Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The everchanging face of music.
When I was a lad music came in various formats. You had 8-track, reel-to-reel, compact cassette tape in addition to vinyl and even those had several flavours.
Nowdays everything is so homogenized so it falls into digital formats like mp3, wav or acc if you're an iPod listener. You download a file; it throws up an image of the album cover on your little player and off you go. Call me jaded but I miss those B tracks on singles. I miss buying those HUGE vinyl jackets with all the liner notes. I even miss taping an occasional compilation of all my favorite songs onto a tape so I could play it on my cassette player or for that special someone.
Everyone says it's easier to buy music. There is no denying that. But what about finding that nugget of a song? You really can't do that now. Everything is a la carte. You choose what you want instead of having it chosen for you. In some ways, it's great, but in others I get the feeling it limits your exposure to the artist.
The one thing I remember about liner notes is that it personalized that artist. You created this relationship with the singer(s) or that band. You can't say that now. I guess that is why a recording artist's shelf life is so fleeting they have to literally diversify.
My biggest quip about today's music is that before a recording artist had a concert to promote their album. You buy the album. You rave about the album. You get your buddies to go to the concert. They like the music. They buy the record. Simple. You were paid up front and if your album showed promise you at least had some capital to start your tour. Nowadays that paradigm has changed where you barely make anything if at all on the download and you make your money on these huge concert productions which in this economy may suffer. It's a gamble compared to the old paradigm. You could loose your shirt with this out-of-control beast of a concert tour; meanwhile your music -- the blood sweat and tears of your hard work -- gets second fiddle.
I used to joke with my colleagues about the music industry becoming a industry of hobbyists. Honestly those jokes are quickly becoming reality. Small guys can sound like big guys with a current version of ProTools. CD packaging for the most part is standard so you can run with the herd. Even the whole paradigm about music being an impulse sale has transformed into this a la carte menu.
It just seems so calculating. Less life in what people consider an important part of their lifestyle. I mean they define themselves by the music they listen to. Teens take their music seriously. I know my teenage daughter does. Why short change that experience?
Nowdays everything is so homogenized so it falls into digital formats like mp3, wav or acc if you're an iPod listener. You download a file; it throws up an image of the album cover on your little player and off you go. Call me jaded but I miss those B tracks on singles. I miss buying those HUGE vinyl jackets with all the liner notes. I even miss taping an occasional compilation of all my favorite songs onto a tape so I could play it on my cassette player or for that special someone.
Everyone says it's easier to buy music. There is no denying that. But what about finding that nugget of a song? You really can't do that now. Everything is a la carte. You choose what you want instead of having it chosen for you. In some ways, it's great, but in others I get the feeling it limits your exposure to the artist.
The one thing I remember about liner notes is that it personalized that artist. You created this relationship with the singer(s) or that band. You can't say that now. I guess that is why a recording artist's shelf life is so fleeting they have to literally diversify.
My biggest quip about today's music is that before a recording artist had a concert to promote their album. You buy the album. You rave about the album. You get your buddies to go to the concert. They like the music. They buy the record. Simple. You were paid up front and if your album showed promise you at least had some capital to start your tour. Nowadays that paradigm has changed where you barely make anything if at all on the download and you make your money on these huge concert productions which in this economy may suffer. It's a gamble compared to the old paradigm. You could loose your shirt with this out-of-control beast of a concert tour; meanwhile your music -- the blood sweat and tears of your hard work -- gets second fiddle.
I used to joke with my colleagues about the music industry becoming a industry of hobbyists. Honestly those jokes are quickly becoming reality. Small guys can sound like big guys with a current version of ProTools. CD packaging for the most part is standard so you can run with the herd. Even the whole paradigm about music being an impulse sale has transformed into this a la carte menu.
It just seems so calculating. Less life in what people consider an important part of their lifestyle. I mean they define themselves by the music they listen to. Teens take their music seriously. I know my teenage daughter does. Why short change that experience?
Friday, October 3, 2008
EnviroPAK renamed EvPAK
It happens. You do your search and find nothing that says a certain name is registered or trademarked but then you get a nifty little letter to 'Cease and Desist' saying someone registered the product name.What do you do?
The easiest although never the most convenient is to comply. Which is what I did. So here it is, the new, improved, and renamed EvPAK. The EvPAK is ACE Packaging's answer to reducing your packaging footprint but still maintaining that higher-end retail look and feel to your packaging for all CD and DVD disc projects
Great for short run or single run projects. Give a great custom look to your latest DVD or CD Disc Project. We have a EvPAK sampler starter set (mouthful) available as well.
After all if entertainment like music and movies are an impulse buy doesn't it make sense to make your product look the best that it can? Now if you can make your packaging look and feel great while saving the environment as well isn't considering a packaging format like our EvPAK a great idea?
Visit us at http://www.ace-cases.com/; keyword: EvPAK.
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