As the digital revolution continues to influence the music industry, the community of listeners and the appreciation of music are both negatively affected.

Although many of the readers of this newspaper can’t remember the days of the phonograph, the art of an album was born with its invention. When an album was bought, everyone would sit around the record player and listen to it from start to finish. People wouldn’t skip around or only listen to one track on an album because the needle or the vinyl itself could get damaged. Lyrics were marveled at, and album inserts were passed around while listeners soaked in an entire “story” of music that was put out in an album.

Nowadays, however, people sit behind their computers and click a button to purchase a song that may have caught their attention with its trend-soaked “hook” and trashy lyrics. People throw their money away on overly-doctored sound lacking any musical creativity because, well, it’s only 99 cents on iTunes and it takes no effort at all. Artists these days are also releasing more singles, preview tracks and smaller albums in general because fewer and fewer people are buying whole albums. Does anyone remember the days when an album was an epic tale written through the highs and lows of its musical tracks? The Who's Tommy and Pink Floyd's The Wall were not created to be a collection of  singles mashed together that should be picked apart, shuffled around, with tracks compared to each other by a bar graph of popularity so the consumer could tell which song is the best investment of their 99 cents.

Not only does digital music lessen music appreciation, but it has turned enjoying music from a communal activity, into a solitary pursuit. The term “iTool” has been perfectly coined to describe the “to-cool-for-conversation” teenager that constantly is plugged into his or her iPod with ear buds that seem to be forever embedded in their ears. No one goes to a local record shop anymore to rummage through rare or vintage music or to trade recommendations with staff and customers in order to find something new or different. They instead scan myspace pages and iTunes recommendations, completely cutting off interaction in the music community. Granted, digital music has given great exposure to many new, independent artists without contracts, but so many other, less talented artists are reaping the benefits (and profits) of new technology, while the listening society loses an aesthetic sense of music and becomes more and more detached. Is the convenience of digital music really comparable to a tangible masterpiece, that when purchased, gives you a feeling of belonging within a community that upholds high standards of music?