Touching the Sound

One of the biggest gifts I received in the Christmas of 1992 was a Sony boombox. I was 12 years old at the time, and it was especially exciting to me because it was the first CD player I had ever owned (my first CD was the soundtrack to The Jacksons: An American Dream miniseries). Actually (and I almost hate to admit this), before I got that boombox, I had been using an old Fisher Price cassette player that I had used since I was four or five years old. Since that Christmas, I went on to amass a CD collection numbering well over 1,000.

Fast forward to 2009. I rarely buy CDs anymore thanks to the ease of finding music via the Internet. However, I went with a friend to Best Buy yesterday and ended up purchasing Green Day's new album, 21st Century Breakdown after having heard some songs beforehand. The album, like so many others these days, is also available to download if you know how and where to look online, but in this case, I decided to get my music the old-fashioned way (I got the $24 special edition of the album, though it was on sale for $16 at the time).

It's a great concept album, and the 52-page hardback booklet is nifty. However, the main reason I bought it instead of getting it for free online was to show support for a talented band making meaningful music that I connect with. Buying music in a physical form has become obsolete (retailers and the music industry would agree). While it is certainly convenient to download music, there's nothing quite like holding a CD in your hand with its artwork and liner notes. Many people often miss out on that experience, and it's a shame.

'21st Century Breakdown', indeed.