I get it.
Growing up in the 70’s, I had a friend, Rocky R. Ruckman (RIP), singer, guitarist in a local band who had this AMAZING record collection. Even MORE amazing was Rocky’s eidetic memory. Take ANY LP off the wall and he could tell you every single detail on it as well as recall and associate articles he had read in Melody Maker, Billboard, Rolling Stone (still in its infancy then), who was the studio engineer, equipment used, etc.
CDs at best, have a little information but nothing close to what used to be available about the music, the musicians, engineers, studios, instruments, etc.
I too marvel at the details lost in digital music’s popularity, not the least of which is, like “the cloud” any data you don’t have and hold physically - like books - is, as an NCO in one of my army duty stations used to say “subject to change.”
Amazon frequently edits, amends, even outright CANCELS writing and writers with whom their management has political, ethical, other disagreements with. Lord knows what they do to music why, even DISCOGS reserves the right to not allow “offensive material” to be sold on their site. Who is to say what is “offensive” and to which “most-favored” group du jour?
In the middle ages, few owned books, mostly the enclaves and cloisters of The Church until Johannes Gutenberg brought “The Word” to everyone with the help of the printing press. Until that time, everyone had to rely on the - often redacted - memories of the priestly caste and only that which the select few deemed worthy for the hoi poloi (NOT the song by Utopia) to hear.
Digital music has boiled all that down to where someone like Beyonce is considered “creative” and an “artist.”
Fanfare for the common gender.
I enjoy vinyl. I also own several thousand CD’s and enjoy the ritual involved in my LPs (also thousands) and rely on the innerwebs for information on the bands/music on CD where none comes with it.
The future certainly has its losses, as well as its gains. But everything we experience IS in the past.
Enjoy it while you can.
