The Death of the Home Stereo System

[AMP]

Good to know!

BTW thanks for the heads up on Modselektor and The XX. I haven't heard of them before. I shall check them out promptly!

The XX is great. I much prefer the self-titled first album over the second and it's consistently good throughout. Well worth dimming the lights and playing it from start to finish.

 

[Bill Hart]

Despite all the changes in the music business, from the breakdown of the traditional distribution model, to how people listen today, there are a million bands out there, vying for a spot. Granted, the days when big piles of cash slid across the table as an advance to an emerging band with a hit, and the potential for more, look like they are in the rear view mirror, but there are still artists that hit it big, though you might regard it as commercial dreck. (How many of us bitched back in the day about what got 'airplay' vs what was good?) I wonder how many copies of an album like the Allmans Live at the Fillmore were sold when it first issued, as opposed to the copies bought over successive decades, once the Duane-era band achieved legendary status?
On another forum, there's a thread devoted to the 'bump' Badfinger got as a result of the placement of one of its hits in the finale to Breaking Bad.
Predicting who will be the next Bob Dylan or Lennon-McCartney is part of the crapshoot of the music business. But there's a huge talent pool out there.

 

[audioguy]

Trouble is they have plenty of other entertainment competing for their time and money.

And this, to me, is 80% of the problem. Things that I did not have when stereo became available: Computers; the internet; iTouch (et al); Facebook, game consoles, DVD/Bluray for movies; etc, etc etc.

When visitors see my theater/listening room, they are interested in the theater part of it, and NOT the music listening part of it (and that cover most age groups, including mine).

While the pronouncement of home stereo as being dead may be marginally pre-mature, it is rumored that the hospice folks have been called

 

[XV-1]

The XX is great. I much prefer the self-titled first album over the second and it's consistently good throughout. Well worth dimming the lights and playing it from start to finish.

I thought that at first. Give the 2nd lp a few more listens. It is a grower. It is more gentle with more female vocals vs the 1st.

I like them both now

 

[GaryProtein]

I thought that at first. Give the 2nd lp a few more listens. It is a grower. It is more gentle with more female vocals vs the 1st.

I like them both now

If I hear one more system demo where female vocals are being used, I may have to shoot myself. An exception may be an Ann and Nancy Wilson "Heart" recording.

 

[JackD201]

I thought that at first. Give the 2nd lp a few more listens. It is a grower. It is more gentle with more female vocals vs the 1st.

I like them both now

I like it! They remind me of Imogen Heap with a bit of Lamb. Thanks again!

 

[Bill Hart]

And this, to me, is 80% of the problem. Things that I did not have when stereo became available: Computers; the internet; iTouch (et al); Facebook, game consoles, DVD/Bluray for movies; etc, etc etc.

When visitors see my theater/listening room, they are interested in the theater part of it, and NOT the music listening part of it (and that cover most age groups, including mine).

While the pronouncement of home stereo as being dead may be marginally pre-mature, it is rumored that the hospice folks have been called

Sometimes, I wonder if the change in entertainment habits has less to do with the medium and more to do with attention deficit (for lack of a better description). Think about your standard H-wood movie: action, little real drama or acting, special effects, cartoon-ish. Gaming is the same. The rest is 'short-form', i.e. it takes little time.
Sitting in front of a pair of loudspeakers, focusing on 28-44 minutes of music without visual fireworks, requires a level of concentration that many (not just youngsters, either) would consider to be the height of boredom.

 

[prerich]

Young people are discovering wonderfully great music, but their criteria for enjoyment is different. When you and I were growing up it was about a receiver, a turntable and speakers, perhaps even a R2R, but today it's about convenience and as much access as you can find. They want their music on the go and they want it everywhere and everytime. To them it's not about quality, it's about access to the songs they like. The bottom line is that they are still enjoying the music.

Well said John! As I look at it, I believe the youth of today may enjoy music more, but the audiophile may appreciate it more. You can't tell me a person dancing isn't having a good time, but a dancer may appreciate the art form more than some one that just enjoys to dance - but enjoyment is equal on all points.

 

[prerich]

I'm going to piggyback off of my own statement above - IMHO, the older generation doesn't appreciate what this one brings to the table. I hear audiophiles criticize rap (and there's a lot of it that's just horrible) however, young people that appreciate lyricism, word play, and timing - they listen to a certain type of rap. This has given rise to the spoken word movement - that's just a reincarnation of the beat-nick culture of the 50's and 60's. The younger generation may not value the qualities of music that we value, but they may value and appreciate something entirely different in their music.

Now just let me clarify - I would hate to see music come down to the level that resembles the movie "Idiocracy" (and believe me - some music does), but I can't throw the baby our with the bathwater either