Remember When...

If I can remember correctly, it was a Friday morning in November of 2003 when an event (at least at the time) changed the world of Hip-Hop. For months in advance that day, November 14, was planned around going to Karma records and picking up The Black Album. I can remember picking it up like it was yesterday; this shiny all black CD case which even at a young age seemed a tad pretentious, but it was Jay so it was cool, like beyond cool.

I skipped school that day, shot back to the crib and listened as my ears were infiltrated with what seemed to be a perfect, near movie-esque, departure from the game from Jay. The social experience of going somewhere and seeing people from all walks of life, caught up in this momentous occasion was something words cannot aptly describe.

These album release dates used to mean something. When you got your hands on the music, it was in the form of an actual tangible object, which actually had a feel to it that you had to take care of and treat well.

This experience made these objects special and gave them a sense of lasting value.

Nowadays we have none of that.

Instead of counting down the days until an album drops we wait for it to hit the internet. When that day does come, we don’t go anywhere to pick up the music; we sit on the couch searching blogs or Rapidshare links. Instead of picking up the music in the form of a tangible object, we mass download a variety of Mp3’s, most of which we’ll probably delete. There is no true ownership, just files and credit card purchases.

All of that means the music business has lost the power it used to have to make an album release date seem like an event. The music business has been placed in the hands of the fans in ways nearly unfathomable 20 years ago. We (fans) have adapted to the changing world, and ushered in a change in our culture as the blogosphere has provided an inlet for fans to be closer and more aware of the music world around them.

Leak dates have taken over as the “big day” for Internet fans, while the actual release dates are merely a test of patience for true fans. The “leak” is the actual event these days. Artists, although hating the fact that their album leaked, must do the job of taking back ownership and capitalizing in a sense, from all the hype given to the day an album leaks.

Do I miss going to the record store and picking up an album? Sure; however as I miss this prehistoric way of enjoying music, I understand the importance of innovation and creativity.

With these leak dates acting as social events, artists have to figure out where the party is and how to set themselves up to be the ones hosting the party as opposed to throwing a fit when the inevitable happens.