Apple is no longer making iPods. Before my series of iPods, I used portable CD players. And before that of course, portable cassette players. I've had portable music with me since 6th grade. The problem with Apple not making iPods is that iTunes can only be used on an iPhone, something I will never own. So now what?
It has been a several years long transition from owning cassettes/CDs to streaming. The thing about analog anything is control. I own DVDs because, despite popular beliefs, you can't stream everything. Not having an iPod means I lose significant control over my music library. Unless I want to pay Apple $10 a month to listen to music I already purchased, I have to accept the fact that the other available streaming services will not always keep the songs I've favorited.
TANGENT-buying media in digital only format does mean there is the possibility of losing it. Unless you actually download it to an external drive. Apple and Amazon have finite storage for all the thousands of hours of entertainment. All your digital media sits in server farms around the globe and there could come a day when there is not enough room for everything and something has to go. I could lose Season 4 of Humans indefinitely because I have not copied it to anything local and someday Amazon may decide they need the server space in their finite digital kingdom for something else. Just something to think about.
Back to the music dilemma. At first I was mad about Apple cutting out all us non Apple users. My only option is to burn everything to CDs to keep forever but I have no way to listen to CDs on the go. I could buy a portable CD player on Amazon but if I’m being honest, even though that is what I used to do, the bulk of carrying a device and a small collection of CDs is no longer appealing. So I've been slowly rebuilding my collection via YouTube Music. Which is fine except for that little thing about them purging songs. I lose songs all the time for various reasons. And there is something poetic about that.
I’ve since found my iPod but I’ve adjusted to the fluidity of streaming and the only time I really listen to my iPod is when I want to play a specific playlist. Somehow I’ve adjusted to NOT having the control I once coveted. Music is so powerful. It has the power to stir up old memories with only a few notes. Having less control over what I can or cannot listen to gives those songs more value because they will forever be tied to a set period of my life. There is a freedom in not having control that I’m starting to enjoy too. And ultimately if there is a song or album I really want to hang on to I can burn it to CD and play it on my blueray so all is not lost.
It has been a several years long transition from owning cassettes/CDs to streaming. The thing about analog anything is control. I own DVDs because, despite popular beliefs, you can't stream everything. Not having an iPod means I lose significant control over my music library. Unless I want to pay Apple $10 a month to listen to music I already purchased, I have to accept the fact that the other available streaming services will not always keep the songs I've favorited.
TANGENT-buying media in digital only format does mean there is the possibility of losing it. Unless you actually download it to an external drive. Apple and Amazon have finite storage for all the thousands of hours of entertainment. All your digital media sits in server farms around the globe and there could come a day when there is not enough room for everything and something has to go. I could lose Season 4 of Humans indefinitely because I have not copied it to anything local and someday Amazon may decide they need the server space in their finite digital kingdom for something else. Just something to think about.
Back to the music dilemma. At first I was mad about Apple cutting out all us non Apple users. My only option is to burn everything to CDs to keep forever but I have no way to listen to CDs on the go. I could buy a portable CD player on Amazon but if I’m being honest, even though that is what I used to do, the bulk of carrying a device and a small collection of CDs is no longer appealing. So I've been slowly rebuilding my collection via YouTube Music. Which is fine except for that little thing about them purging songs. I lose songs all the time for various reasons. And there is something poetic about that.
I’ve since found my iPod but I’ve adjusted to the fluidity of streaming and the only time I really listen to my iPod is when I want to play a specific playlist. Somehow I’ve adjusted to NOT having the control I once coveted. Music is so powerful. It has the power to stir up old memories with only a few notes. Having less control over what I can or cannot listen to gives those songs more value because they will forever be tied to a set period of my life. There is a freedom in not having control that I’m starting to enjoy too. And ultimately if there is a song or album I really want to hang on to I can burn it to CD and play it on my blueray so all is not lost.
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