Analog Aesthetics

superior.acoustics

Monday, June 12, 2006

cherry, cherry, lemon

I found the article below surprising, considering I didn't realize it was research-worthy to find out what "thing" college students value the most. And I thought my Fulbright research was fringe...

How can you compare beer and iPods? The article says one is considered more important than the other - and what about Facebook's popularity? Maybe the Bush administration should get on this and start handing out iPods as an intervention to binge drinking. Stay tuned for a comment on music-intelligence software. Ever suspect that new annoying Top40 hit was made by robots? You're probably closer to the truth than you think. I find it a bit ironic that art is a stand alone concept these days, that art can be made literally without the artist. There's a trend developing farther away from reality (i.e. ties with humanity) and closer to a fantasy (i.e. ties with concepts). I'm all for anything-is-possible, but I'm not quite willing to sacrifice imagination. Unless you define imagination as churning out songs based on algorithms in order to generate profit. But hey, if artists are no longer money makers, who needs 'em, right?

Seems iPods and computer-generated hits are the wave of the future - a coincidence?

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iPods Trump Beer Drinking in Recent College Survey (Digital Music News)

What could be better than a beer or three? According to one recent survey, the iPod is now more important to college students than beer drinking. The finding was published by college market research firm Student Monitor, which found that 73 percent of all students described the iPod as "in," compared to 71 percent for beer. Student Monitor, which regularly runs the survey, interviewed 1,200 students across 100 universities for the result. Beer has topped the ranking in almost every other poll, though the internet topped the list in 1997. Other favorites included using Facebook, text messaging, and drinking other types of alcohol.

The result is comical, especially for those that have survived the heavy-drinking and animal house rituals of college. But underneath the result is an iPod that keeps gaining strength, despite heavy and continued competition from rival portable MP3 manufacturers. Just last year, the iPod received a nod from 59 percent of students, making the latest leap quite remarkable. And even among early-adopting college students, the stand-alone iPod player is holding quite strongly against mobile phones, many of which now offer MP3 playback capabilities.

# Article by Ama : 1:09 PM

Get on the mic!