How People Listen to Music - Bizarre

Getting into vinyl over the past 12 months has opened my eyes to something bizarre.

People don’t listen to music the way they should. I know that sounds like an incredibly ‘music-snobbish’ thing to say, but I’m not alluding to the format, it’s what comes in-between.

To listen to a record, you need a turntable, and depending on what turntable you get (anything under £100 is probably poor unfortunately), you need some sort of speaker/headphones and amplifier setup. This is what baffles me most, for a few reasons.

Reason 1: Lack of HI-FI Systems

 HI-FI

How many people have a HI-FI system in their house? I’ve never had a conversation with anyone about their setup, probably because they don’t have one. However, I have had numerous discussions with friends and classmates on how they watch movies and TV shows. Surround sound systems are far more common-place in people’s houses, and a discussion on their best film role (I find) is more likely to follow a conversation about an actor, than a discussion on the best Beatles album, when talking about how much Paul McCartney is worth.

This leads me onto my second reason

Reason 2: Nobody listens to albums

Why don’t people listen to albums, old and new?

 The Long-Player (LP)

Forget about formats, a high-quality mp3 beats a bad vinyl pressing, believe me. I got Warpaint’s latest album on double-red vinyl and side C has so much static in the left channel, I have to switch my receiver/amplifier over to my computer for the last four songs, with the free mp3 download linked to the album, coming in handy.

If someone says they don’t have time for albums, they’re lying. I would estimate that most albums last from 30 to 45 minutes, that’s about the length of your weekly TV show, or half the time of most mainstream films (excluding huge budgets films) at around 90. Time does not matter here

It is then very strange when comparing Film and TV with an LP. Most people fail to realise that albums by-and-large have no filter from its inception until its end. What I mean by this is, artists that write their own material, especially independent artists, have their ideas fleshed out exactly how they see it. A true musical artist gets what is in their head, onto a recording. And whether or not they write the song with band-mates or have a producer, the song starts and ends with that artist. Film and TV writers on the other hand, require an idea to be pitched to a company, pass certain regulations, have it directed and produced (although some do these themselves), have it portrayed by actors and see the best takes edited by a post-production team.

An album therefore, is much more direct.

Reason 3: Cost

A HI-FI system requires a CD/Record or even an MP3 player, an amplifier, speakers and or headphones.

My HI-FI setup consists, at the moment of:

• Headphones at £100, for studio quality Audio-Technica ATH M50’s.

• A Stanton T.92 USB capable turntable at £230

• A Yamaha AV Receiver from my family's surround sound system of which I do not know the price of

• No speakers (surround sound doesn’t do the job for me, however some will be purchased)

The headphones and turntable may seem a steep price, but in reality, most houses now have at least one or more HD TV(s) ranging from anywhere between £150 to £1000 from various sizes and specs. Add a surround sound system on top and you’re looking at nearly £2000 for your overall audio-visual needs. In this instance, the two systems are not too dis-similar and if anything, HI-FI is cheaper.

 The new money-maker

So how do YOU listen to music?

I know of 3 people that listen to records, two of which are brothers. To my knowledge, they don’t have HI-FI systems unless something changed whilst writing this piece. The rest listen to music mainly in their car, where their best quality lies, via their iPod/Phone on low-quality headphones or (where the real fun begins) laptop speakers.

 The Enemy of speakers

But how can something like music, that can change the way people think, speak and look, receive such low-quality consumption?

My emphasis on comparisons with other art-forms is crucial to this observation. I don’t know of anyone who would watch a film in 240p resolution, yet I know of people who will listen to music, judge whether or not they like that music, and dismiss it in less than 30 seconds by listening to it through laptop speakers.

Bizarre

So in conclusion, I urge you, if you haven’t already, to start with a pair of budget, studio quality headphones and work your way up. It’s a sad thought that the highest quality music system most people have is situated in their car. And even if you don’t have the desire to buy records or even CDs, treat the music you listen to with more respect. I guarantee, you WILL enjoy it more, you WILL want to listen to more music and you WILL ask yourself why you hadn’t done this sooner.

I know I did.