Just on the LP v CD v streaming debate... a friend of mine has a very expensive setup and I've had a listen of LP/CD/streaming and to be honest there was something about the LP that sounded .. "richer" than the others. I can't put my finger on it though!
Something he did say which I thought was interesting was that his favourite LP had a slight "click" on a particular song and he said he knows where it is. Because of that, the LP is unique to him - he cannot buy the same album. In a way I quite liked that idea that this "click" had been listened to so many times that he expects to hear it on the CD and radio etc!
I think though, ultimately, it's because we're probably seeing a backlash to the "any song, any time, any where" culture that Spotify etc have created. We end up taking songs from albums, putting them into playlists and losing the context of the song on an album and to some extent, how it fitted into an era.
When I listen to something like "Smooth FM", you will sometimes hear a song like "What's Goin On" by Marvin Gaye. It's a beautiful, laid back sounding song that is incredibly "smooth". You're now listening to this smooth, soul classic on "Smooth FM". It encourages you to think it's just a nice, easy song. But ultimately it's a protest song. By taking the song from the album and out of it's era you lose it's entire meaning. I do think that when you pick up an album, your brain shortcuts you to think about it's context - the decade, who else was around, what they were singing about, the artwork, the lyrics. A lot of that gets lost on Spotify.
I love Spotify though, but if I wanted to listen to an album I would like the 'ceremony' of choosing it, putting it on and HAVING to listen to it from start to finish. I think in some ways - regardless of whether it sounds better - that ceremony sets up to listening to it better so it will sound good.
