Full disclosure, I haven't bought a CD in like 2 years - i've been exclusively vinyl because if i'm gonna get a physical piece of media i'm gonna get one that has artwork with more substance to it. Since (almost) everything is on streaming now I just use apple music to play it, hell my 2015 Jeep Renegade doesn't even have a CD player on it, and it was never an option to add one on to the vehicle. That being said not releasing your music on CD is fucking stupid. It's not like there is a $5000+ fee to cut the die before the plant can press CDs like on vinyl, it's not like there is a nationwide bottleneck when it comes to CD production like there is on vinyl, it's not like it's more expensive and riskier to ship and warehouse CDs like it is with vinyl. I could be ignorant but the idea of not releasing new music on CD and ONLY releasing it on vinyl (ie. deviations) is a personal choice.
I won't buy CDs anymore but they still matter.
Not necessarily. For some artists, the medium that they work with is directly tied into the meaning of their art. For musicians, it really doesn't matter what that art presented on, unless you're making Hip Hop and want DJs to do some live vinyl scratching (which is a completely different art form, but I digress). For all intents and purposes, the music is either baked onto a big round thing, a small round thing, or it's digital. That object (or non-object) has no relation to the music whatsoever aside from being the means by which it's delivered to the audience's ears.
For most artists, they just want their work to be seen and enjoyed. A lot of people go to Wendy's, therefore a lot of people are going to see that art. As an artist myself, I'd be over the moon if I had my work displayed in a major chain restaurant.
Ed Norton recently said that cinema is dead and Netflix is the way forward.
Scorsese just released his latest film on Netflix.
Go figure.
Yes, absolutely. He has the right to present it how he likes, sure. Limiting that to one format and telling everyone else that they're wrong for consuming media in a way that differs from his personal preference is, however, quite distasteful.
Hard to be taken on that journey when you have to get up to manually flip the record every 20 minutes. The medium doesn't translate well to the nature of the art, which in Trent's case, is often journey/narrative-based.
Why are you in this thread, exactly?
Last edited by katara; 12-02-2019 at 10:57 AM.
It's like what Trent said about The Downward Spiral before it was released. Some will come along for the ride and some won't. I understand some of the frustration around the vinyl releases, but this is the way Trent & Atticus have decided to proceed. They're at the point in their careers where they have the freedom to do things or not do things, no matter the whims and desires of fans and critics. Nobody HAS to like it, but they also don't have to do what we tell them to.
I don't understand why there is such a negative view of digital only releases. In 2019 I think the definitive version of any release should be digital and if an artist or label wants to cater to a niche market they can create whatever outdated obsolete media they want. Look, I buy all of these expensive vinyl releases because I can and want to, but I would prefer that the effort went towards the digital experience. I feel like physical media is just a way to justify a sale. Why the hell can't I buy a digital copy of something with the same level of detail put into the artwork and liner notes, etc. It just seems like any physical media is sort of a huge waste of resources for something that will get damaged and lost. I would rather have access the the same art and information on my array of devices that I use for listening to music and I would be happy to pay the same price for this.
The point of my post is not to complain about vinyl only. If that is what they want I am happy to pay. My issue is more general in how there doesn't seem to be a push to make the digital experience better by anyone. Rather, the focus is on creating these lavish physical items which is a step backwards in my opinion.
I totally agree with you. At the end of the day it is up to the artist. Really, my point is that it seems crazy that as a society we are pushing something that is such a waste of resources (e.g. materials, manufacturing, distribution, etc.). We currently have the ability to invest in making a digital experience that is better than any we have had before. Instead, we continue to ignore this and push an old antiquated model. It's just strange.
Also, nobody today needs a physical item to play music. It's just the way it is. I get that some people yearn for the way things were done, but we have to move forward at some point. I really liked CDs. I also realized they are completely unnecessary.
I feel bad that I had to buy this big physical item that took time and resources to create and needs to be shipped just so I can get the files. Again, at the end of the day, I don't care that much. If I didn't want it I would not buy it, but that's how I can get it. I just think It's better for everyone to invest in making an amazing digital experience.
I am 100% with this idea of a better digital experience - artists are somewhat limited by the current platforms, but SO much more could be done visually. I always loved how the SLIP had different artwork for each track. There could be animations, videos, all kinds of secret eastereggs and band photos and everything else that could be a more immersive experience.
Trent has explained WHY he is releasing it on vinyl, and he's been generous enough to also include digital downloads with it. The central experience of focusing on the music and not doing something else is what he is trying to nudge people towards. That is his prerogative as an artist.
It is hard to understand why you would have so much venom towards a musician for not putting their music on CD's in 2019. So much so that you would consider walking away. But then you are saying all of this in a dedicated site for fans. Is it that you don't feel like this person is meeting your individual unique needs? That Trent Reznor owes you something personally? Is that a very healthy expectation to have?
I literally just bought 3 records with the expectation that they would come with a digital code and they did not. I love that Trent is passionate about vinyl and that is great... but it is sort of like grandpa saying "back in my day..." You can't tell me that I have less of an appreciation for music or that I am unable to experience it properly unless I listen on vinyl.
Edit: I don't want to come across as one of those people who hates vinyl. That isn't my issue. I just really feel digital is the best option all around, but the one that gets the least attention by the industry.
Last edited by buckaroo; 12-02-2019 at 02:00 PM.
I guess if you keep everything on a cloud, then you don't even need a hard drive, huh?
Imho I don't entrust any corporation with that much of my personal/valuable/extensive data. They already pull and ping more than I'm comfortable with. I'll take the task upon myself instead to sync my mobile device with my personal home collection by hardwire.
personally (and i am only speaking from my own experience) i don't like listening to new music without being able to physically hold something in my hands that is related to it. just looking at the artwork for a release on my computer/phone does almost nothing for me. i am a very physical person in everything i do; tactile sensation is important to me. now, if every digital-only release came with an interesting physical component (a la NTAE & AV) that isn't a storage medium for the music but simply a physical object that corresponds to it, i would be absolutely fine. but the closest thing to that with many releases is vinyl. my eyesight is starting to have serious issues, so being able to hold a giant sleeve that has the artwork/lyrics/credits/etc. on it is great. i actually like the experience of flipping records over; it doesn't interrupt the process of listening to music, it keeps me engaged and keeps my mind from wandering while i'm listening.
and again, i am only speaking from my experience, so i'm fine if other people don't feel that way, and i'm fine if artists don't cater to my expectations. are people allowed to be disappointed? sure! but complaining about it and threatening to jump ship from that artist who makes music that you love is kind of childish and totally unnecessary. enjoy the music however you can, and be happy that it exists; i know i am.
I think this has more to do with the end user, or rather what expectations should be placed on them. Some people immediately retag all of their music, some people just don't care as long as it's all searchable. The more "stuff" you're packaging with the digital audio, the less likely it's going to all stay together.
There's also hardware limitations. Outside of expensive DAPs, most players are incapable of simple things like showing multiple artwork for a single track. Or displaying a PDF in a way you'd want to look at it on the device.
It's become personal habit to pull out my phone and look at the track info when I notice a song change.
does it count if it's an ipod?
I used to not know song titles either... I did howerver know them by track number. Ohhhh Fragile 05, I loved that song so much and had it on repete repete repete...
I rend to read about songs or albums while I listen. I spend a lot of time looking through Wikipedia to see who performed on a track, interesting information about the writing and recording process, where it was recorded, etc. This is the type of information that I feel really lends itself to a digital landscape.
It says on the discogs page that it comes from the CRC 2000 sessions.
Aren't a lot of these bootleg vinyls just ripped from mp3s? You hear that all the time