In a Sea of CDs: How I Came to Love Physical Media
And how you can too!
A couple years ago, when I was still living in Milwaukee, I bought a few albums on Bandcamp from some local bands to support them and show I cared about music. And with my purchases came a cassette tape that I’d never use. I remember getting them in the mail, smiling at how cool they look, while also thinking how dumb physical media was. Like gross, why would I go through all that work of loading up a cassette or CD when I could just stream it on Spotify????
I’d been thinking this way for most of my adult life until I started working at a library where, among my other duties, I was tasked with broadcasting on the online community radio station. (Which you can listen to here if you want! I broadcast Mondays and Thursdays from 4-5 pm and play some half-decent music.)
I was so excited about the opportunity, but then I realized I had a slight problem: I needed to buy some music, and FAST! While I could technically play from Spotify, you’re not reaaaaally supposed to do that (it’s in their terms & conditions and, while I’m sure some people do it anyway, I’m a goody two-shoes and would feel too guilty/scared of getting caught.)
I considered buying digital downloads on Bandcamp and iTunes, but I knew I would go broke so fast. So, I embarked on a journey to various thrift shops and record stores, amassing a sizeable collection of CDs with some real winners (and a couple real stinkers, but hey, it’s bound to happen!)
From the past year of collecting, I’ve learned a lot about collecting and how it’s changed my views on music and physical media as a whole.
It changed how I listen to my music
When I was listening to music on Spotify, I often found myself getting bored, hearing the same one or two playlists with the same couple of songs on them, over and over again (looking at you, Lo-fi beats to study/relax to.) This isn’t always a bad thing — especially if you just need some background noise — but, sometimes, going off of vibey songs just isn’t enough.
Since I started collecting CDs, I listen almost exclusively to entire albums. I also rarely skip songs anymore, staying more in the moment with the music I listen to as a result. If I skip songs on an album these days, it tells me that the album may not be quite right for me and could be replaced with something I truly enjoy instead.
I appreciate my music more
Since I started listening to whole albums, I’ve found that I have to rate a song not just on its own merit, but also in where it stands in the album it’s from and when the song/album was released. For example, I used to absolutely hate the album Schmilco by Wilco. I’d listen to a song or two off the album and immediately turn it off. But nowadays, I really like the album, and it’s one of my favorites actually. And I think the only reason is because I was able to accept the album for what it is and not compare it to their other albums, namely Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
I see albums more as a representation of where bands are at a certain point in time, and it helps me really appreciate how bands evolve and change. With this knowledge, I understand now that Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was released in 2001 while Schmilco came out in 2016. So, of course they’re never going to sound the same! In short: I understand music in the context of what came before it.
And because it takes a lot more effort to collect things, I have a lot of memories with my CDs. I can look at a CD and think about where I was at in life when I first started listening to, where I bought it, and why I even got it in the first place. It’s like building a collection of little memory-joggers that can help me relive old experiences over and over again.
Record stores became a world of adventure
Don’t get me wrong: shopping online is a lot of fun. You can look for exactly what you want, try to get the best price possible, and get a bunch of CDs, all without leaving your home! But, for a more engaging experience, I’d highly recommended checking out your local record store if you’re lucky enough to have one. While you might not find everything you want in one trip, you’ll have a blast looking at all sorts of music, and you’ll (sometimes) find some goofy album covers to laugh at.
Each trip is exciting because you’ll never know what exactly you’ll get. It could be a CD you’ve been hunting down for some time, an old throw-back to a band you forgot about long ago, or even a new album you know nothing about but may soon love. Plus, you might even get some recommendations from the cashier there and learn about new releases you might have missed. It truly is a world of pure imagination.
I found ther sources, too
While I praise record stores, there are other good ways of getting stuff too! So, even if you don’t feel like going to a record store in your area, don’t have one, or are on the hunt for a specific album, you could try the next couple of options.
The biggest one I use is Discogs, a website full of other music lovers out there who are always looking to sell and buy an assortment of vinyl records, CDs, and even cassettes if you’re into that. A lot of the stuff is used, but sellers mark the condition of items and some of them are incredibly detailed to the point where you know exactly what you’re getting.
In terms of buying new, I’ll go to Target from time to time, mainly if I’m already shopping for something else that I needed anyway. Otherwise, really any big box retailer probably works. Going directly to the artist’s website is a great option too!
For the few times I just want a digital copy, I love using a mixture of Bandcamp and iTunes.
Bandcamp is my preferred site as artists get a majority of the profits of each album sold. Plus, even if you buy a physical CD from an artist, you can still stream the music online or in the app.
But, because Bandcamp is more focused on smaller artists, sometimes you can’t find a digital copy there. In these cases, iTunes almost always has a copy for sale, so check it out!
Go forth and multiply (your collection of CDs)
So, there you have it! Some of the things I’ve learned over the past year of buying CDs. And, if you feel like it, you can use the above tips to gain your own little army of CDs too.
P.S. One last tip if you find buying CDs a tiny bit addictive? Set a budget. I’m serious because I constantly was spending way too much money at first. And now, while I still spend an at-times embarrassing amount, it’s always a manageable amount. So, get out there, find some CDs, and have fun!
