Jackson Free Press

Harold Camping and his followers used the gay pride movement as a sign the world was ending last month. One week later, the closing of Be-Bop Record Shop supposedly marked the end of the music industry as we know it for some other people. Apparently, there are no more places to buy local CDs and mingle with the city's other music connoisseurs. After 37 years of serving the Jackson area, Be-Bop may have closed its doors, but only to the shop. They didn't take the music with them.

Is it yet another sign of a failing music industry? Perhaps, but we should try not to look at it so pessimistically. Instead, see it as a call to action. We all know that people are downloading music more than buying albums from stores these days. This does not, however, mean that there is no hope. The concept of the album or CD is not dead, and hopefully, will never be dead if we don't let it die.

We must not forget about all the other places in Jackson where the music scene flourishes, regardless of the state of the larger industry and its problems. Coffee shops such as Sneaky Beans and Cups offer albums for sale from local musicians and have small free shows on occasion. Such places are becoming the popular hangouts for music connoisseurs because they sell music and have live shows.

The Jackson music scene is doing just fine. Artists continue to write music and produce albums despite the hardships of being a musician in general, just as they've always done. You can hear live music at numerous venues each weekend and during the week. The Jackson area has a core group of people whose faces can be seen at almost every music event. Now, we just need more to join us.

Music goes beyond the computer and the Internet, and maybe people don't realize that. Each decade seems to come with its new and improved way of doing things. Sadly, for whatever reasons, people forget about the old methods sometimes. CDs replaced cassettes and vinyl records for the most part, but they all serve the same purpose and continue to do so. Within the past decade or so, digital downloading has become a popular way of obtaining music. My concern isn't about downloading's effect on the music industry, but rather its effect on the way musicians create music and listeners hear it.

I can still remember the first CDs I ever bought. It was back when BMG Music Group still existed, offering too-good-to-be-true prices. With "12 CDs for the price of 1" and other crazy deals, I frequented its website, and bought albums from all of the artists I had recently heard and enjoyed. I never understood how they could afford to give away music like that. I was young and was just realizing how much I enjoyed listening to music and did not take it for granted. Linkin Park and New Found Glory were among the first in my album collection.

After receiving CDs in the mail that I was looking forward to hearing, my entire outlook on life would cheer up. I vowed never to get a single fingerprint on the cover of the jewel case or on the CD. All my spare time was spent listening to the whole album on repeat.

While I am not as anal about fingerprints today, I still do my best to keep each CD I buy in the best condition possible. I can honestly and confidently say that I have never in my life broken or scratched a CD to where it was unplayable. I also keep all of the CDs, rather than saving them on my laptop's hard drive and tossing them aside. My CD collection is reaching 300 right now; it includes every disc that I have ever bought (including those from before my home was destroyed by Katrina).

I haven't illegally downloaded any of the music I own. This isn't because I have loads of money to spend on buying anything I like. It's because I deeply care about the music and have vowed to continue supporting artists who make quality products and never compromise the sound or album by downloading a few tracks that I heard on the radio. My CD collection, which I have displayed proudly in my bedroom in chronological order by purchase, is the only physical proof I have that I am following that vow.

Buying an artist's album in hard copy is important to the way that I am able to listen to and interact with the music. Sitting in my room with no distractions, I devote all my attention to the album, taking in the artwork and lyrics provided in the liner notes while listening through the best speakers I can obtain. Listening to a CD, especially for the first time, is one of the most rewarding and thrilling experiences in my life, and it requires almost no effort, just a willingness to support the artist. Buying albums also lets the artists know that people are actually still interested in hearing their complete product and gives them the means with which to do so. They won't be discouraged and attempt to create only singles or guaranteed hits.

My collection might not be proof that anyone other than me is buying albums today, but at least I do. And surely there are plenty of others like me. I continue to build my CD collection whenever I find CDs from artists that I enjoy hearing, even when I could just make a playlist of the songs from YouTube. This way, the music stays special. I have made an investment into each one of the albums I own, although some were gifts from those who know what I would buy for myself. There's plenty of music in Jackson to be bought in just about every genre. When surfing the Web looking for music, there's no reason to forget about the old way of doing it: attending shows and buying music there.

Opportunities are around every corner and they seem to be here to stay. With our help, artists know how important they are and continue to bring us joy.