How I Consume Music
Consuming music is a multi-step process, involving legwork, meeting other people, and supporting both artists and local businesses.
I prefer to buy physical vinyl for a variety of reasons. For one, I value physical, real-world goods over digital products. With vinyl, I can touch it, I can feel it. There’s something special about sliding a record out of its sleeve, placing it on my turntable, and carefully maneuvering the needle into the right groove.
Listening to a record puts me in a state of flow because I can’t scroll, fast-forward, pause, etc. I’m encouraged to listen to the track in full, with no distractions—no notifications, no ads, no pop-ups, and no logins. Vinyl is simple, straightforward, and offers a great aesthetic.
The way I consume music has strengthened my ability to focus.
Going out and buying vinyl forces me to interact with my local community. The process of finding records in shops (aka digging) is sometimes more enjoyable than listening to the records themselves. My local record shop has introduced me to fascinating people. Out of these interactions, new friendships have been made. From those friendships, events have been created, drawing in more like-minded individuals and fostering a real sense of community in my neighborhood.
The way I consume music has strengthened my social connections.
Tech companies have been trying to tell me that I can have all the music I could ever want, for a fraction of the cost and in an instant. But the distractions, the isolation, the data collection, and the dopamine manipulation that come with it—those are the costs I’m not willing to pay.
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