Back in the 80's, when our vinyl and cassette collections were our most prized possession, our exploration into the unknown music realm was limited to a few print publications, the occasional gig poster, and word-of-mouth from those in the know.
Fast forward to the 21st century: the internet, digital music, and Apple's market dominance with the iPod (over 70%) and iTunes music store; where it's become almost too easy to classify yourself as a 'music collector'. The ease of access to both the information and the product (music) has created a shift in power, from what used to be a minuscule collective of the musically 'informed' to a small, yet powerful minority. As Steven Levy states, “we seem to be immersed in an age of musical voyeurism, not to mention musical exhibitionism” (Levy 2006, 23).
Although this shift into the digital age, “when one can routinely access information in seconds that once required a week of library excavation to retrieve” (Levy 2006, 24) can we claim complete superiority over the 'less informed' population, from a collection a digital files stored in a small, rectangular unit with an audio jack? What happened to the essence of the tangible product? The joy of examining and listening to your CD or record collection with your peers has now been replaced with the satisfaction of shoving an iPod into an observers face (Levy 2006, 22-25).
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