Music Burnout in the Digital Age

This is almost exactly what's been gnawing at me lately.  For the last couple of years especially, the sheer volume of new music I'm exposed to has greatly outpaced my ability to listen to it, let alone enjoy it.  20 years ago, I knew all of my albums backward and forward.  Now, I've got tons of albums I've only heard once, or sometimes not at all.  I'm not really complaining, though, because it's an embarrassment of riches that I'm grateful to be able to have.  Now I have not merely a collection, but something approaching a "library".  I just lament the fact that there aren't enough hours in the day to appreciate them properly.

Yes, the thing is you shouldn't take it all at once. There will always be more great music out there than anyone can know of (and especially if you count all the hidden gems in classical music, jazz, world music etc etc). It's great to be able to digest well whatever you like currently, before you move on to new music. It's not like you're responsible for anyone for listening to something and not the other (or maybe you can be, I don't know).

thanks for the responses.  what makes it difficult is the 'shuffle' button on iPods.  one can push forward endlessly and not find anything good.  at the same time, as i get older, less and less 'blows me away' and i find myself listening to music in an intentional aesthetic way rather than to dance around the house:)  also, now we can get just the songs we want with iTunes, so our collections get even bigger and more diverse.  

I thought this topic would have brought about more discussion.....

My CD obsession is something that I've been seriously trying to reel in for years. I've got hundreds of CDs that I haven't even heard yet. Thankfully, I've got just about all the classical and jazz recordings I want, so when I came back after about a 12 years hiatus from progressive rock, I found that I was terribly out-of-touch and have been trying to find new music that I think I would enjoy based on my preferred tastes in this music. Anyway, I would say I have been blessed in the regard that I'm fortunate enough to obtain this music. I'm also thankful that YouTube exists so I can sample songs from albums I'm currently looking at. I've saved myself a lot of money by just relying on YouTube to weed out the junk that I simply would never listen to had I just took the chance on it. One thing I miss about record stores is the thrill of the hunt but one thing I don't miss are those stores like Borders who charge outrageous prices. Anyway, I'm rambling on a bit too much here but let me just say that music is neverending journey. Just when you think you've heard it all, something completely incredible is waiting for you just around the corner.

Edited by Mirror Image - August 10 2012 at 23:37

When I was in college, I used to listen to just one artist - ok, one who was more prolific than Beatles, Floyd and Wonder put together - all the time.  Often the same songs several times and sometimes twice-thrice in succession.   After that, I had a phase when I listened to lots and lots of music, lots of new artists.  I have slowed it right down again because I just don't feel like bombarding myself with more and more music all the time.   Which is not to say I don't listen to new music - either actually new or just something I haven't already heard - anymore. But I make sure I take the time to appreciate what I am listening to deeply and derive a lot of pleasure from it instead of feeling compelled to 'move on'.  

I have lost count of how many times I heard the Idler Wheel in the last few months.  I thought I am past the stage where I would repeat albums I love endlessly but it seems as if it is just a question of slowing down the pace and cherishing the experience.   Nothing much is going to happen if I don't listen to something that people say is amazing, except I am going to miss out on some good music.  Which I am going to anyway, given the sheer amount of music there is.   I don't want to be in the position where I have had thousands of albums lying in my rack that I barely got through three-four times.  Far more productive to squeeze the last drop out of what I have before moving on.  Saves some money too. 

One thing I really like now is that you can download an album and burn a CD immediately. I did this recently with Chicago VII as it was so cheap and the sound quality is more than acceptable. It does become a bid addictive though. I probably still buy more CD's then I download (often they are cheaper) but the balance is now about 65% CD's to 35% downloads something I would never have imagined happening just a few years ago.

I've been listening to a TON of new music lately, and I have mixed feelings about the experience.  In one aspect, I think it has made me more open to new music and styles I might not otherwise find enjoyable.  But in another sense, I do find that I feel as if I don't KNOW my favorites as well as I'd like to.  And I wonder if things do get lost - like maybe because I am listening to so much new music, I might be blowing right past a great album and only listening to it once because it just gets lost amongst all the new music I listen to.  But all that being said, I like listening to new music - I like the novelty of listening to something new, so I'll probably keep listening to a lot of new stuff.

Edited by wilmon91 - August 11 2012 at 14:41

I feel like this is a good problem to have.