Review 2023
Review of 2023…..and 2021 – 22 as well.
Here we are saying goodbye to another year, and having missed an end of year ramble for 2021 and 2022, I thought I’d just put a few thoughts down this time around, also accompanied by the views of a couple of other RPMers. But firstly…
Thanks…
It was great to welcome two new RPMers to our musical collective this year and I hope David and Kevin get a lot of enjoyment from taking part. Once again, thanks so much to you all for sending in your 3 pieces of music each week and keeping the Seven Day Soundtrack in such fine fettle. Even though we have been in Yorkshire for nearly 3 years now (whoosh! Can’t quite believe that…) and Nina relocated from Norfolk as well and headed south west to nearly as far as one can go, I think RPM still keeps us all connected, which is so nice. I’m also knocked out at the musical diversity that the Seven Day Soundtrack presents holistically each week. I don’t know about you, but I tend to listen to each edition as if it were being broadcast as a radio show. By that, I mean in a single sitting, usually a late Saturday or Sunday afternoon. In that way I think the edition takes on a personality of its own and often throws up some interesting genre or mood juxtapositions, which I think is one of the 7DS’s particular delights. Just to let you know; I don’t compare or consciously order your choices and each week is a totally random compilation. Also, when listening to an edition, I do not skip songs which I think I’ll not like, either due to the artist or musical style, and this has thrown up some nice musical surprises over the weeks. I wonder how you listen to RPM each week…I’d be interested to hear.
Talking of listening to music…
Listening To Music: A Personal Re-evaluation…with a little help from my friends.
When I first became musically aware back in the day (late 70s / early 80s), my first music purchases were of course on vinyl, sometimes cassette, as I’m sure yours were as well. This then became CDs, as vinyl was declared obsolete…which then in turn became a mix of both formats upon the advent of the more recent vinyl revival. But since moving to Yorkshire two-and-three-quarter years ago, I’ve seriously considered my approach to how I listen to recorded music…and I’m not talking about comparisons here, as in the well-worn debate over any perceived sonic superiority regarding vinyl vs CD vs MP3 download, but the media delivery format. And, I’m thinking on two levels here; one personal, the other global.
Firstly, I was increasingly asking myself if I needed so many LPs and CDs (Yes, I know…I hope some of you were sitting down to read that!!). And secondly, also the issue Philip highlighted in week 49 of the Seven Day Soundtrack, I began wondering what impact the format one listens to recorded music upon, has on the environment and climate change?
The Existential Question…
I must admit the first more existential question came first. Our move made me realise how much stuff one accumulates over the years and, as it’s certain that “I won’t get out of this world alive,” to quote Hank Williams, I don’t want to burden my children with the task of disposing of it all when I die. I’m being pragmatic here, not morbid.
I always admired my friend (and ex RPMer that some of you will remember), Jonothan’s minimalist way of living; a big music fan, he didn’t own any CDs or LPs but listened to music via streaming (we’ll be coming to this in a bit) plus, he had no stuff just for the sake of having stuff, either.
So, a couple of years ago, I came to a decision to re-evaluate (amongst other things) my “record collection”, starting with re-establishing a basic concept; it’s a music collection, not an object collection. Let me explain.
What gets me excited are the sounds captured upon that LP or CD. Those LPs and CDs are receptacles used to capture and preserve those exciting sounds in object form. I’m not collecting LPs because I just love the look of 12” black vinyl discs, or CDs because I have a “thing” about small shiny silver discs, now, am I?
My 2019 end of year review indeed explored the whys and wherefores of collecting and I do still stand by a lot of what I wrote. I suggested one main reason record collections are kept is due to a kindling of nostalgic feelings when certain albums are brought out to be played. Looking through my LPs, accumulated over the course of 40 years, there were a good few that did exactly that. But there were also a lot of albums which I’d kept just because that’s how the music was stored…and I’d just hung onto them, not playing them for ages. And, oh look; a lot of those LPs, I’d also obtained over the years on CD as well…..digital information which can in fact be copied and stored on an external disc drive taking up far less space in the house.
So that’s initially where I started; a conscious decision to downsize and save those exciting sounds by transferring my entire CD collection onto a disc drive (backed up of course on another). This in turn caused me to go through my entire LP collection asking myself; a) do I still like the record and b) would I ever be likely to play it again? This CD and vinyl reappraisal started to generate a “stock pile” which I intended to (…shock!) sell. (OMG!)
After a while, this process of sorting-out actually becomes very freeing; as if a weight is lifted from one’s mind, engendering a positive emotional release, and over the course of the past two years, I have gone from having a shelf-lined room full of CDs and LPs to one drawer of CDs and two boxes of much-loved LPs, only requiring the space of a car boot to transport the next time we move. I have embraced pro-organiser Marie Kondo’s philosophy of mindful possession, applying her ethos of having “value within your life” through possessions that “spark joy”. The LPs and CDs I have currently kept certainly do that, but also my complete music collection, now stored on something the size of a box of Cooks Matches, does that as well, because it’s still all about the music…the entirety of which I can literally hold in the palm of my hand. How liberating is that!?
The rest of the collection, my “stock-pile”, has now provided me with more enjoyment in the form of days out at various record fairs…York Race Course, Northallerton and Saltburn-by-the-Sea, where I’ve became a stall holder. I’ve sold a lot of items, met, and chatted with loads of fellow music fans, made a couple of friends, and come away with an income at the end of the day as well. Much better than my kids getting in a dealer or chucking it all in a skip after I’ve popped my clogs!....and yes, I did ask our Ewan, who has a modest vinyl collection of his own, to take what he wanted, but surprisingly, it wasn’t as much as I thought he’d have, thus confirming my thoughts of dealers and skips.
How “Green” is my Music Media…
My second concern regarding listening to recorded music, that of global impact, has been increasing for the past couple of years as well…but thinking about it, it’s always been a niggle in the back of my mind. Oil, from which vinyl LPs, CDs and cassettes are made is obviously a finite resource…it’s not a renewable and it’s going to run out. Back in the 80s, there wasn’t any alternative to vinyl. If one wanted to listen to recorded music, you pretty much had to buy records or cassettes. If one was also concerned about the environment, this created a worrying paradox. But nowadays, does technology offer an alternative? I mentioned Jonothan and music streaming which certainly achieves having no physical objects in your house (solving my first existential desire) but begs the question; how “green” is it? In fact, with the current vinyl revival, how “green” is any of it?
David – “Here’s my two-penny worth. I no longer buy CD's or vinyl on line. However, if I'm at a live performance I will support the artist by buying a CD. This is particularly handy for playing on the way home (or to the next gig ).
If I am visiting somewhere and I see a music store that I know needs supporting I will buy a CD or 3 there.
At the moment, this approach seems fair to me, but who knows? I am sure I will reappraise this compromise in the future.”
Thanks, David. Trying to support the performing musician or small business is a good ethos to have but on a wider level, here's Tony’s perspective on the “Green Media” question…
Tony: “I should declare first of all that I've never downloaded any sort of recorded music and therefore am not in a position to criticize it.
I'd just like to have my say about the idea that making the delivery of music more 'green' should be seriously considered. Since Philip has recently declared his age I should perhaps say that I will be 77 in February and think that I am at least entitled to comment from a position of familiarity with all forms of recorded music to date, except wax cylinders and, of course, downloaded music!
I'm sure that lots of post-baby-boomers have climbed aboard the download bus and are really happy with having their music delivered in that way but I've always been as much in love with the tactile nature of shellac, vinyl and cassettes in particular, as the musical content of the physical package itself. Things like LP, EP and CD sleeve notes, picture sleeves, track listings, publishing credits, etc. have been part of the joy of purchasing music through the years. I've also enjoyed the thrill of the chase - searching for those first presses and rarities which have quietly appreciated in my collection over the years.
Similarly, the changing nature of LP labels, record sleeves, foreign (especially USA) 45's record label design holds its own fascination.
Most of the material I've amassed over the years was already available long before anybody thought to comment about any ideas of the planet being vulnerable because of the manufacture and distribution of records, tapes and CD's, so I don't feel guilty to own the things I have. I admit to having slowed down considerably in adding to my collection but that's more to do with being satisfied with the amount of stuff I already have and certainly the huge increase in unit prices is also a factor. I also admit to being a bit stuck in the past rather than seeking out today’s trends. There has been lots said about pollution of our oceans and rivers by microplastics and I'm as concerned about that as any right-thinking individual should be but not sure that it is likely to apply to CD's, tapes and vinyl in the same way as to domestic waste via our bins, washing machines, toilets and packaging etc passing on what are known as microplastics into our waterways and oceans - or is it??
Because this debate was suggested, I've done quite a bit of reading about the current state of vinyl manufacture and its sustainability is questionable. I've always been delighted to be gifted CDs, records, or vouchers for birthday/Christmas, but this year I requested family NOT to go to the expense of buying vouchers for me as I think the price of vinyl, in particular, has gone off the scale. Seeing that the price of what is known as the Beatles Red and Blue compilations has now inflated to £62 with a boxed set of the pair around £160 or so in HMV because a few extra tracks have been added seems ridiculous.
With regard to downloads; I'm interested in knowing whether anybody has found any value-added benefit that comes with a downloaded single or album apart from portability and ease of listening while on the move.
It looks as if the resurgence and rise in popularity of vinyl and cd's as well as cassette tapes continues and by all accounts there are even buyers out there who are purely speculating by buying the limited-edition coloured vinyl issues of new and re-issued classic albums and don't even possess the means of actually playing them!
There appears to be a dearth of manufacturers capable of pressing vinyl in volume worldwide but given the potential profits it now seems there are, it's bound to encourage entrepreneurs to cash in by finding a way of adding to it. In the meantime, the continuing popularity of all physical media and the renewed rush to manufacture high-end turntables and other devices capable of playing it will no doubt sustain the manufacture and growth of physical musical media. I believe that any moves to restrict or sweep away the manufacture of vinyl, CD's and tapes would be an insignificant contribution towards climate control. Record fairs, independent record stores and the like would eventually disappear and to what end? The real danger to the planet isn't the manufacture of LP's or CD's while the current political state of our planet exists where we seem to constantly be in danger of the next world war (and possible extinction) because of the actions of one or several unchecked despots. Proposing that we sweep away any further vinyl, CD's, tapes etc in favour of downloads doesn't therefore seem to me to be a worthwhile exercise.
To be honest I'm pleased that records and CD's are making a comeback after so many years of decline starting at the end of last century when everybody was saying that vinyl was going out of fashion. Good luck to those that are happy to just download music - I'll still be tempted to buy the elusive rarities that I still 'need' and the now rare 'finds' in charity and bric-a-brac shops and car boots.”
Thanks, Tony…I agree with your point about not feeling guilty about owning things that have already been made…and the second-hand market is surely an example of commercialised recycling, which is good, as it’s not generating more stuff. Like you, I also have a massive problem with current vinyl prices and I think the big record companies, those same ones who were telling us vinyl was dead, remember, have now jumped aboard a band wagon in the name of profiteering. I do, however, think new vinyl ultimately has a limited life, if not by punters not being able to afford the high-priced product, then in the sense that the basic manufacturing resource, oil, will run out one day. Perhaps a new more environmentally friendly material needs to be developed to continue the LP format.
I also agree that, currently, there is more threat to the planet from the likes of Putin or Kim Jong Un…but that’s too big an issue for me to do anything about. I’m hoping that global leaders will see sense and not blow us all up…which means there will still be a planet with a climate-crises to address. And Tony is right; sweeping away the recording industry in isolation isn’t going to solve global warming. It’s the entirety of global manufacturing that needs to clean up its collective act, of which Vinyl, CD and cassette production is a very small part. In that sense, at a grass roots level, the music media I choose is just one small part of everything I do that has a potential harmful impact to the planet and which I need to include my holistic approach to how I consume.
But getting back to recorded media; I will put links to a few articles at the end of this piece which go into much finer detail than I have space for here, but essentially, this is how various ways of listening to music will impact the planet.
The production of the raw material for vinyl LPs/ CDs, now mostly produced in Taiwan instead of America, impacts with large scale pollution, both the discharge of toxic waste water into rivers and toxic fumes into the air, as well as huge greenhouse gas emissions. It also seems there is often inadequate health and safety provision for the chemical plant workforce.
Streaming, although possibly a bit cleaner in one sense (no raw material as such), surprisingly produces more greenhouse gas emissions than the production of vinyl due to the power required to run all those computer server farms.
The last option is to download, and although initially there is a greenhouse gas impact getting that music file from the server to your device, every time you subsequently listen to your new music, there is an estimated 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to streaming, making downloading music the “greenest” way to go.
I’ve only recently read this, but that’s what I’ve in fact done all this year; initially if only to continue with my desire to possess fewer physical things, but any new music I decided to buy, I bought, if possible, direct from the artist concerned, usually via Bandcamp, the artist’s web site or record label. I’m therefore hopefully helping the artist in the most supportive way I can, keeping to my new decluttered living ethic, plus attempting to be as environmentally responsible as I can which fits within my broader lifestyle desire to “step softer” with how I live.
Here’s those links for further reading:
This is the one Philip highlighted in SDS 49
Onwards…
I was particularly impressed with 2023’s final Seven Day Soundtrack….a bit of a classic you all contributed to there, I think, but now looking ahead, I can’t wait to see what musical treats come along in 2024. Comments, stories, observations and musings to accompany your music choices are always appreciated….but, if there’s only time to send in a list of 3, that’s great as well.
‘Til Next Time….
(Thanks to Philip, David and Tony for their contributions.)
Best wishes, Tim.