music. Itwasaworldwe took forgranted
while itwashere,andone that is
disappearingbeforeoureyes.The
changeshavehappenedveryquickly.
Technologywon’t stand still. It hasno
patiencewithnostalgia.Fromcylinders
to78s to45s toLPs. From records to
tapes–8 tracksandcassettes– to
compactdiscs.FromVictrolas to3-speed
turntables toWalkmen to iPods.People
stillneedmusic in their lives; thatmuch
willneverchange.But theway theygo
aboutgetting itcontinues tochange.
Andnowwehavearrivedata
generationofpeoplewhobarelyknow
whatarecord is
.
Music isno longer
somethingyou
buy.
It issomethingyou
download.
It’sbecomealotmore
efficient in termsofstoragebut it’salso
becomea lot lessromantic in the
process.That’swhat isbeing lostwith
thecoldmarchof technology.Manyof
usremember thefirst78webought.
The first 45.The firstLP.Will today’s
teenagers talkas fondlyabout the first
MP3 theyeverdownloaded?
It ishardnot to see that somethingvery
preciousisbeinglost.Sincelate2003,a
quarterof thenation’s3600
independent recordstoreshaveclosed
theirdoors.Theywon’tbe reopening
any timesoon;norwill theybe
replaced. In2004,TowerRecords-one
ofAmerica’smostvisibleandsuccessful
chains– filed forbankruptcy.Thoseare
realindicators,notthevagueconcerns
ofalarmists.The trackson this
collectioncelebrateacentralpartof
