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YES.
So many beloved albums would've flopped or been less popping in today's situation. I think the big killer would've been those albums that had slow burn but eventually big appreciation. Reasonable Doubt for instance. UGK Ridin Dirty for another. I'm not sure if people would've taken the time to 'go back to' those records and be like 'oh, yeah...this is really dope. Whatever this act makes next, I'm gonna be all over it'.
And now, so many folks are in ruts cuz there's so much to listen to even if you 'only like certain stuff'. IE: keeping up with Griselda means like 8 albums in the last year. And that wasn't even a heavy year for them.
So the rut folks either just don't listen to new music much at all. And unless it shows up on a 3rd party playlist or radio (for whoever is still doing THAT), they're not gonna do it.
And even for me, there's times where something just doesn't 'make it to me' for 1-5 years. And by that time, the rando artist is already back working in somebody's office or something. For instance, I was openly late on Roc Marciano and he's pretty much my favorite rapper right now. Rosebudd's Revenge makes me happy. Move Dope plays in my head all the time.
>ephemera, tradition, history, discovery, identity, artifacts, >culture > >even though CDs lacked the tangible connection to history and >the past vinyl did (and still does), there was something >special about browsing used CD bins. > >we don't have all of the music ever made a click away but it >does feel like it. there is a whole discussion around what >will be lost to history in the move to digital media, there >actually is a LOT of stuff thats just not available anywhere. > > >while there is a direct line to upcoming artists and fans and >while we're no longer tied to a limited view or limited stock >by way of curators and tastemakers working the stacks in music >shops...we've lost an important intersection where music, >media, artifacts and culture once met. Record stores were like >a living pandora music algorithm. If you found that you liked >one thing you were able to find other things you liked and >those things were not always music. > >When I was a teen I used to go to record stores JUST to read >the magazines or look at merch. > >A bit before the begining of the end of physical media, we >were wowed by the introduction of listening stations. It was >through listening stations that I discovered SO. MANY. >DEFINING. ALBUMS. and it was all by chance. Some of my most >favorite and enduring albums were found by "reading" the album >art. You could very much tell what was going on in the >contents of an album by the art. > >Our lives are filled with instant gratification. You no longer >have a moment to look over album art to ponder what the album >even sounds like. You do not find music via visual means, you >listen and then discover if the music in question is for you >or not. I wonder how many old albums would be flops if they >were released today. > >Discovery in todays world does happen and it happens where >we're able to find more faster, but at the same >time...something major has been lost. > >
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