In the year 2024, when the arc lights of helicopter gunships sweep the streets in the search for stray members of the vinyl underclass and possession of shiny, silvered circles once known as compact discs, is a crime punishable by death, the memory of objects such as the one pictured below will be dim, but hopefully fond…
(Purchased recently for £1 from a local library.)
Borrowing from libraries for the purpose of home taping, surely another element of music culture thats been overwhelmed by P2P networks. Kids these days … I remember the time I had to get the library card out and take a 20 minute stroll if I wanted to steal the latest pop sensations album, none of this Bit-torrent lark.
My question is, can you bring yourself to put it on the shelves with the rest of your carefully looked-after collection? I for one couldn’t do it.
[...] Threnody for physical mediaColin Buttimer posted a series of photos from his recent library aquisition. The CD, literally , is a relic from another era, one when you could walk down to the library and check out CDs, long before the days of P2P. [...]
Very nice scans. This worn old thing looks very unique. Must’ve gone through hundreds of hands (and ears).
Someday they’ll introduce ageing MP3s to the public. With simulated vinyl crackles and pops, increasing in intensity with time…
I disapprove of those stickers on the disks though… Look like they could kill a CD-player.
Blimey, this CD’s lived a fair bit, hasn’t it?
Justin – the 20 minute walk is what I do every week or two in my lunch hours, all the way to one of three good local libraries. Only difference nowadays – as opposed to 15 years ago when I ransacked Central library to garner my knowledge of jazz – is that I don’t store on cassette… And to answer your question – I want to frame this CD more than hide it away on a shelf! This cover has character – if I’m going to put it next to others, it’s going to have to sit alongside my pristeen Rune Grammofon or Chain Reaction collections I think…
Fredrick – the hundreds of hands is what I love so much about it. It’s a shame it can’t continue that way, but the library had evidently deemed that it had served its useful life. Ageing MP3s, that’s a thought. I’ve wondered in the past whether they wouldn’t build ageing into JPGs… The stickers don’t seem to have inhibited playback, though it refuses to rip the last track on the first CD.
Milkman – oh yes!
I was wondering where the hell you’d got an ampex tape box with Kruder & Dorfmeister printed on it… Then the perspective switched… I’ve got 78 sleeves in better condition than that!
Ahhh memories of trotting to the local library with my cartridge in a bag so they could approve it before loaning out their Wendy Carlos LPs.
It was recently the 100th anniversary of the library where I bought this ex-stock CD and they had a little exhibition in which there were pictures of the cartridge inspection process. Civilised days I’m sure.
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