Re: [microsound] Collectibility of Digital Files?

[john hudak <jhudak@xxxxxxxxx>]

hello folks,

i think permanence has a lot to do with collecting.  physical objects
are more permanent than digital files.  if someone likes something
enough, i think they will always want a copy of it in a tangible form.

if you can remember when cassette tape came out, people were upset.  i
forget the ad, but it went something like: "taping is killing..." the
independent recording artist's income.

so how do musicians make a living these days if you can't sell an
object?  playing live is important these days for musicians who want to
make an income.  there is always a certain amount of energy/excitement
generated from a live situation...if only in expectations or curiousity.

it seems for convenince's sake, people are downloading albums and songs
from places like the itunes store, but i don't think artists will get
much out of that.    who knows where things are going.  personally, i
like to use my airport express to play mp3s through my stereo on the
other side of the room, as well as other rooms in the house.  wireless
technology is probably going to play a part in how things go in the
future.

maybe musicians will make more unique, one-of-a-kind works, similar to
the way painting and sculpture are sold/traded/exhibited...

best future,
john

> 
> On Feb 16, 2005, at 2:48 AM, Kevin Ponto wrote:
> 
> > By "collector", I think he meant someone who is interested in the
rare 
> > finds and complete catalogs, bootlegs and so forth as well as huge 
> > libraries, as opposed to people who just amass as many files as they 
> > can with little regard for what they have.
> >
> > The point of course, is that the limitations of physical
distribution 
> > have provided people with the pastime of collecting, yet the digital 
> > distribution model is not hampered by these limitations. So will 
> > collecting, in this sense, survive and if it does, how will it
differ 
> > from today?
> >
> > Personally, I've had the experience of trying to track down a rare
mp3 
> > online. it's no easy chore, almost as hard as trying to track down 
> > something in real life. It was an mp3 that was only posted to an 
> > artists website for a few weeks. I grabbed it and had for a while, 
> > then I lost it (fried computer parralled a physically corrupted
backup 
> > cd) and spent six months or so trying to track it down on p2p
networks 
> > and the internet before I found it again. The whole experience, and 
> > the rush I got when I finally found it, was not unlike that of 
> > physical collecting.
> >
> > Anyone else have a similar experience or insight?

jhudak at pobox.com
http://www.johnhudak.net

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