Re: [ARSCLIST] Do I own "TOO MUCH MUSIC"...?!

[Douglas Small <dsmall22578@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, I only own about 4000 LPs and have no illusions about listening  
to them all. It will never happen. I have favorites, and I have  
things "for other people's pleasure."

I have come to the conclusion that I just love collecting and what I  
happen to love is music, well recorded and historically  important  
pieces. In my case, that's probably not what you would have, but who  
cares?

My wife says I have too much music, but again, who cares? My assembly  
of records has been without a unifying thread until lately. I respect  
those who say their collection is a listening library, but I find  
that unrewarding. Mine is an Americana collection: From early jazz,  
to spoken word of our poet laureates, to our great classical  
composers. Of course there is music from afar in the collection, but  
primarily kept for how it has influenced the main body of recordings.

There was a post here recently about a guy who had a basement full of  
records that he hadn't listened to in years, but wouldn't sell even  
one 45. I totally understand. The collection wouldn't be the same if  
something were "missing."

In this age of Indie releases over the internet, we will never be  
able to keep pace with the release of music. Never. Of course, some  
is without much merit, but that begs the point. We collect music  
because it is Us, our souls and our identity somehow. No one on this  
list serve (I suspect) does it for the pay. Collecting music and  
archiving it has no future at the bank window, I'm afraid.

My biggest concern about my little collection-----my real concern---- 
is what happens to it when I expire. Any thoughts on that would be  
really worth reading!

Doug in White Stone
On Jun 23, 2008, at 1:48 AM, Stephen M.H. Braitman wrote:

> If you've gotten to the point where you're asking this question,  
> then, yes, you have too much music.
>
> In most cases, with collectors, it's the heirs who answer the  
> question.
>
>
> > Date:    Sun, 22 Jun 2008 09:14:01 -0400
> > From:    Steven Smolian <smolians@xxxxxxxxx>
> > Subject: Re: FBI Warning
> >
> > To those with the appropriate mind-set and sensibilities, a record
> > collection functions as a source of musical nourishment and also as a
> > component of a research tool, a personalized sonic encyclopedia.
> >
> > Not all people have their brains wired identically.  What seems
> > incomprehensible to those whose switchboards are wired otherwise  
> > is the most
> > natural thing for many on this listserv.
> >
> > Steve Smolian
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> > [mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steve Abrams
> > Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2008 11:31 AM
> > To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] FBI Warning
> >
> > Here is a concise answer.  Assuming that you listen to music for  
> > three hours
> >
> > a day and that your records are already digitised so you don't  
> > have to pull
> > them out and put them on the turntable one by one, it will take  
> > you fifty
> > years to listen once to everything you have.  This assumes that  
> > you are
> > undiscriminating.  If you also like to play favourites it will  
> > take you a
> > hundred years to cycle through  the lot.
> >
> > I conclude that you have too much music and also that you have too  
> > many
> > records.  Of course this is only my humble opinion.
> >
> > Of course you are a "discographer" and may feel that changes  
> > everything.
> >
> > Steve Abrams
> >
> > (There is a Steve Abrams who is a discographer, but it's not me.)
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Steven C. Barr" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2008 5:08 AM
> > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] FBI Warning
> >
> >
> > >  ----- Original Message -----
> > >  From: "Tom Fine" <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > > >  In any case, my point stands -- what's "too much" music in the  
> > > > age of
> > > >  160-gig iPods?
> > >  Okeh...I shall redefine this in my own terms...!
> > >
> > >  I currently own about 53,000 78rpm phonorecord...of which at  
> > > least 50,000
> > >  are
> > >  NOT duplicated within the archive! This means I have 100,000  
> > > distinct
> > >  sound
> > >  recordings (here I am assuming the later "multi-track" 78's will
> > >  effectively
> > >  cancel out the single-faced phonorecords...?!).
> > >
> > >  Now...let's assume I own 50,000 DIFFERENT phonorecords...or, in  
> > > other
> > >  words, about 100,000 distinct sound recordings...! Let's also  
> > > guess that
> > >  the
> > >  average playing duration of these will run about 2:45...or 2-3/4  
> > > (2.75)
> > >  minutes...!
> > >  Making the above assumptions, I own 2.75 * 100,000 minutes of  
> > > recorded
> > >  sound in my"half-vast archives"...or 275,000 minutes of sound.  
> > > This is
> > >  4583-1/3 HOURS of recorded music...! This could, in turn, be  
> > > "burnt" onto
> > >  around 3, 103 80-minute CD-R's...!
> > >
> > >  Do I own "TOO MUCH MUSIC"...?!
> > >
> > >  IF so...or IF not...explain your answers in as much detail as
> > >  feasible...!!
> > >
> > >  Steven C. Barr
> > No virus found in this incoming message.
> > Checked by AVG.
> > Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 270.4.1/1510 - Release Date:  
> > 6/19/2008
> > 3:21 PM
> --
> Stephen M.H. Braitman
>
> COMPLETE MUSIC APPRAISAL, ARCHIVAL, AND DISBURSEMENT SERVICES
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>
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