And More...

And, yes, I know the negatives. I miss the liner notes, credits, gatefold sleeves and all the other packaging that we used to bury ourselves in as we listened to the new album by whoever we were into at the time.

But, that's what it was - packaging. And in an environment where we're increasingly put off by the fact that the takeaway food that the average customer comes inside a coupler of trees' worth of paper and cardboard containers we're looking to cut down on packaging, aren't we?

After all, it's not as if there aren't a number of other sources of information about what you're listening to, and if you've ended up using the computer as your primary storage and playback device you've probably got them at your fingertips.

But wait - there's more.

If you're using the computer as your primary storage and playback device, there's the option of transferring that data to one of a range of devices that you can carry with you.

I've gone for the iPod, but there are, of course, others.

Given the possibility that the lifestyle over the next few years is likely to consist of frequent absences from our home base in Bowen, the fact that I can carry a substantial chunk of the collection with me on the iPod is another definite plus.

I can't take it all with me, but at the moment the capacity of the iPod allows me to take most of my official CD collection with me. Not all of it, but more than enough to keep me satisfied and take care of whatever listening requirements my current writing projects bring with them.

There's also the possibility of creating a playlist tailored to a particular scenario - a trip on the Ghan, a visit to New Orleans or a stay in a Tuscan farmhouse, to pick three examples that could turn up over the next few years.


B© Ian Hughes 2012