Has the Internet destroyed the gift of music?
Posted in Web on May 16th, 2009 by Liz – 9 Comments
I will never forget the day I listened to my first Beatles album. My uncle bought me Revolver as a gift. I still have it in my CD collection, which has been neglected for years thanks to my iPod. That album changed my life. My adolescence was spent learning as much as I could about music. And it all started with Revolver.
This Christmas, my husband gave me a CD. I cannot remember the last time (before this) I’ve been given a CD as a gift. We had just seen Mamma Mia! and I had been saying how I wanted to have the songs on my iPod. It was a great gift and I was very happy to get it. The first thing I did, however, was load it on to my iPod.
My husband wanted to give me something he knew I would love. He didn’t want to give me an iTunes gift card because it lacked sentiment. Since I began downloading music online (whenever Napster started), I haven’t purchased a CD for myself or anyone else. In the past, I often purchased CDs for friends and family. I now give iTunes gift cards, knowing that most everyone close to me has embraced downloading music.
In my experience, the standard of downloading music has taken away from giving it as a gift. I love music, and I miss getting it as a gift. An iTunes gift card is not the same thing as an album you’ve been waiting for. Has anyone else felt this way? How can one restore giving the gift of music in this digital age?