MP3 Renaissance
A short case for reviving the MP3
The electricty and wifi go out a lot more in recent memory, sometimes for a few hours, but also for a few days. When electricity cuts, there is a surreal peace I haven’t felt since the 90s pre high speed internet. Everything goes quiet. Grid failure put things into perspective when I had to choose between saving my battery and listening to the few songs downloaded to my phone because the cell towers were too clogged to stream. The only other way to hear music was if I played it on the guitar and made noise myself.
So a few years ago, I bought a refurbished iPod off of eBay.
Music is non negotiable. To play records, I need electricity. I don’t own a CD burner. I have a lot of M4A files. Solar powered USB chargers exist. If it really came down to it, wood-burning USB chargers also exist. My post pandemic mind reasoned I could feasibly charge an MP3 player by sunlight and fire. I’m a mid millennial. So, short of buying a CD player, I chose an iPod.
It is a privilege to access an artist’s entire catalog, but streaming’s overwhelming options can bring on listening paralysis. (It’s why I created The Listening Journal, a 12 week intentional listening experience to help break habitual listening patterns and change your brain.) Substack started pushing me content by Gen Z and Millenials quitting Spotify. I didn’t realize iPods were trending until a few months ago. Youtube videos like this affirm my sense that we are collectively dissatisfied and assertively seeking ways to take back our attention and power.
Music is one of the most expensive mediums - in time, skill development, people and equipment. That it has become so devalued is a type of perversion. Whatever the “dark energy” is on this planet (whatever people call it - the devil, evil, hatred, racism, misogyny, manipulation, power over rather than power to - take your pick of names), it finds ways to devalue the most sacred gifts of humanity. Giving value to music goes hand in hand with valuing the earth and valuing human life. Power to everyone creatively taking back their listening habits!
