Is it all about the music?

[spm]

I came across this blog which struck a chord so thought I would share.

http://whatsheonaboutnow.blogspot.co...ive-hi-fi.html

I have to say I don't respect my cd's as much as I should, many are in cracked cases from living in glove boxes and I'm in the process of ripping them all so they can sleep in the loft so I will be left with thumb nails. The packaging of LP's is so much better and I spent much of my teenage years in record shops, mainly 2nd hand, pouring over album covers. I remember buying Gluggo by the Spencer Davis Group largely because I liked the cover. These days if I'm looking at cd's I often just scan the spines.

One of the great positives of digital music is it is so accessible now. If you want to hear what a band sounds like it is generally very easy to find something online. Back in the day if a group didn't get played on the radio and your friends didn't have their stuff you didn't get to hear them.

Does the packaging improve the experience or is it all about the music?

[awkwardbydesign]

I think I agree with him. And the ability to flick from track to track (not "song" these days) means that it is hard to even relate to the music, except as instant gratification. At the moment I am exploring Bandcamp, and find myself doing exactly this. If a piece doesn't grab me very quickly I move on. But when I DO listen to music I like to play a whole side/CD, not jump about. I have a friend who streams, and not only have I never heard a whole album at his house, I frequently don't get to hear a whole song!
BTW, I have ripped all my CDs to a NAS and mainly listen that way now, but play a whole album, unless I decide it was the wrong choice. And my wife (who said "What do you need THAT for?") now listens to far more music by using it. I copy CDs for the car, and have bought a CD recorder to digitise certain LPs, but I am not getting rid of any of the physical media.
The lack of artwork, which started with tiny CD covers, lessens the whole experience too, I believe. I used to buy LPs just for the covers sometimes; I've never done that with CDs!