Meta: A Dilemma

So before I get out of the "numerics" I need to make a decision: do I rip those albums that are not part of my electronic library but are in my physical library? Most (but maybe not all) of those are omitted for a reason - namely that I grew away from them before I was routinely ripping bought music and so had no driving reason to commit them to mp3. The sensible thing to do would be to leave them where they are... out of earshot, out of mind.

Yet somehow that does not seem quite in the spirit of the endeavour. Things that do not pass a quality test, but which were bought more recently are in, so why should I exclude the older stuff that is now of lesser interest? There is a school of thought that suggests that negative posts could be more interesting and much as I might have to endure a few hours of aural displeasure, there is definitely a glee to be found in penning a derogatory response.

As that suggests, I am already leaning heavily to ripping the missing material. In fact I have already pulled out the discs that I think comprise the missing cohort so that I may start ripping them at my leisure. It will take a while - there are more in the pile than I expected - so things may start appearing out of order unless I get a move on. I would need to mark them out if so. I best get going, then?

I can always silently skip them later, whistling innocently, if I really cannot face listening to them, right? Sure. The big problem that leaves is the debris in future random plays. Yes, there's a load of junk there now, and yes I spend a lot of time skipping already; do I really need to exacerbate that problem? I suppose that if I rip them, listen, and then delete them, and plan to do so with existing content, then problem solved, right?

Something to chew over this evening... maybe I can cut down the list to stuff that is missing for some other reason. Maybe I should just suck it up. Maybe I should stop thinking so far ahead when I am barely started. None of that sits well with my psyche though. Hmm... decisions, decisions.

Meta: An Introduction

This blog is to chronicle my attempt to actually listen to all the music in my library.

The thought was inspired by reading a forum post by a guy who was going to make the effort to play every game in his Steam library because in these days of digital distribution it is all too easy to buy things you never even look at... and that's a waste.

I've absolutely no inclination to copy that idea directly; much of my own Steam library is untouched and will forever remain so (along with my GOG shelf). However the idea of making good on a resource that is already in place is a compelling one, and I am very aware that despite being mostly still rooted in buying physical copies (I like collecting things, what can I say?), the majority of my music goes sadly un-listened to. That is, I guess, a given result of the scale... my library stretches at present to 16,000 tracks, 47 days of continuous playtime; it's not massive and I'm not claiming any kind of immense size but this is more than large enough that, on random, most stuff never appears in any given listening session.

However it is also a result of me spending less time listening these days, and my habit of skipping 5 tracks for every one I listen to when I do start the player going doesn't help. I actually listen to more in the car, where my penchant for still buying CDs helps out for the moment, than I do at home. The purpose here though is to listen to everything in my data library whilst sat at home, not to cut corners by using my commute or by simply writing up things I know about already.

The purpose of blogging the project? Partly a driver to do it, mostly a positive creative exercise to keep me busy. Of interest for others: there may be some but lets face it, there's none in most blogs and I make no claims of difference. The library itself is suitably varied for this sort of project; running a gamut from folk to prog, from spoken word to jazz and indiepop to electronica. I like to think I have a reasonable taste in general (a definite dearth of classical, mind)... but that does not mean that anyone else will care or find my thoughts interesting.

The intention is to go through my library in alphabetical order by album or collection in order to make it easy to keep track. There will be some breaks with this - to avoid long streaks from the same style for example, or to ensure that new purchases don't get missed. I will start knowing full well that I am unlikely to finish, that I may not even get to anything interesting. I'm not a music critic and will not pretend to be one. The text that comes out may at times resemble reviews, but at others may have nearly nothing to do with the music that inspired it and much more to do with the memories or emotions it sparks. This should lead to varied content, as and when I publish anything and the exercise should be an interesting one from a personal point of view.

I am certain to run into music I no longer enjoy, and force myself to listen to them anew. I am highly likely to find things I forgot I had or which are by people I have no knowledge of. This is all part of the intellectual appeal of the project. It is a voyage of discovery, a vocation and a creative, constructive project. It is a folly; a monument that cannot be completed that will fill a dark corner of the net until it gets wiped. It is an escape, but also a mouthful too big to chew. It is a nice idea, a journey to enjoy.

It is all very personal - as our reactions to music should be.