Downloading...

So we all know the biggest issue of the last decade in music, in terms of how it's released and distributed, has been the issue of downloading. Now, I'm not about to go into a lecture one way or another to say it's right or it isn't, but allow me to just say that becoming open to it has, well, opened up a few doors to music I wouldn't have otherwise heard.

Recently I downloaded two albums that are out of print and are either costly to acquire, or flat out impossible. I've always wanted to hear the most praised My Bloody Valentine EP, You Made Me Realise, as well as Live '77, a live bootleg from a very obscure Japanese noise-rock band (but highly praised in certain circles) Les Rallizes Denudes (who never released any proper albums). So now, after wanting to hear these albums for so long, with minimal effort, here they are sitting in my collection. Should've done this years ago, to be honest. I don't know what was stopping me other than I've always been VERY anal about wanting the physical copy of any music I truly want to hear and own (I know, I know, you can stop rolling your eyes at my absurdity now).

I don't plan on going on a downloading spree and just acquiring everything under the sun, new releases, etc. because I still am very much a "purist," and love expanding my physical collection. But being more open to the idea will allow me to hear a lot of great music I never would've heard otherwise.

I'm late to the party (way beyond fashionably late, too), but at least I came, right?