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Cibbuano
TyronneThe iPod Syndrome
July 20th 2006 03:43
Yes, another iPod expose. But this one isn't necessarily exclusive to the iPod, but simply a syndrome onset by the widespread introduction and usage of mp3 players, and obviously, the iPod is a part of this. Whether or not you like the iPod, its undeniable - the iPod is everywhere. Apple sold close to a million iPods of all shapes and sizes in the last quarter of 2005, and they now control the vast majority of the digital media market through their one simple device. Everywhere you go, you'll see the signature white earphones, or an ad for the player, or the trademark silhuoettes, which have been mimicked to death. But herein lies the problem - with the introduction of mp3 players in the mainstream and the exit of the player from the geek underground, music has become so accessible, that it seems to be simply another symptom, as well as pushing force in the "ADD Generation."
The symptoms are everywhere. Personal observation alone will tell you this, but even in the grand scheme of things, it is apparent - a few months back, I reported that Pepsi, in conjunction with Motorola, were releasing video ringtones, to be cut to a 40-second period. How can one seriously enjoy a 40-second song, especially one that was originally written as a 3 or 4 minute one? Of course, this isn't true to 100% of the population in this generation - I, for instance, still enjoy listening to whole songs or, if time allow, whole albums, something which is spurred on not only by love of music, but also by my deeply rooted sense of competition and the limitations of the Last.Fm submission system (a song won't submit to their database, unless you have listened to a significant portion of the song). But, unfortunately, as time progresses, it seems that people are less and less willing to listen to songs in their entirety but would rather skip to the next song before the former song has even reached its crescendo - can you imagine listening to Muse's Knights of Cydonia and the song cutting before it has reached the capella climax?
Yet this is a problem that seems unstoppable. Companies are continuously churning out more and more ways for people to customise the way they listen to their music, and as a result music is quickly becoming something that is simply used for background listening or short snippets of sound before the listener decides to change the track. The music industry has already begun to follow the trend, with things like 40-second video ringtones a key symptom. Of course, there will always be forces to stop it - bands like Muse will never shy away from the epic rock ballads, and despite widespread criticism, Angels and Airwaves will probably continue to play those ridiculously long song intros. A ten minute track is always a stretch, but hopefully it will be a long time before the ten minute milestone is reduced to a two minute one.
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