Week 3: Party discussions and Hop on the Digital Bookmobile!

This issues raised in this class are serving as excellent conversation fire-starters at parties.  I had no idea that I would ever get more discussion and debate about a LIS class at a Friday night party than I would on the class discussion board.   

I approached the party with my mind fresh with ideas from reading The Future of Music and the discussion board topics.  First, I brought up an intriguing question posed from a classmate on the Db – “Who misses album cover art?”  The lyrics, the band photos, the acknowledgements, the stories, doodles, and artistry that composed a fine package of marketing and expression.  I remember choosing CDs like one chooses a book by its cover.  Even though CD packaging was excessive and often annoying, album art was such a huge selling point if eye-catching and unique.  Not to mention, the marketing campaigns of box set outfits like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Aeroplane-Flies-High-Smashing-Pumpkins/dp/B000000W3G

 However, most of the party seemed not to care much about the lack of tangible cover art.  Similarly, I never thought much about missing it until the question was posed.  The convienance of downloading digital music, not having to deal with extraneous CD packaging, and being able to find any lyrics online makes the cover art marketing campaign a relic of the past.  A particularly bright friend of mine mentioned that an artist’s MySpace page or website has taken over in place of the artistry and marketing of the tangible CD design. 

 In reality, the marketing of music has taken some insane curves over the past few years.  Artists admit that file sharing is actually helping to promote their music and concerts.  Getting a song on a video game and commercial is becoming one of the most profitable ways to gain exposure.  Not to mention, how little-known bands can market their music simply through a MySpace site and gain such tremendous following that record companies are begging them for a contract.  It’s almost like the Wild West of music marketing!

 

Digital Kiosks & Bookmobiles

Another interesting concept I read about in The Future of Music was digital kiosks.  Why don’t more libraries have these?!  The concept is quite genius for libraries.  I recently read an article about a library in the Northeast that has acquired a “digital bookmobile” that if fully equipped to allow patrons to download e-books, movies, and music totally free and legal.  The company Overdrive progressively rules this market as the supplier of the equipment and technology needed for the digital lending library.  While this service may be pricey and not feasible for the many libraries facing budget crunching right now, I have listed below why I think, no matter what, this is a brilliant service for libraries to implement:

• A digital lending library or digital kiosks set the framework for further progressive steps toward providing even better technology.  How can these services improve if they are not tested in the field?
• It attracts new patrons to the library.
• Promotes legal downloading of music and other digital media.
• It’s “green!”
• Learning opportunity:  Digital lending provides an excellent motive for libraries to promote digital literacy and teach patrons how to use e-books, download music, and use mp3 players.
• Financial benefits:  digital items cannot be lost or damaged.
• Improve the image of the library  - more tech savvy.
• Library can offer free access to digital media to the community in times of economic hardship.
• Proves that the library is a serious player in the digital revolution.