Walking along the spring streets of this crowded city, a place where you’re literally always in everyone else's business whether you like it or not, I'm often struck by the amount of serious, pounding through the songlists iPod listening that’s going on. People are eyeballing their little screens as much as they're listening.
I find this odd because about the only part of the downloadable revolution that I don't get is the lack of a tactile component. There's nothing to touch. No cover art to gaze at while the music first plays. No lyrics or credits to immediately read. Yeah, I know it's all to be had on the web if you really want it, but it was nice when it all came in one package. Covered in cellophane. With a center hinge for the seeds to run down into.
It strikes me though in watching the iPod addicted generation in action that there is a tactile component, namely the device itself and that little screen where you see artist and song title. Somehow, for me a devoted iPod banger myself, it ain’t quite the same, but then I’m a guy who has shelves full of CDs and LPs and I work at a print magazine, i.e. something weighty you can look at photos in, turn the pages of and hold in your hand. Music being so ethereal and invisible, I can see how the whole need to touch became part of the ritual. Glad to see it carrying on via the mini-screen.
