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The Museum vs. Galleries

I am curious about what percentage of your time is spent listening to music with which you are familiar, versus playing music that you do not know well, or at all. 

Sometimes, when I play an old, wonderful Coltrane album that I know like the back of my hand, or The Who, or Joni or Samuel Barber, I think of myself walking in an old familiar museum, like the Met, or the MFA here in Boston. I know where the pieces are that I have loved for decades, and I usually know how they will make me feel - though sometimes I am surprised. 

And sometimes, when I decide to do an investigation of Makaya McCraven, or Waxahatchee, or Vijay Iyer or others I do not yet know, or know nearly as well, I feel the excitement I remember from walking in Soho (in the old days) or Chelsea or wherever the newer galleries are that have contemporary work.

What percentage of time do you spend listening to the new as opposed to resting in the familiar? 

For the record, I don't think the museum is better than the galleries, or vice versa. But I am curious about how fellow listeners use their precious listening time. And if you are happy with it or want to change.

dtorc

Showing 2 responses by immatthewj

immatthewj
2,767 posts
 

When I get in the mood for something, it is something I am familiar with.

I don’t stream; however, I went through several years in my life when I was buying CDs all the time, and I have CDs I haven't listened to for a long time and that I forgot I even own and CDs I may have listened to only once or twice or so, and occasionally I go through them and pick one of those out.

immatthewj
2,767 posts
 

Back in the ’90s and early ’00s I listened to this great public radio station (91.3 WYEP) all of the time because they were usually playing music that was out of the mainstream. (When I do turn the dial there these days, it seems as if they have pretty much gone to playing well established oldies like everyone else.) Anyway, I discovered a lot of music that way, and that is what drove the purchases of most of my CDs back then. I am not aging as gracefully as I thought I was going to, and I don’t really feel the need and/or desire to listen to new stuff.

Occasionally I'll see a SACD on MD that I am not familiar with but I think looks interesting so I'll order it.  Occasionally I am disappointed.  I once bought a SACD by Judith Sills for $19 and change because I wanted something to get into the free shipping zone, and what a mistake that was.  I should have paid the shipping.

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