[johnteriz]

Kids of today, let me tell you about something that we had many moons ago. It may seem like a foreign concept, but please take your Ritalin and try to follow along.

Once upon a time, there was this thing called a music album. It came in various physical formats including vinyl records, compact discs and tapes. A ‘band’ or ‘group’ would make a collection of songs and put it on an ‘album.’ When you bought this album, you could listen to the whole thing. While not all albums were great in their entirety, you got to listen to all the songs until you knew them all – the lengths, lyrics, bridges, choruses, hooks. You listened to the album as the artist intended, because some albums had some sort of progression or story to tell. Some bands even made albums that the tracks flowed together, creating a soundscape – a soundtrack to life. It was sometimes a rollercoaster of emotions, and often times you couldn’t imagine a pause in the music. It simply wouldn’t make sense. It’d be like ****ing a girl and then stopping every 3 and half minutes to go pee. You’d probably disappoint that girl more than you already did.

Back then, you’d say “I’m a Pink Floyd fan. I love the Beatles, Wu-Tang, etc.”

You categorized your music by the artist. The songs you liked were on an album.

Eventually technology got to the point where you would pick which songs you wanted to listen to, randomly and at any time. This seemed like a great idea, right? Well, much like watching clips of The Sixth Sense that start with “Oh yeah, I’m dead,” it just didn’t seem right. You were now controlling something that you didn’t create. You made the Mona Lisa an Asian girl. No racism intended, she was an ugly white porch monkey.

Fast forward to the end of the world – the invention of the MP3. All of a sudden, you had a collection of ‘songs’ and no longer a collection of ‘music.’ Your friends came over to your house and you bragged about the size of your hard drive while your Ikea wall cabinet stay barren. Several rock stars overdosed on drugs picturing you doing that.

When the iPod came out, music was doomed. 10000 songs, you say? That’s funny. I can only hear one at a time. Kids wore it while walking – to the moon, apparently. Why would you need more than 80 minutes of music? Where are you walking? All of a sudden you got this impulse ‘shit, I gotta hear this one song…’ over and over again. Da Mystery of Chessboxing was followed by My Sharona. You were now ‘diverse’ and ‘worldly.’ You had white headphones because you loved 10000 songs, mother****er. You're bitchin'.

You should all be ashamed of yourselves. You’ve destroyed the music industry. I listen to The Dark Side of the Moon. You listen to “Time” and “Money.” You’ve negated years of hard work and talent. Why should anyone spend years making an album when you’re only going to buy one song from iTunes for 99 cents? That’s the only song people are gonna hear anyway. They’ll skip right to it. Just make it track 1, save them some time. This had led to artists putting out shitty albums built around a couple of songs that will sell for 99 cents.

Remember Michael Jackson’s Bad album? Almost every song was a hit because people couldn’t pick a favorite song and kept requesting so many on the radio. What a crazy idea. Buy the album, learn to like it, keep listening. The album sold over 30 millions copies at about $12. You do the math. A massively popular song will be downloaded a few million times, at 99 cents. After that, the kids latch onto the next artist and you’re outta luck. It sickens me how many people downloaded “Feel Good Inc.” and didn’t get the whole album. You suckers missed the pop album of the year. You’ll do it again this year with Stefy. I promise.

Millions bought the Aqua album in the 90s after hearing Barbie Girl on the radio. They popped in the CD – what’s this? Candyman is a great song? So is this one? And this one? Wow, I’m pleasantly surprised. They started requesting those other songs, and they became hits as well. The band must have been overjoyed. They made “fans” and not just “customers.” If I sound repetitive it's because I'm on random and you opted for the 1GB model only.

Nowadays, people just download the singles because they “know” the album is crap. Download 2 songs for 2 dollars rather than spend 12 on a CD that must suck? Works for everyone except the artist. No one goes to the concert. No one sings along with any other songs. They cannot progress as an artist because they have no base. The artist then gives up and ends up in sitcoms instead. You don’t notice or care because you didn’t buy the album. Heaven forbid you missed out on gems that could’ve been added to your life.

So **** you, iPod, and your ****ing random button. And all you emo skater trash that want to be famous rockers – here’s a dollar. That’s all you’ll make and it’s your fault. I’ll go buy ‘albums’ and become fans of artists, not hard drives.

[intifatry]

i agree with you on the most part, but i don't think it's specifically the iPod that is to blame. the blame should fall mostly on most of the mainstream MTV acts that r around today, by putting out a catchy single or 2 and not giving any reason for their teenage fans, who don't really have any money to go out and buy their CDs, to purchase their whole album, so they opt to download the singles and be happy with that. a lot of bands r aganist putting their music on itunes for this reason, for instance i remember in reading an interview with Tool asking them why they were so against itunes, and they explained that it's not so much the downloading of music that they're nervous about, but rather they explained that they put in a lot of effort creating an entire album, and don't want ppl just downloading some singles of theirs.

also, since people don't buy CDs anymore, they don't get the satisfaction of opening the case and looking through the album art and liner notes as they pop the CD in to the player.

ya i own and frequently use an ipod... it's just simply convenient having all ur music in one little piece of equipment instead of lugging all ur CDs and CD player with u wherever u go... and some bands/artists realize that the ipod is the next step forward in music and r dealing with it. for instance, when With Teeth was released by NIN, the CD came with no album art or anything, and in order to see the album art u would have to download it from the site. Trent Reznor explained that he knew that most ppl would just download it anyways, so why bother in making a fancy CD case with it. also with Year Zero, Reznor leaked the whole album on his site about 2 weeks before it's release, and he initially wanted to release the whole thing as MP3s since he knew that's what the future of music is gonna be about, but the record company didn't let...

[hopertveyk]

I use an IPod, I havn't paid for any of the music on it. I simply don't have the money to shell out for cds all the time.

There's only certain bands in which I will shell out money for their cds though.

Tool is one of them that I've downloaded the single, but bought the whole album.

Pantera, I've bought the albums.

Sabbath, Metallica, well pretty much the 80's bands.

There's bands I'd love to shell money out to buy their albums, but being jobless, Limewire is all I have. And I hate shelling out money for a shit album. I made that mistake with Papa Roach's LoveHateTragedy, and I don't plan on making it again.

Yes, I am a musician, I know I should be supporting your issue, but I can't support it when bands are making shit albums.

I thought these bands were doing it for the music? They seem a little greedy if you ask me. I'll keep downloading music until bands release good albums.

They need to take that lesson from Tool. They earn my money. Spend 3 or 4 years each album, and every album is great, never a bad song, they always have top quality, and excellent albums. They get my service.

[Espacamlisa]

just so you know, nobody actually pays for songs to put on their ipod, at least nobody i know.

[TeveVikep]

What an ignorant post.
If anything the iPod has redefined music.
I won't leave home without my ipod nano.
I've used iTunes since it's come out, I don't buy individual tracks, I still buy albums and upload them. iTunes contrary to belief.. (and I know this because I've had to educate many people) is a multimedia player which you can play entire albums such as: "The Dark Side of the Moon" in.

As far as albums having loads of singles.. they still exhist. Most mainstream artists, such as you've listed still can push out 5 or 6 singles per album.

I have a good 200 store bought albums, and I'll tell you why I stopped buying albums. Because I couldn't rip my own albums on to my own computer, because of copy protection. The album: Velvet Revolver: "Contraband".

So I went did a little searching, and it was actually easier to just download it.
**** the record execs. I'll start buying albums when they get rid of copy protection.

[seervezex]

Emo ruined music.

Now watch me make one more totally random word fly out of my hat...

Hamburger ruined music.

Music isn't ruined. Not for those who give a damn anyway, and who cares if the average hit list junkie doesn't "get it" the same way you do? It has little to no impact on what music you listen to, or how you listen to it.

Personally, I like listening to whole albums. Good thing I have room for more than just one on my mp3 player, or I would've had to decide what I want to have on a portable device. I can't do that. What I want to listen to all depends on my state of mind, how I feel, where I am, what I'm supposed to be doing. That's how music works for me. It elevates what's already there.

And, for that very reason, iTunes is currently on shuffle. Reflecting how I really can't focus on just one artist or album right now. There's chaos inside my head, so I just press next until I find something that works.

Music can't be perverted for the individual. For the masses of brainless sheep, sure, but there's not much to ruin there. For me? No way. For any other person whose life has a constant soundtrack? Don't think so.

... and you, you won't be queen.

[Karpattaisp]

Nevermind the iPod, I use Creative's Zen, Vision: M, but my point is, mp3 players are simply more convenient. I still buy a lot of CDs, but I just rip them to the computer and then transfer them to my mp3 player. But, why the hate on random? If you would rather play the songs on the album in order, just switch random off. I don't see the problem. Plus, having all your music on the computer or an mp3 player keeps the cds and albums in practically mint condition.

[Quiniacab]

I'm not a fan of the iPod. I use a Sandisk Sansa and it's not just filled with tracks at random. I actually have about 16 different albums uploaded onto my sansa that I can listen to on the go. And of course I have singles littered throughout because rather than take a whole album and put it on there, sometimes I'd rather just put my favorite tracks on there. However I'm also a bit anal about my mp3 in the fact that I shuffle what's on there at least twice a week so I'm never listening to the same stuff over and over again.
I
Being I can hook this little device up to my car, it's a whole lot better than tossing in a tape or a CD. It allows me to listen to a variety of music and be a bit more diverse rather than having to fumble with a CD in the car. Still it doesn't make me one of those braindead teenagers that doesn't know what good music is. Nor does it make me one of those idiots who doesn't have the attention span to actually listen to a CD all the way through and actually understand the views of the artist. Personally I often find when you actually listen to an album all the way through, you find that half the songs that don't get released as singles are much better than the ones that do.