Here’s what it’s come to: I spent $8 on this CD tonight.
Look it up. It’s $4 on iTunes. I paid a $4 premium for it. At Bull Moose on Middle Street. I love the place but I had no idea I loved it that much. Why did I do that?
I’m asking primarily to try to elicit a legitimate answer from myself. Because I can’t believe the obvious answer, which is that I dig my local record store. Do I really dig it enough to go on a Sunday night and give them a $4 donation?
A great deal has changed and is changing in my life, so I’m probably clinging to things. But I find it hard to get inspired to go on iTunes and download something. It’s convenient, sure. But I need my rituals. I need my record store because without it, without the dingy basement feel of Middle St. Bull Moose, I don’t have a real chance to branch out and find bargains and get my weekly exercise wandering the aisles. Add me to the old curmudgeons who prefer to clack through used CDs. I’ve become my dad. With good musical taste.
And so I buy Devo and David Bowie and I finger the first Clash disc at $5 but never quite pull the trigger and I bemoan the loss of Wild Rufus Records and it’s all reminiscent of pining for days gone by. But don’t get me wrong. I love my iPhone and my digital collection as much as anyone. So why the extra $4 for an overpriced remix disc?
Sometimes you just need things to stop changing.
It’s probably not the right point to make right now, but the same record is available on Amie Street for $1.78.
http://amiestreet.com/music/yo-la-tengo/here-to-fall-remixes/
And even less with eMusic.
Not only can I not imagine buying anything on CD right now. I can’t even fathom paying $.99 for a song. That must be some record store.
I dunno, at least you got an uncompressed version. I refuse to pay for lossy formats in this day and age.