CD's VS Digital Media [Editorial]

I don’t like digital music downloads. I have an iPod, I listen to music on my computer, most of my music is now in a digital format. Even though all these things should mean that I love hopping on the internet and getting my music straight from there, I simply like holding onto something tangible. I like the feeling of having something in my hand and the excitement of something new. Here are some of the reasons I choose a non-digital format for getting my music: 

I love the feeling of opening a new CD: getting the newest album from your favorite artist and ripping off the plastic as you get out of the store. It’s never easy to take off that plastic either. You always have to work at it, like the product inside it is protected from your unworthy fingers. You finally get into the plastic and you don’t nicely place it in the garbage, you put it in the most convienent place so you can get your way to your hard earned prize.

It still feels like a better investment. By investment I mean it’s a great purchase for something that will most likely not make you any money but give you hours of enjoyment(with any luck). You get to hold the album in your hand, it fills up your shelves so you have to go back to Ikea and get another shelf for it’s case. I simply like having that actual item in my hand.

The artwork. When you purchase an album you can get a digital version of the artwork which is nice but you don’t hold it up and read all the liner notes or see all the pictures of the artist and what they’ve chosen. If you’re lucky the artist may have hidden artwork, like in the case of Pinkerton by Weezer, where you can find a hidden map below the cd. You can read who they thank and if you’re lucky a little something about the album.

The secret songs. When you get a digital download you get bonus tracks. They may not be on the album but you know they exist. When you buy an album you sit, wait and listen at the end of the last track. You’re hoping for something secret, something that you get because you’re the dedicated fan who searched and waited for that prize. 

So even though it’s more convienent and probably smarter, I just really like having and album. There are definitely a few cases when a digital download is just as good. I love when an artist releases their album for free online just so the fans will listen to it. Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” was fantastic(but I still bought an actual cd). Trent Reznor has fully embraced digital so if you want the album it’s in digital form. I have nothing against digital music and I think it’s great that music is more accessible for people who will not seek out that album experience. I think there are some things, like audiobooks, which are better simply because that’s not their orignal format anyways. So I think people should enjoy their digital downloads for all their benfits but I’m going to stay in the past with my cd’s.