Technology and accessibility has made us, as a culture, jaded about buying music. Don’t lose your excitement over a new album just because you can download it whenever. Appreciate your music, love your music, and most of all, have fun with your music.
