Is active listening to music a lost art, and is physical media bringing it back?

Tech has made life easier, but it’s left us fatigued from endless doomscrolling and constant notifications. Despite having instant access to everything, none of what we buy or consume actually feels ours.

Even music and streaming have also reached a point wherein it’s also becoming wearisome. Were you one of those people who crashed out when The 1975 got rid of some of their songs on streaming platforms, or experienced firsthand when a song gets pulled out from your playlist and is no longer accessible? Because I have. And it’s funny because I am writing this while mourning the fact that one of my favorite songs from my favorite local bands—who have also recently stopped doing gigs—was removed from Spotify (These Kids Are Only Dreaming by Cheats, I still talk about you).

We are all finding new hobbies and activities that will help us lessen our screen time, hence the rising trend in analog activities such as journaling, reading books, and exercising. And music is a huge part of this conversation, too, as more people are revisiting opportunities to engage more deeply with music.

But where does music fit in this conversation? In an age where almost nothing feels tangible anymore, how do we create an engaging and tactile experience when we listen to music?

Active listening and the role of physical media

When we think about going analog, the same formula applies to music. The common denominator for all of these is intention.

We describe active listening as giving your full, undivided attention to something you are listening to. It encourages you to sit with the music, understand it on a deeper level, and reflect. Sure, you can also do this with songs on Spotify, but physical formats add a layer of action and intent.

Listening to music this way allows you to be purposeful by choosing what you want to listen to and commit to the entire listening journey. When you decide to purchase a record, making time to choose from a variety of genres and artists is itself an act of rejecting the modern impulse of playing and optimizing through algorithms.

So what makes it special?

In physical formats, you accept an album, or even a custom-burned CD, as a complete and cohesive work and an entirely different form of art. Even the extra bits inside, like the sleeve, notes, and lyrics, are visual assets you can appreciate as you play a track.

Even artists themselves are yearning for an option for their art to be presented in a way it was intended to be consumed. If we can honor Christopher Nolan’s intended way of watching his films – via an IMAX 70mm screen – then we also definitely can with music and physical media.

Just as Adele faced backlash back in 2021 for convincing Spotify to remove the shuffle button as the default for her album 30, she explained, “We don’t create albums with so much care and thought into our track listing for no reason. Our art tells a story, and our stories should be listened to as we intended.”

This was the only request I had in our ever changing industry! We don’t create albums with so much care and thought into our track listing for no reason. Our art tells a story and our stories should be listened to as we intended. Thank you Spotify for listening 🍷♥️ https://t.co/XWlykhqxAy

— Adele (@Adele) November 21, 2021

Physical media honors this request in a way that makes skipping a track or optimizing your queue an active and conscious effort. Once you invest the effort into starting an album, you are more inclined to pay attention and justify that effort, rather than letting it fade into the background as noise.

This is also for those who want to physically own what they love because digitally saving it in your library will never hit the same. With physical media, you can rest easy at night knowing that even if your favorites disappear from digital streaming platforms, you will still have a copy of it. 

Let’s get physical!

Interested but don’t know where to start? Here’s a short guide and a few starter recommendations:

The first step is to learn about the different types of physical formats (CDs, vinyl records, and cassette tapes) and where you want to start. They all have their own pros and cons, but here’s a short list of what they offer:

• CDs if you want to prioritize portability and budget;
• Vinyl records if you want the immersive experience and are willing to spend on records and a player hooked up to good speakers;
• Cassettes if you are into its compact charm and the underground culture it offers 

The next step: start with what you love! Make a list of some of your favorites and narrow it down according to your budget. Remember, your collection should feel personal–not curated for an audience. Your only audience is you!

Once you have your list of artists and/or albums, it’s time to hunt! There are still record stores up and running these days, such as Backspacer Records located in Kapitolyo, where you can find CDs and vinyl; Bear‘s Den Records in Legaspi Village, where you can also shop for CDs, vinyl, and even equipment. For cassette tapes, you can find most in thrift stores or in flea markets; United Cassettes PH is also a local webstore you can shop from. These are only a few suggestions, but of course, there are lots of other physical stores if you look around enough.

Of course, your physical media is useless if you don’t have the right equipment for it, so here are some of my curated recommendations: 

• A CD player is the way to go if you want to go down the CD road. There’s also the KC-918, a portable CD player that feeds into the Y2K nostalgia aesthetic if you prefer bringing it around with you on the go. 
• For your vinyl record needs, the Audio-Technica AT LP60X is a good entry-level turntable. And if you are fully committing to the vinyl lifestyle, lock it in with Big Fudge’s all-in-one cleaning kit for your maintenance needs. 
• For cassettes, this portable cassette player should do the trick.

Physical media is forever

The beauty of physical media is also intention through curation: keeping what truly matters to you rather than hoarding every new release. The analog lifestyle is never about overconsumption and feeding into consumerism; it’s about making choices. 

This is not a sign for you to cancel your streaming subscriptions and replace them with physical media, and I am not saying that digital streaming should be condemned, not when it makes music and artists easily accessible. I am, however, telling you that there is no harm in taking some time off your screen and letting yourself consume intentionally. Allow yourself to slow down and give your senses a break every once in a while. 

So put the phone down, clear your brain, and let the music speak for itself! – Rappler.com 

This piece was written by BrandRap volunteer Beatrice Ira Levanza. Bea is a passionate creative whose works revolve around shared experiences and the mundanity of life. She enjoys consuming Philippine media and is eager to try new experiences in the name of art and culture. A fresh graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, major in Advertising Arts, from the University of Santo Tomas, she hopes to continue creating meaningful work that resonates with people.