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Amy Letter's avatar

Great article -- I have just a thought: the most basic layer of sorting is language. I communicate with "whole world" online, but, really, I actually communicate with the "English-speaking world" online. I have had some contacts who post in French or Arabic or Spanish (etc.) over the years, and their writing is (sometimes horribly) auto-translated, but they are always English-speakers with many English-speaking contacts because if they weren't, I wouldn't be connected to them. Something similar happens with music: almost all the music I hear comes out of the English-speaking world.

This limitation isn't really a good thing -- Netflix is a very multi-lingual exception to the rule, because so much of their over-abundance of content is available in every language I've ever heard of, it's impressive, it's amazing, it's actually a real benefit. Yet it increased the overload and dependence on algorithms.

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Phil Aaberg's avatar

Thanks, again, Rohit, for your writing and thinking. Of course the topic you chose is one that is of deep interest and concern to me. Google me if you want to know why.

There is much to consider in this piece, and much incomplete thought and information in it. I could spend much more time on responding than your cartoon couple’s indecisive and uninformed 2 hours searching for something to consume on Netflix, but I’ll just touch on a few points.

The chart you included, for example, only goes to 2017 and doesn’t really back up your claim about streaming royalties to musicians, and even if it did, it means nothing unless you include the royalties from non-streaming pre-Spotify, for example.

My information tells me that LPs sold more than CDs last year. Why? Could it be that music listeners want a deeper experience than the gross consumerism that pirating (be honest, now) offers. Really, if you spent time actually LISTENING to the vast quantities of music on your devices, you’d have no time left for anything.

You’ve said “We have no choice” several times. We do have a choice, but the pressure from Big Info makes it more work. One example is the measurable and indisputable reduction in sound quality to fit all those downloads and streams on your pocket library.

In the realm of musical instruments, a telling statistic is in the phenomenal increase in the number of analog synthesizer manufacturers and owners over the last 5 years. Why are many rejecting push-a-button convenience for do-it-yourself?

Thanks for giving us lots to think about.

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