The Aftermath of Music Addiction

College marked my initiation into the indie music scene. Looking back, being “indie” seemd like more of a fashion statement. Fellow fans who disdained the “corporate” music world often cited that as the foundation of their support. In fact, they talked about it a lot. My own reasons were a bit less politcal though no less steeped in snobbery: I sought an alternative to contemporary pop, and the indie scene provided a plethora of good music that never made it to the airwaves. Soon I was convinced that it was the only genre worth listening to: everything from howling hardcore to the same electronic loop wavering in and out on a fifty minute CD. Yes, I know: it is embarassing now.

After a few on-campus shows, I was sold. Literally. A flood of packages from obscure record labels started appearing in my campus box (and what college student doesn’t love mail?). I bought the shirts. I bought the hoodies. A rainbow of stickers covered my guitar case. I attended a few ear-splitting shows. And I bought the music, always new copies at full list price. Buying used just didn’t appeal to me. Sometimes I went to Best Buy and assured myself that I was getting a good deal. Best Buy is “cheap,” right? Soon my room was occupied with a glittering stack of music. It multiplied. I bought plastic cases to house the growing number of CD’s. I watched friends do the same–they were students like me. On the economic scale students are least able to afford this junk.  

Although I’m a bit ashamed to admit that not much time has elapsed between the end of college and the present, my musical tastes have evolved a lot since then. Don’t get me wrong: I still enjoy some of it and don’t plan to part with those CD’s just yet. But I must be honest: the tried-and-true’s are few and far between considering the quantity of music I amassed. Did I need it? No. Did I even like it? Most of them only got one listen. 

After a time, I arrived at a painful decision: it was a waste of money. Worse: I’m not using these CD’s. They add no value to my life whatsoever. The money I spent on them is gone. I cannot get it back. A lot of my stuff endured lengthy tenures on half.com before I hauled them out to used record stores. To date, I have sold over 50 discs. I will mostly likely unload another 50 before next spring. I don’t even want to think about the financial loss, though it doesn’t take too much brainpower to guessimate a respective ballpark figure.

Although it was a wasteful expenditure, I’m glad I realized that when I did. I’ve been acquainted with seasoned audiophiles and collectors who continue building massive music libraries. Maybe they are balanced in their listening rotation and use all of their dics in an orderly manner. But I could never keep up with what I had, unless I led the sort of existence that permitted me to wear headphones all day. 

Although I haven’t stopped buying music, the accumulation rate has plummeted. And I won’t even consider buying it new. Why pay $14+ when secondhand copies go from $1-4? Also, I think twice before a purchase, reminding myself that this music must have longeivity, and not become tomorrow’s (or even next year’s) trash.     

What is the present-day pay off? Clutter reduction, and a smaller, higher-quality music collection that is enjoyable. And having money in my pocket is a plus, too.