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Cool article: Stop trashing Millennials; they like music more than you ever did

Doctor Cringelord

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Stop trashing Millennials; they like music more than you ever did DIY Musician Blog

Someone shared this via Steve Hoffman's Music Forums and I found it quite interesting, as I am right on the cusp of generation X and the millenial generation (born in the early 80's.

I've been an avid collector of music since my early teens, and I've watched the way music is bought and listened to change before my eyes. I remember hunting through mall music outlets for cassettes and digging through the bins of vinyl and used CDs at my local independent record store. When Tower Records shut down, I cursed the digital age and all of the youngins with their short attention spans and lack of appreciation for albums which could be held, touched, smelled, placed in a frame, etc.

That said, I remember when a little thing called Napster appeared and had the music industry and Lars Ulrich scared they'd be out of jobs within 3 years. I LOVED Napster and, paired with hunting for obscure old vinyl, it was the best of ways for finding good, new (and old) music that was otherwise unavailable on the radio, MTV, or in any corporate music retail store. What the Lars Ulrichs of the world failed to realize was that there were many people who would happily pay for an album after downloading the songs for free and having a chance to absorb it, rather than taking a chance on spending 20$ on something which might have 2 good songs and a bunch of filler (I was victim to buying a lot of such albums in the 90s and every time I felt completely ripped off).

Anyway, being on that cusp between X and Y, I am unique in that I have
a) been chastised by older people for not truly appreciating music and having a short attention span
b) scoffed at people younger than me for not appreciating the actual hunt for music, for not really taking the time to enjoy music, but simply downloading a track, then rushing to download the next track which catches their ear.

I've digressed a lot, but the point is, while I still enjoy a trip to my local record shop, I find myself more in the millenials' camp on this, and this article only further reaffirms my opinion that aging boomers and gen X-ers should shut the fuck up and embrace the present (and future).

I myself used to talk shit about people who only listened to songs in a shuffle playlist and never took the time to play an album from start to end, but these days, I'd say that well over 70% of my listening involves shuffle mode and custom playlists on my iPod. Yes, I will still take the time to enjoy an album in its entirety at home, but at work or driving, my attention span keeps me from being able to hear and appreciate every note and nuance of a full record.
 
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