I downloaded iTunes the other day. A friend on the Boogie is always posting videos and music in a format that I couldn’t use. I figured I had to have an iPod or a Mac for the iTunes to work. She said no, that’s not the case and sent me a link to download the program for PC. So far I love it! It’s dangerous, though. I can just see me spending way too much on downloads! Gotta watch that.
I have been using LaunchCast on Yahoo! for several months now. It’s fantastic. The longer you use it, the more it “gets to know you” (as you rate the songs it plays). I get recommendations based on what I have rated and I have been exposed to some wonderful tunes. I recently purchased the single of “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember” by Buddy Guy and John Mayer. It’s off the Bring ‘Em In CD. This song kept popping up in rotation and I just fell in love with it!
Anyway, as I was purchasing the single, I noticed I could download the whole album for $9.99 (about half of what the actual CD costs). It’s tempting (I really want it), but I want the actual CD in my hand. I want the liner notes and the cover art. I want tangible evidence that this wonderful album exists.
The part that makes me sad is that artists will no longer be able to walk into a store and see their album there, in the rack, just waiting to be taken home and loved. It’s a small thrill that I imagine musicians/singers still get. It’s weird to think that sometime in the future this will be impossible.
I know that digital downloads are the future of entertainment, but while I have a choice – I will be buying “actual” CDs/videos/movies.
