Medium Musings

Yesterday, I was informed that songs by the Beatles were finally made available on ITunes. Pun intended.

The band’s music definitely came a long way. Sir Paul McCartney never would have expected that he would personally be able to witness the transition from vinyl records to cassette tapes to compact discs on to an intangible storage medium, all well within his lifetime. Technology found a way to immortalize their music: stored in the infinitely expanding space of the World Wide Web.

In a way, it is a testament on how their compositions transcend generations after generations of music savvy listeners. Their music manages to reach fresher audience demographics without fail via re-releasing of singles and/or albums: three volumes of anthologies, the “Past Masters”, “Love”, and “1” albums, and of course, the coveted boxed set of the digitally re-mastered Beatles catalogue. Unquestionably, their repertoire has become timeless. It is no wonder why I have 253 Beatles songs in my IPod. After all, I grew up listening to their songs (even though they were no longer chart toppers during my early years).

And now, they are on ITunes.

Perhaps it was prompted by the compact discs’ obsolescence insofar as music is concerned. Music can now be downloaded to computers, mobile phones and MP3 players. File transfers can now be accomplished more conveniently through Bluetooth, USB devices, and E-mail (especially with the proliferation of wi-fi hot spots). The necessity for compact discs has descended to the same level as that of the fax machine’s relevance.

I now wonder if the music will outlive the medium it is in now. But how can it become more portable and user-convenient when it is already data? Unless they come up with ways to eliminate the handheld device altogether, such as transmitting radio frequency directly to brain cells or the auditory nerves, or combining it with other staple personal effects, I see of no other way.

Evangelista, Emmanuel Benedict C., Blog Post #1