- 1. How often do you listen to music?
always. I keep Pandora on at work quietly in the background
- 2. Do you ever listen to the radio? What is your favorite station?
nope, gave up on radio years ago. If I were to listen to radio, it would be KBCO in the morning. Bret Saunders is the greatest DJ in history. I love him. He is brilliant and funny and compassionate and knowledgeable and quick and shit. LOVE HIM. However, the Clear Channel beast he works for just bores the crap out of me. You know, Adele, Jack Johnson, and quirky feel good songs from white hipsters with dreads. Still, I can not say enough good things about Bret Saunders.
- 3. How do you find new songs, albums, or artists to listen to?
well, admittedly, I rarely listen to new music. I have been that way for too long, admittedly. I know there is new music which is great, but I am simply not hiring. Basically, I find about 1 new great band a year. Here is who I have discovered and fell in love with over the last five years > Amy Winehouse, Ray LaMontagne, Brandi Carlile, and most recently… Zac Brown Band. I am crazy for the Zac Brown Band.
- 4. When was the last time you bought a CD? A digital music file?
Pretty often. I probably buy about a disc a month. Mostly, I simply use iTunes. Most recently, I bought the Adele cd. It really is that good. Seriously, every song is really good. There is a reason that CD has sold a zillion copies.
- 5. Do you think any of the technologies and distribution methods mentioned above will still be around in ten years? Why or why not?
thoughtful question. I believe there will be many digital versions, for sure. Digital is RAD for a couple of big reasons. One is replication. When you used to make a copy of a cassette, it got all hissy. Each subsequent copy gets worse. Being a copier of bootlegs, this sucks ass. With digital, there is zero generational loss. Also, what I love about digital is how portable it is. I can email myself songs, I can stream them. Remember those huge briefcases of cassettes we carried? That shit was a pain in the ass, and also sounded like crap. Plus, being in Phoenix during that period, those fuckers melt. With digital, there is zero generation loss from copy to copy. Each copy is identical to the first, even if it is a copy of a copy of a copy… you get the point. Art can’t do that, conversation can’t do that, life doesn’t do that, and money doesn’t do that… but with music… you can. That, my friend, is rad. Neil Young can get off his high horse, and “add more barn”. *
Now, this is also a serious question. The library of congress only archives music in record/vinyl form. They are hesitant to adopt new technology, because it would take them billions, and 50 years. Imagine if they did 8 tracks, or cassettes, or CDs? Those are all on their way out or gone.
Honestly, the most important thing to me is convenience. I would easily take the convenience and portability and flexibility of digital music over the superior audio quality of vinyl. Just rewinding tapes. I HATE rewinding tapes. It felt like it took forever. I also love that with digital, I can pick what song I want to hear. On the tape you pretty much had to suffer through the order of the music. For those people who say “but the artist meant for it to be heard in order”… stfu. You are a pompous asshole. Maybe 1% of records should be heard in that order. Mostly, that was in the 70s, and that is because everyone was wicked high. To be fair, though, most Pink Floyd albums are structured carefully and beautifully to be in order. Also, Hendrix’ last album (Electric Ladyland) should be in order… and St Peppers from the Beatles. That’s it! Everything else in life should be fast forwardable.
* quick pro-tip about Neil Young. Almost everything he does with an acoustic is amazing and transcendant. Almost everything he does with electric is meaningless ear rape. I can’t think of anyone who can move so easily between the two. Seriously, I dare you to listen to a Crazy Horse bootleg straight through. It is ear rape, and I am going to patent that bad ass word.
I am Correct 