USB In The USA
The proper way to launch into any discussion about USBs is first to bow our heads in gratitude to Radiohead for that cute little hockey-puck with ears in which they assembled their classic catalog. It was a fresh idea, it made an aesthetically cold format sexy and was accomplished without major label over-thinking and second-guessing it into oblivion. With this baby drive's arrival, record companies actually were energized momentarily, their collective tongues a-waggin' over the potential defibrillation these newfangled gadgets would give their catalogs' sunset years. And regardless of the device's less than shocking sales (with expectations being hundreds of thousands), the music biz seriously considered rolling out lines of their own specially-packaged hockey pucks and other extravagantly-housed contraptions.
Sadly, a few months later, there seems to be little-to-no corporate luv left for these gizmos. It appears to be a victim of fear of the marketplace, fear of dwindling shelf space, fear of the unknown or fear of whatever. After its "it won't sell" eulogy, yet another youthful, forward thinking innovation took a hit with an unintended casualty--a brave, long range approach to the creation of future physical product lines. What did evolve in the marketplace are coded, credit card-sized iTunes danglers that proudly hang in some retail outlets, somewhere relative to the downsized CD sections. The upside is they're small, convenient and try to represent at least a little of the front cover artwork. The downside is, with the product being incredibly disposable, it's like buying a McDonald's gift card with about as much emotional attachment. And that's the major problem the major labels are missing.
The charm of vinyl albums and CDs was in their creating a strong bond between the consumer and the product, offering more aspects of the artist's vision beyond merely music. The artwork, credits, lyrics, tactile relationship and size were all ingredients of the album's successful formula. Yes, our fast-paced and choosier culture already has moved towards downloading single tracks, but the album format has not been abandoned. And as long as artists continue to deliver multiple tracks assembled as a complete "work," labels will continue to distribute those projects physically in the CD and sometimes vinyl formats for as long as they remain profitable.
But had the USB been explored a bit more with some high profile artists and projects, the format might have taken root. What Pink Floyd fan wouldn't check out a cool, pyramid-packaged flash drive, especially when marketed near zeppelins (Led Zeppelin), faux-flaming skulls (The Offspring), or other iconic tchotchkes. Classic acts such as Kiss, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Sublme, Nirvana, Aerosmith, Yes, The Who, Rob Zombie, AC/DC, and any artist with creative project packaging or culturally historic logos become immediate candidates (with some potential licensing). Stores that traditionally do not sell music might be coerced by these products' uniqueness to experiment. To cut costs, maybe a less expensive, slightly toned-down, industry-standard housing can be created. And since flash drives are a popular music delivery medium at live venues, there already is a consumer acceptance and a perception that the USB is practical.
In the meantime, it's back to vinyl. Don't get me wrong, it's great to have that format resuscitated for another ten minutes since it prematurely fell victim to the cassette and CD in the '80s. But hopefully, no one really believes that this is some long term salvation whose current sales prove how infinitely wise that decision was. Regardless of "audiophile" marketing claims, if it weren't so cost-effective to roll out the pre-existing cutting masters (or use archived CDs as a fallback), scan some cover artwork (sometimes from cutouts purchased on eBay) and market in a limited, one-way sale, the much-heralded rebirth of vinyl would have been stillborn. On the other hand, it's refreshing to have these behemoths back in the marketplace, and the major labels seem to be having some fun schlepping them out again.
Hey, while we're having all this fun, let's invite some potentially hot USBs to the party?
Follow Mike Ragogna on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ragz2008
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I also love vinyl for its sound and the packaging - however, it is just too large and cumbersome to transport. If, like me, you enjoy collecting a lot of music, it becomes difficult to maintain a music library that could fill an actual library. I remember the minidisc and I thought that would have been a nice step in the right direction. You could record, erase, then re-record music on the minidisc and despite being smaller than a CD, it was arguably more durable. I had several that would fall under my car seat during road trips, stepped on and still play fine.
Though as a kid growing up, my first experience with any format was my mom's vinyl collection. There is something about it that elevates it above the other formats. I guess it feels more like an investment - an investment in space as well as dollars - you can't just "throw" a vinyl record anywhere, it demands care and , in my opinion, fosters care with how one follows and listens to music.
Beautiful. Yeah, the albums really do deserve and demand care, I guess more reasons why we got so happily attached. But there's that nagging question of "what's next" in the physical environment, and I can't believe the music industry would allow CDs to continue their march to extinction without a thought about the next physical carrier. But then again....! ;)
All great points. The minidisc was interesting, at one point, it really was a contender.
What is really needed is a diamondoid vinyl substitute: some kind of thermoset plastic that can be stamped, but which hardens to close to diamond strength on cooling.
Plus, put a wafer thin device holding the album's music content in the actual vinyl, so that appropriate readers can download a digital version as a bonus (while its being played!)..
That way, the record company can release on physical medium (staying in the widget business they understand so well), we get an analogue medium (with its inherent audio superiority), and the product is far more durable (the primary argument against vinyl is countered).
Any chemists out there wanna start a music company?
Nice! This is where these discussions need to go, to innovative, forward-thinking ideas!!
Nice!! ;)
As an audiophile who watched and participated in the switch from vinyl to CD, I can say that the record industry just about killed itself with pricing recordings in the 15 to 20+ dollar range while the minimum wage--earned by many young music fans--was eaten alive by inflation. So what ever format survives in this age of downloading, it had better be priced pretty reasonably for the fans, not the stockholders of Sony, et al. This also relates to the disappearance of affordable, good quality, stereo equipment. Although the rise of the Yen didn't help either. But at least it appears that Sony in particular, is finally letting the prices on Super Audio CD players fall to an affordable level--this format being--sup
Exactly, nicely put! I miss records, I grew up on them. I also was on board for the audiophile versions. But this current blitz of re-released albums is as short-sighted as the elimination of the vinyl medium was since companies are flooding the market with, in some cases, albums that can still be bought on eBay for $1.
I grew up with vinyl and it wasn't so great when it was the only way to hear music. A list of my favorite vinyl flaws? Sure.
1) There was always the chance that you could get a brand new album with ticks and pops actually pressed into the vinyl. And if one copy at your local record store was bad, there was a good chance their stock was, too.
2) The last tracks on the side of album were always compressed to within an inch of their lives (so the needle wouldn't jump out of the increasingly tiny groove) and, consequently, almost always sounded like crap.
3) LP album art was sometimes as skimpy (not to meant ugly) as CD art and, more than occasionally since it was made out entirely out of paper, flimsy. And let's not forget labels that thought it was perfectly cool to use half of the back side of an LP sleeve to advertise the band's back catalog.
4) Turning over LPs was a pain. I know it's been romanticized as some sort of dramatic pause or breath or whatever, but....no. Annoying.
5) Vinyl wore out. Fast. Even if you were careful and used a record cleaner (big wooden Discwasher, anyone?) and handled it like the Dead Sea Scrolls.
I don't know, love vinyl if you want to. All I know is, somewhere there's somebody still upset over the demise of the wax cylinder.
The ticks and pops were the hardest for audiophiles, and last banded tracks were always a bear to hear. But they're beautiful souvenirs and where a lot of us learned about music so they'll always be endearing.
The new generation of consumers recognizes that music is information. The "thingness" of vinyl or CD or flash drive is no longer relevant. Problem is, most of this new generation thinks information should be free.
Seems to me the ultimate expression of music-as-i
So they want to own it and they don't want to pay for it. Hardly a sustainable model.
I think we should push people toward the subscription model--the so called juke box in the sky. With the advent of device-ind
Yeah, this is yet another innovative way to deliver music! But what do you think about the need to have a physical product in the marketplace regardless of really terrific non-physical ideas like this? If the CD is going away and if vinyl isn't really the answer for the long run, what does the industry do for that physical product??
Subscription service deserves its own blog article, really, really good points!! In a crude way, the old music clubs used to have a similar effect...a
I totally agree. I think the only reason that subscription models haven't taken off is the dominance of Ipod and inability to "tether" subscribed music to it, not a small obstacle. I had a entry level Napster player that broke within 3 months. Not too compelling. If Rhapsody could ever manage to turn the corner. But subscription service is one of those things that once they try it, they love it. "I feel like listening to Bruce Springsteen's entire catalog today." OK, that's what I go do. Hands down the best music discovery tool out there. The dominance of Ipod is strangling any new product innovation it seems, including USB drives probably. The only question people seem to ask themself is, why should I buy this instead downloading it right now?
My half-speed master of "Music From Big Pink", original issue of "Naturally" (still playable!), and my 12" single of Godzilla Live.
'Nuff said...
Mobile Fidelity rocked, so did Nautilus half-speeds. But we're not getting half-speed nor super-attentive vinyl luv these days from the majors, although Rhino is putting lots of care into their vinyl releases. With CDs going away and since there is no other physical format being offered, I think creatively structuring projects/packaging that features USBs (with close to lossless sonics) offers an opportunity to finally get digital right.
Selling albums on flash drives is just silly. Yeah, its nice that the stores have something, but unfortunately its just a way to transfer information. You don't carry around all your USB flash drives of separate albums, you just transfer the files onto your computer and toss the thing in the closet. So you've just ended up going out to buy something you could have downloaded in 5 minutes, but you sure do have a nice little useless piece of plastic to show for it.
Vinyl, however, is a good strategy. Many people don't like buying MP3s; for example, I dislike the idea of buying MP3s because they are not permanent. Eventually my harddrive will glitch and I'll lose my 50GB of music (yeah, I have it backed up now, but I've lost it all before). On the other hand, if I buy an LP, thats a solid thing that will last for 50 years. Thats why some labels are moving toward an LP+MP3 model where the LP comes with a code that allows you to download the album as well. I absolutely love it, and I'm happy to see my record collection growing once again.
Well, can't argue with the point about vinyl at all, but I think the current resurgence is the music industry's bandaid for bleeding money they can't recoup in a downsized CD environment . The reality is that, beyond record stores which are disappearing daily, most other outlets (especially non-music-related where there's real opportunity with the right product) won't be surrendering shelf space for giant 12" x 12" (or so) things. Believe me I love albums, and everyone should enjoy this while it lasts. But there needs to be a more aggressive approach in distributing physical musical transport systems since, like you, I want something as backup for when the hard drive crashes. If we have a USB that's housed creatively in something we want to keep because of its nostalgia factor or clever packaging (like Radiohead's USB tchotchke), we're less likely to lose it. I'm just suggesting we continue to pursue physical mediums creatively, and if we're giving up on the CD, the USB is a cousin with interesting possibilities.
Vinyl was never all that great. Lasts forever?? LOL. Do a little research on the estimated life of vinyl if you actually play it a lot. I believe I heard 100 plays was average.
Sound quality was never as good as CD. You couldn't have any true subharmonic bass (subwoofers) unless you had the turntable situated two blocks away on a concrete platform with rubber isolation mats otherwise you'd induce a feedback loop that would rip your speakers to shreds.
Brand new, out of the sleeve, no soft passage was ever free of clicks and pops. The dynamic range was at least a third less than CD. There were a few minutes toward the end of vinyl lifespan that a DBX system was implemented that really impressed me, but it required both specially recorded albums and the associated equipment to decode these on your system.
The only thing better about vinyl was the artwork. Everything else is just looking at the past in rose colored glasses.
Enjoy.
It's the memorabilia factor, it's cool. But from your points, you can see the need for a continued forward-thinking approach to SOMETHING--USB or otherwise--to offer people who want something physical to carry their music, well, something physical. I remember that DBX system, it was tricky because, like SACD and DVD-A, there was almost no education for the consumer so it never caught on.
By the way, for anyone keeping tabs, my above reply is for Tim and the response below is to RJ's comment from the blog above.....
The problem is that vinyl is just so much cooler than any other format, you get HUGE art work compared to any thing else. Oh, and it sounds much better, even on a mid level system, much, much better. You can slag vinyl all you want but there will still be a market for it, even if it is tiny, these new releases will be extremely rare in the future and will fetch huge prices. A well marketed USB will not sway any vinyl believer, just so small and they sound poor, just no good. I got the new My morning jacket on vinyl and it just sound so much better than the other formats, some how even a digital master sounds better on the 'ol black circle.
No, I'm not slagging vinyl! I believe your misunderstanding come from my description on how some labels are throwing the product back out in the marketplace, not sourcing properly, etc., that I touch on at the end of the blog. (By the way, I share your love of vinyl and why it's great, it's in the third paragraph!)
Yeah, vinyl will always sound better than digital until there is another physical carrier where the sonics/information are completely lossless. I just just think that vinyl isn't the long range solution to dwindling physical sales. It's got to be something like a USB, but the labels seem to have thrown in the towel and are on a path of lazily relying on iTunes and film/TV revenues for income instead of coming up with more inventive methods of supplying a physical music medium.
True, Mike. If we are talking about a format that was invented in what? The 1920's? Then you are right we need something new that adds the warmth of analog recorded vinyl that is truely lossless and the durability of a CD or USB. Please, some one come up with it, we have a format that is so old, but when it's new sounds better than a digital copy but is prone to pops, etc. The tape thing has been tried and failed, the digital copies don't sound as good, what next? A digital form of information can create a nearly perfect anolog machine in nature (via DNA, a digital blue print for an anolog machine in the form of every living thing on the planet) maybe a smart engineer can take a hint from nature and come up with a less complex system to transfer digital into a lossless anolog form, just an idea.
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