Re: Tower Records
On Jan 4, 2007, at 3:20 PM, Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
I have little sympathy for megastores of any kind too, but his larger point still stands. He argues that easy access to what one wants
seem to inhibit the exposure to things that one does not even know exist.
And that seems to make a lot sense. Solipsism - that of the i-pod
generation and in general - seems to be nothing more than escapism from the real
world whose understanding often poses a difficult intellectual task into the
fast food for thought, ready-made illusions manufactured by the pop culture
industry or one’s own imagination.
How do you know that’s what’s going on? Do you have any actual
experience of the world you’re condemning, or are just talking off
the top of your head? I keep finding all kinds of music I never knew
before. My iPod is full of old, familiar stuff and stuff I’ve only
recently discovered. Electronic distribution actually seems to result
in more marginal material being distributed, not less. Most brick &
mortar stores have only very limited inventory; the electronic
inventory is theoretically limitless. And the experience of Netflix
shows that many more niche movies are being rented than were from
Blockbuster.
Doug