| NEGOTIATING THE DENSE AND BOORISH CLOTS, Or Shopping for Music |  | |
| :: | 22.Dec.04 | in two parts |
| This PopMatters Special Feature Section edited by Justin Cober-Lake (PopMatters Music Special Sections Editor) | ||
 PART ONE In this first of two installments of our look at music shopping, Zeth Lundy explains to us the need to continue seeking missing treasures the old-fashioned way. He might provide hope to Mike Schiller, who bemoans the death of the record collector in the age of easy searches and instant gratification. Mark Harris point out that physical stores aren't helping their own cause by letting genre distinctions shift in irrational ways. Still, Andrew Gilstrap argues that we have to keep supporting our local record stores, and Matt Cibula gives us 21 very good reasons to keep digging through the stacks. [Read Essays] |  PART TWO In part two, our writers embrace the current modes of shopping. Terry Sawyer finds his joy in shopping from his computer, looking at the wishes and habits of others even as he avoids them in person. David Medsker agrees; there's nowhere he can enjoy shopping, so he's staying home. Dave Dierksen, on the other hand, knows all of the pitfalls of shopping out in the physical world, but he savors the experience just the same. Brian James helps us understand why it's okay to be surrounded by these stacks of CD won through the diligent perseverence described by our other writers, and he's not just seeking solace in property or buying the time to listen to these albums. Finally, since we've decided it's okay to be buying all this music, Jason Thompson tells how to best go about doing so. [Read Essays] | |
