Week 1

I took this class because I knew it would be the highlight of my semester. Since I am extremely passionate about music I wanted to learn about how I could make this passion more applicable in the library setting. If anything, I would be more knowledgeable about music, music research, and trends. My primary goal is to gain some applicable knowledge about digital music. I’m also interested in how libraries acquire and maintain music collections by local musicians; and how social networking on the Internet has transformed the music business for local musicians. I’ll try to get back to these topics in this journal and maybe cover them in my research paper.

When I first read about the textbook, The Future of Music, I was intrigued by its premise. I was truly interested in the digital revolution of music. However, after reading the first two chapters, I felt like I was reading half non-fiction, half speculation/science fiction. I now realize that the authors are presenting a futurist perspective to supplement their research, theories, and myths about the record industry and future of music. But their scenario of music like water was disturbing to me! They made music seem like an invasive technology addiction, that one couldn’t live without, that we were hardwired into music and this technology knew what we wanted to listen to and when. Music is a very personal for me, it’s driven by my emotions and effects my emotions. I love making little soundtracks for my day, music that holds memories, or pumps me up, or mellows me out at the end of the day. I like music flowing around me, but I don’t want music blasting at me all day, and especially not controlled by some sort of virtual intelligence. I believe in having balance -- I need quiet and solitude as much as I need music in my life. This is like my music tao – I can appreciate music because I can also appreciate silence, quietness, the sounds of nature around me. They balance out each other.

I’m going to strive to look past this disagreement I have with the authors’ “music like water” scenario and focus on the fascinating insight they offer about the digital music revolution. If anything, their futuristic perspective is extremely thought provoking and I look forward to hearing the opinions of classmates about this topic.

Websites of interest:

A mashup of news from music blogs: http://daytrotter.com/bloglinks

Pitchfork Media: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com