Physical media is awesome
I was thinking of trying to sound prophetic for this post. But instead I think I'll go on about how a recent gift has brought me incredible joy.
A little context, I love ttrpgs. And I greatly enjoy some indie titles I have on my shelf. The most recent kickstart of a Kal-Arath supplement, came also with a cassette tape for just a few more dollars with the zine. I thought, why not? Worst case, I start a small collection of one or two really indie tapes. On the otherhand, I could use this as a way to get back in to physical media. The supplement arrived and with it, the tape. I kept it on my shelf for a couple of months thinking about how I should look in to some way to play the tape. Because, of course I want to use it. I never got around to ordering one myself.
A couple months pass and it's near the end of December. My wife surprised me with a gift I wasn't expecting at all. A brand new cassette player that's supposed to imitate a Walkman. I am so, so happy to receive something like this. Much to my over-eagerness, I decided to look in to getting more tapes. I called my Aunt and got a couple more albums. Went to vintage stock and grabbed a couple that I thought had good covers.
Since then, I have ordered several more tapes online. Mostly dungeon synth and a bit of lofi, but for the older tapes from the 80s and 90s, thats where I'm going to need to look at eBay or local stores. I'm excited to build my collection. I've been using this cassette player so frequently since its been in my position and I realized something.
I love physical media. I think we have lost something with how we interact with media, with glass screens and living in the age that everything is instant. If I want to listen to a specific song, sure I could totally hit play on my phone. But to throw a tape in, and just listening to it all the way through. It has changed my relationship with music. Pushing big buttons and hearing the click of the mechanisms moving the tape, its something that brings such joy to my brain.
Maybe something like cassette isn't for everyone. CDs and vinyl are still around for a reason too! But having media that I OWN is huge for me. And I think there's something to be said for that.
Thanks for reading! I wrote this on my phone so dont mind the typos or poor grammar. :)
Y'all be safe out there!