Oldies but Goodies

It's remarkable to look back and think about how much music technology has changed over the years and how it's transformed the way we listen to music. Remember tape cassettes and how awesome it was to be able to record a garbled version of your favorite song on the radio, even if you missed the first 10 seconds? Then CDs came out and completely changed everything. No more fast-forwarding or flipping a tape, just skip right to your favorite songs. Shortly after, we started ripping CDs onto our computers and listening to mp3s, which lead to music sharing on sites like Napster, allowing for some of the most ecclectic burned mixed CDs of all time. But of course, that was too good to be true and was quickly shut down, producing more profitable sites like iTunes that link up with these crazy little devices called iPods. Goodbye walkman, nice knowing you. And now we live in an age where our entire music library is stored on our computer hard drive as ones and zeros and people listen to the radio via computer programs like Pandora which select music based on your preferences and tastes. And all this happened in about 25 years!

But as much as we love and utilize these changes, we discovered something magical about putting a record on a turntable, dropping the needle onto the vinyl and listening to beautiful music come forth. Although some may argue it's mostly novelty, it's still a great way to discover new music, whether unearthing our parents old collection from the attic or purchasing albums for a buck at the local Goodwill. 

A fun collection of records donated by our parents on both sides

But the greatest part is, we're not just stuck with old music. More and more artists are now offering their albums in vinyl with collectable covers and brightly colored records. As much as we love the instant gratification of downloading music online, there's something to be said about the collectability of a good ol' fashioned record. We've picked up albums from Iron & Wine, A Fine Frenzy, Owl City, Radiohead, among others.

Juno soundtrack on vinyl, a birthday gift from Liz to Rich

With all this said, it makes us wonder what music technology will be like for our kids someday. They'll probably just download it straight into their brain! But no matter what the changes are, we can't wait to pull out a dusty box of records and transport our kids back in time, listening to the music of their grandparents youth, as well as a few records we picked up along the way.

-Riz and Lich