Every strong argument for moving music to the cloud also has a negative consequence. But there is one specific positive/negative effect of our modern day access to music.
Positive: Music is always at our fingertips.
Most of us have smart phones. Whether it’s an iPhone or an Android, it really doesn’t matter. Music is easily uploaded to these devices and played in headphones.
We can also install mobile apps (and more options are coming) that gives us access to millions of songs streaming to our mobile device (check out Last.fm, Spotify, or Rdio). It’s mind blowing, really, to think that for a few bucks we gain access to Library of Congress sized music collections. And it’s always within reach as long as our phones are charged!
Negative: Constant access to music is cheapening it.
I learned something valuable working at a baseball card shop when I was 16. When a card was mass produced, it was worth less and few people wanted it. And when a card was incredibly rare, it was highly sought after and valuable. This lesson can be applied to almost anything, including music. Because of our constant access and exposure to music, we undervalue music.
Before music was recorded, the only way we could enjoy music was by performing it or being in the presence of someone performing it. It commanded our attention and our involvement. Because of this, music proficiency was much higher than it is now. When music became associated with a physical media, it brought an entirely new way to experience music. Today, music is melded down into digital bits. It isn’t rare to have hundreds or thousands of albums on one hard drive. Music has become that massive collection that we acquire. As music becomes accessed and streamed, we no longer feel like we’re experiencing something of immense value. Instead, it becomes disposable like plastic.
We see this devaluing in the falling prices people are willing to pay for music. A perfect example is that we consider it a wise marketing plan to offer access to millions of songs for $5 per month. Streaming music has the adverse affect of making it cheap.


















