In our society today, whether we are producing it or buying it the American consumer wants to make and listen to music. Music today can be found everywhere, most of that music as we all know is downloaded online and on to our ipods, iphones, etc. Where did buying music and listening to music start off? In the readings by Regina Lee Blaszczyk she elaborates on the development on how we listen to music. In the readings she dates us back to when the transistor radio was the best and easiest way to listen to music anywhere. “Transistor radios appealed to particularly to teenagers who wanted to take their favorite rock and roll music everywhere” (Blaszczyk 240). Now, today teenagers have never even heard of them, which dated into the 1950’s.This is fine because of the technology and the change in how we listen to music. Then in the mid 70’s came the cassettes, which was around for a long time because im in my early 20’s and I remember buying Nirvana cassette tapes. Then we all know the cds and the boom of technology that hit us all at once. One minute the boom box in the 1980s was the way to rock to the music, and then we jump right to the ipods, which is how we listen to music in 2011. Before the invention of the ipods we had to go to the store buy the cd and so on. Now most of us don’t even pay for are music, which isn’t our fault its the modern technology era we are in. With all the years that have passed with the development of music, have we come to the end? Im saying is the invention of itunes and downloading music to are ipods the last of it? I went to having a potable cassette player, to portable CD player, now my ipod. Is there going to be something after the ipod? I don’t see it happening, because how much more can happen with the development of music and how we listen to it?
Stephen Streicher Section 80
I enjoy your article. I still use cassette tapes and I still enjoy buying cds because i actualy like having the music. Mp3 players and iPods can easily get lost and could have many problems.
ReplyDeleteI recently have gone back to purchasing CD’s or burning them. My iPod was stolen out of my car a couple months back and I truly thought I was going to die. It was an IPod classic that I had since they came out, not the nano or video player one, but the classic first IPod, if you guys can remember that one. I think I had over 4,000 songs on it. In my eyes, years of my life gone…Playlist and genres that were so organized and categorized people thought I was nuts. Summer 07 mix, Road trip 06’, Seaside” roll up” lol.. to name a few. Pieces of time that were now gone because somebody really wanted a classic iPod..? I think they are probably like 50 bucks online now. Anyway, when I tried to get all my music back, I learned that one, never had I backed it up, and secondly most of my music was downloaded on lime wire or napster, so in other words, gone. As of now I refuse to buy another iPod. One reason being every time you turn around there is a new one coming out. Also I’m afraid of having the same thing happen again, and all my music and time gone. Plus technology glitches and other tragedies could happen or it could be I’m still mourning the loss. As of now I’m doing it the old fashioned way and buying Cd’s or burning them myself. I do believe that new technology will continue to come out and shape how we listen to music, but what, I have no idea.
ReplyDeleteI really related to your blog because I am really into music. I agree that the way we listen to music has changed significantly from the 50's and even in the last 20 years the changes have been significant and has really effected the recording industry. I don't think the I-pod is the end of the change. There will always be something newer and better.
ReplyDeleteWith Amazon and Google both storing music "in the cloud," I'm going to guess that someone will create a new music player that does not require music to be stored. I no longer download music onto my phone because my playlists now exist in Amazon's cloud; I just open the app. Apple may not create a new iPod, but they have mentioned cloud storage, so don't worry: the way we listen to music will change yet again.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though every new technology that is accepted by the early and late majorities is hailed as the culmination of technology. I am not nearly creative or technologically literate enough to definitively say that the IPod is the culmination of music technology but I highly doubt it. Innovation does not stop and neither does the consumer demand for it, as evidenced in American Consumer Society. Because of this, someone somewhere will figure out a way to improve the music listening experience.
ReplyDeleteThese type of advancements are happening everywhere. I rarely seek out tangible copies of my music, instead I opt to get it for free among my friends and associates. Books, television shows, and other media are the same way. I think that the cloud is going to be a little bit longer in terms of getting popular because it still wouldn't work in places without good internet for streaming. Plus to keep speeds up quality would most likely be low, and that would make those that enjoy audio- or audiophiles- dislike using the program. I wouldn't want to stream any of my FLAC music I have, it would be choppy as heck. But I digress, consumer society has taken to buying their music in little bits like this on the internet because it encourages impulse buying. In these economic times people will not shell out a 20 for a CD, but you CAN get them to buy a song for a dollar. Internet shopping is very addictive for some because of these conveniences, it's usually so cheap and easy to do. Simple clicking around for five mintes and you can spend an exorbitant amount of money without even trying. Charging for a small thing in the business is called 'nickel and dimeing' and it's really easy to do. People think nothing of spending a few cents on something intangible, but yet these prices rack up when you have no overheard in the making of CDs and you sell a few thousand units.
ReplyDeleteAs for what technology will trump the I-pod and other music players? I can't see anything doind that right now. Short of a brain implant.
The future of music is a bit hazy in my personal opinion. Like mentioned above, I believe that they will be a major shift in either 2 ways: we start using cloud computing to have live streaming ipods where you won't need to download anything (pandora 24/7 basically), or there will be a major shift back to CDs. We must also still remember that in many parts of the world, a lot of the technology that we considered outdated are still used in 3rd world countries. Major record labels are still producing items like cassette tapes and CDs for many countries in South America and Africa. So a shift backwards is not all that impossible after all. Also, I don't agree with your idea that there technology for music is over with. 20 years ago, everyone thought computers would only get as fast as the Apple II. Now we have computers 80x faster than those days. There is a future in music presentation, someone just hasn't thought it up yet.
ReplyDeleteI personally have seen the way we listen to music change over the years from furniture size radios to vinyl albums and eight track cassettes. Within the last 10 years we went from compact disc to digital recordings. I believe technology assisted by society’s need for convenience fueled this change especially when it comes to digital media and the growth of the personal computer didn’t hurt. With the ease of digital downloading, the cost and the size of the devices the consumer can now buy and maintain his or her entire music collection on a device no bigger than a pack of cigarettes. Will technology find a better or new innovation? I believe it will.
ReplyDeleteJust as some of the other comments show, I believe the next innovation will be "the cloud", where our music is stored digitally, rather than physically. This also goes along with Blaszczyk's believe of software rather than hardware. Instead of having physical media, our media is increasingly becoming digital. Like others, I also enjoy buying the physical products rather than the digital, but all around, America and other countries seem to be heading toward "the cloud" as the new form for distributing music.
ReplyDeleteI remember having to put a cassette in the car to play one of my favorite bands. It feels just like yesterday that cassettes were being used. Its remarkable to see that the evolution in technology can be seen in our cars. In the 1990s we saw cassette players and then in the late 1990s and early 2000s we saw the the CD player come into play. Nowadays brand new cars have eliminated the cassette player entirely and included an adapter that you can buy in order to plug your Ipod through your car storage unit. The use of the Ipod has revolutionized the way we buy, store, and listen to music. We are no longer carrying this relatively bulky Walkman in our pockets with limited song choices. Technology has allowed us to hold thousands of songs in such a small convenient item. What does the future hold? Only time will tell....
ReplyDeleteThere is little doubt in my mind that the way music is listened to and played will change again. Technology has no where reached its potential in music or many other areas. While I still remember the days of cassettes and bulky portable CD players I doubt that there will be a significant turn back to these systems.
ReplyDeleteOne such innovation that I could see in the near future is a player that can play more detailed music. MP3 files are very small files of music that have been condensed from large files such as .wav. These MP3 files lack details, precision, and clearness in the music that is played. I wouldn't doubt that ipods or other portable systems and ear phones will be created that allow for music to be heard at more detailed levels. And while you may think now that your music comes clear just wait till these innovations are available for consumers and the difference will be significant. This is just one example even though there will be many more that have not even been deemed possible to come. Technology has to many avenues for innovation for us to have reached its epitome.
Josh Rengulbai 01
Music playing will change again, I think most of us agree. Do I feel mp3 players will be replaced? I think one day, yes. The cloud is a good example of how we move on from digital tracks. I do believe the concept of digital storage is brilliant, having my whole music library on my computer and being able to access it anywhere on my phone or ipod is incredible. I think Baudrillard will prove true, when the music industry tells us the best way to listen to our music libraries, we will all need to listen this way and we will all eventually buy this contraption.
ReplyDeleteMusic has always been a major cornerstone in our history. The only real thing that changed was the devices we used to listen to music. It’s true that when we reached the computer age, we trash the old devices. Music CDs are still found in Best Buy and other electronic stores, but it is next to impossible to find a record or record player anywhere. Are CDs close to being impossible to find in stores soon? Also, what’s going to happen if IPods become obsolete? I’m thinking about it too much. This is a very good article.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Rizzo section 80
I definitely agree with others that the main format of music will change again. Technology is always moving us toward something new, improved, and more convenient. I vaguely remember cassettes from my childhood years; cds were the primary format of music listening then. I even remember the first time I saw an ipod; that was my freshman year of high school. I remember thinking how futuristic it looked and that I didn't necessarily need one. Years later, I'm currently on my third and my ipod is an indispensable part of my life. Although this piece of technology is integral to my life at the moment, I don't doubt that 10 years down the road I'll be using something different to play my music. Streaming music off the internet has become very popular recently(i.e. iheartradio and pandora). If you have an internet connection you basically don't even have to pay for music nowadays (let alone any other media entertainment). Since many other people have mentioned "cloud" storage, it makes a lot of sense that the next format of music will be the internet.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, I remember a time when I came across my oldest brother’s cassettes that he had to record in order to have dozens of albums. As to what will happen after the iPod, a chip will be implanted in our brain in order for us to listen to music through mental command. We’ll think that this is an amazing innovation but it is actually just an easier way for the government to track our every move. Jokes aside, marketing will continuously advertise ways that facilitate entertainment reaching consumers with just the touch of a finger, or less.
ReplyDeleteMelissa Tampan Section 01