Research in the Virtual Attic (Playlist #103)
With the advent of cloud-based storage and virtual streaming, I think it is very easy to lose and/or forget what we actually “own” any more when it comes to music and media. In an effort to establish a more fixed line in the sand—my real collection versus my virtual collection—I decided this week to temporarily break free from the music cloud in an effort to re-capture and take stock of all of the music (and music files) that I have accumulated over the past twenty-plus years. No small task and not a project with all positive moments. Nope. The cloud does bring rain and pain. But, I am pleased to report that I have, for now, collected it all and have a sense of the real depth and breadth of my music collection. A good thing, I think. But I am aware that the need to draw this line in the sand is perhaps not shared by all. The cloud blurs ownership and has forever changed what it means to have “a collection of music.” Whose music is it anyway? Does ownership matter? Heady questions best left for answering at another time, perhaps. Aside from taking stock of things, and drawing lines in the sand, the other upshot to this project was actually going through my collection with a renewed perspective—as if it was brand new. I found myself visiting artists and tracks that I might otherwise not have bumped into had I not needed at different times to go deep in the weeds and tease out duplicate files, etc. It felt at times like walking into a virtual attic, not knowing what was stored where (and in what boxes!), and surprised by unexpected discoveries and more. Hence this week’s show title, “Research in the Virtual Attic.” Many of this week’s “finds” that comprised the show’s playlist were a byproduct of this mass cloud sorting project. In the end the cloud had a silver lining!
Don't forget that you can listen to all of the music from the last episode, “Tangents and Circle Backs” (click here). This week's artwork, “heavenly circuits” is by yours truly.