Here's a 10-minute journal-style entry of how I've shopped for music, roughly every six years, since I started buying albums, in relation to the social graph and different media. Here's how the media breaks down:
- The Cassette Years (1984-1996)
- The CD Years (1988-2008)
- Mp3 Downloads (2002-2008)
- Mp3 Streaming (2007- )
1984: I ask my mom if she can purchase me cassette tapes at the local Cal-dor that I have read about in magazines like Hit Parader.
1990: My cool 30-year-old cousin Rich clues me into cool bands, and I read Tower Records' Pulse magazine to learn about new ones. Nearly all of my shopping takes place at the local Tower Records.
1996: I read about bands in CMJ Magazine and hear about them from friends in my dorm. I buy the CDs and records at local record stores like the Exclusive Company in Madison, Wisconsin. Sometimes, I'll go on SPIN Magazine's nascent web site to check out bands.
2002: I check out bands on sites like mp3.com and in magazines like Rolling Stone and purchase CDs and records at my local Chicagoland record stores. I make my first iTunes purchase this year, noting that other users are making iMixes (playlists).
2008: I go to music stores and write down interesting album titles on my iPhone. I discuss them with friends on email, chat and Facebook. I stream the albums from Rhapsody, and pay $13/month for the service. I have not paid money for any CDs or discrete downloads in 2008, so far.
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