A Music Journey

My friend’s boyfriend had a birthday party last weekend and asked if I knew of a good playlist.

I’ve been listening to a lot of sad songs that aren’t party music so I wasn’t much help. But his question gave me a bit of nostalgia of how I used to listen to music back in the day. By back in the day I mean 7 or 8 years ago, which to me seems like forever ago. I remember creating CDs to play in the car or at a house party. I thought I was so cool- I had R&B ones, Rap, to Dancehall and used to pop them in when I had my parents car while driving my friends and I around. Then came the aux-cable and being able to play music from my iPod. Playlists by the numbers on that one.

After my short nostalgic moment I shared my thoughts with my friend and her boyfriend and thus ignited us all sharing similar moments I’m sure most of us have. If you weren’t the limewire geek like I was, we all had that one person in high school to make CD’s for us. Local DJ’s would sell theirs- and for $20 it was a simple way to be put on.

Today streaming sites make it easier to listen to the music we want. There’s a playlist for everything. Spotify was the one of choice for the other night. A trap one played what I’m guessing was titled “If you like Migos” or “I walk in then I turn up”. There was no need to compile a track list just forethought on the wanted atmosphere for an intimate house party. The perfect background music for small talk or intellectual conversation- balance. Then again so is 90’s R&B, old school reggae, or lyrical rap. A little key word search and there you have a playlist to create the vibe.

I’m off from work today and have spent most of the day like I usually do when I have this much free time: probing the Internet for new music. It’s a time-consuming task because I do not have time to do it like I used to. Going from site to site, album to album I’ve spent a couple hours on my couch playing, skipping through and saving.

My most used platform is probably SoundCloud. Mostly because I have yet to pay for a Spotify account and it’s convenient for me. I find favorites for the moment or artists to keep on constant rotation when I let SoundCloud take me from track to track. Their suggested tracks algorithm that is based on tracks I’ve played or liked before takes me on a mysterious journey of discovery that is sometimes fruitless. The related songs can be surprising to say the least and I’m left unsure how I even got there. I like having this blind faith but why do I have to kiss so many frogs until I find my prince? Most times this isn’t the case and I find artist to add to my collection, but it’s always a game of Russian roulette.

It’s different, but I wouldn’t say my discovery routine is easier. This streaming era has cut down my time on sites like Hotnewhiphop.com. I’d hop from page to page, play a song and download the ones I liked. Am I the only person who did that? I can now listen to popular playlists and find the good songs that way. But I go back to my old rituals because “popular playlists,” only gives songs that are current and what’s everyone listening to. I like to find budding artists that are almost off the radar, which means searching through a lot of sites, streams and playlists.

Like the curated CD’s gone, so are physical albums. iTunes lets us buy an album straight to our phone or laptop. You can do the same with a premium streaming account (if the artists allows for streaming services, which most do.) But are people even listening to albums in length anymore? Most are only buying and listening to their favorite artists. We don’t want to waste our time or money on someone who had a few bangers or who is unheard of. That feeling of not knowing can be a hindrance and also because playlists on the net are playing the top songs from an album why listen to the whole thing? Spotify has made people love curated playlists maybe more then they do albums. This slight change effects how most of us listen to music now.

I remember years ago while on a family vacation being in the mall scrolling through the isle of maybe a Best Buy for new CDs. I came across Solange’s Solo Star album and had no reservations about buying it. I can’t recall if her single Feelin You was out yet (I know every word for that song to this day) or the fact I knew she as Beyonce’s sister that made me want to listen to Solange. I had probably heard one song from her yet was interested enough to purchase her debut album. I spent a lot of my allowance as a teenager buying album’s from artists I didn’t know much of. I think now majority of us are curious for what’s hot rather than what’s unfamiliar and curated playlists on streaming sites helps with that. If you ever want your ears to go beyond all the hits, these sites have many playlists to help you discover the something new.

As someone who loves album portrayals it’s strange to see the decline of their significance. But being able to witness the evolution of the way we consume music and how it affects my personal listening habits is rather amusing.

-C