As a counterpoint, I enjoy music more now. Music discovery is light years ahead of where it was in the iPod era. There's no additional cost to exploring as many artists and genres as you want. Also, streaming services are doing nothing to prevent you from listening to music the old way. Yeah, Spotify has a huge library, but it's not like the whole thing is on shuffle. If you find you're not spending the time to enjoy specific things, that's ultimately your problem.
I do get where you're coming from, I'm very nostalgic for my old click-wheel iPod. Probably the biggest downside in moving away from physical media in my mind is the loss of the rest of the album art.
> There's no additional cost to exploring as many artists and genres as you want.
Not that I want music discovery to cost more, but I do think a consequence can be that it’s also easier to not discover music you might otherwise have. If I buy an album, and it doesn’t immediately capture me, I have N-1 other tracks waiting to change my mind. And I’m invested in that possibility. Endless discovery possibilities gives me an incentive to move on to another artist. Sure, I might like that other artist too. But pretty much all of my now-favorite artists were a pass before they grew on me.
I’m not saying that’s the attitude everyone should have, or that others wouldn’t or even ought to explore this way. Just sharing my own perspective for whatever it’s worth.
On the other hand, coming to love pretty much all of my now-favorite artists wasn’t a waste of time.
And this isn’t like a chore I’ve set out to get musically enriched. It’s just “oh yeah, I have that album! I didn’t like it last time but I’m in the mood to have another listen.” Some of these have been years between and sudden discoveries that I had buried my own treasures.
It I’ve ever felt like trying to appreciate an album was a chore but one I wanted to pursue anyway, it was Radiohead’s Amnesiac. I loved the band already but felt put off by the work at first. Even then, I put it away, came back later and fell in love on whichever was the next fresh listen.
But several of my favorite artists, I literally had no interest in at all at first. Then they just caught me in the right moment and the right emotional space. Some of these albums date back to the first I bought, around 13ish(?) and have been favorites for well over 20 years.
Again I don’t think everyone should experience music this way. It’s just my experience. My only point in sharing it, besides sharing a bit of my own joy, is to welcome other people who do find it appealing to either pursue it or feel less oddball for it.
You’re welcome to enjoy listening and discovering music however you see fit. I’m glad you like what you like! This isn’t a conflict or at least it shouldn’t be.
Edit: I also want to be clear, my investment in revisiting music I'd panned wasn’t monetary at all. I have hundreds of CDs I listened to once or twice and tossed in a binder, ignored ever since. My investment is “something about this work felt interesting to me; it still does, even if I’m not ready for it now; I want to revisit it again, and having some artifact [whether it’s a physical album or even just a download] leaves me something to re-discover.”
Right, I totally get this point, I'm not trying to be dismissive. I've had similar experiences. I'm just saying I've also bought something and felt guilty for not enjoying it, and spent time trying and failing to get into it.
Welp, devotion plays the largest role when it comes to enjoying something, and paying for an album already means the person is already devoted into it. Devotion allows juicing out more fun from the same item.
I do get where you're coming from, I'm very nostalgic for my old click-wheel iPod. Probably the biggest downside in moving away from physical media in my mind is the loss of the rest of the album art.