Paradox or Paradise: Music Choice in the Digital Age
In my new essay on our sister blog Music Think Tank, I expand the scope of my previous essay , The Paradox of Music: Is More, Really Less, and explore the paradoxes of choice overload in culture. I try to determine whether or not the web has created a “paradise of music” for fans. The answer is surprising and slightly disconcerting. – Kyle Bylin
From The Essay: When combined, these paradoxical effects of choice overload in culture provide insight into why it is that, by and large, most fans in the digital age are still characterized by their passive consumption of music especially at a time when many artists are trying to provide them with endless opportunities to become actively engaged in their careers. If the future of the record and music industries depends on increased prevalence of actively engaged fans then it’s worth asking: Is there such a thing as a “paradise of music?” Find out the answer here.
i’ve bookmarked your essay for a read some time soon, but I love the fact that you’re putting some deep thought into the subject. i spoke at digital music forum east on the topic of ‘music discovery: how can we sift through all the noise?’ some great discussion ensued: http://ht.ly/23xbH
we’ve been addressing a related subject @ http://gorankem.com for ~3 years now. in essence, it will only become more difficult to digest all of the music so the best source for embracing a new artist is to lean on the knowledge of the existing fans.
in fact, our most recent motto is “find the songs YOU were meant to hear” 🙂
Kyle, this is a great essay you have written, but unfortunately, Firefox 3.6 only displays a fraction of it. I’ll write a comment later on when I have had the chance to read it in full.