Music ADD

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tsevis/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

I have a problem.

It’s not just me, though. I sense others may be facing the same issue. I fear Music ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is plaguing our generation.

Back in high school, I used to listen to music on my Discman, on the 45-minute subway ride to school. I listened to the same CD, weeks on end, learning the words, discovering every nuance of every song.

Though as soon as I got an iPod and shelved my CDs, I noticed a change in my music-appreciation habits: I found myself skimming through music recklessly.

Do you have an iPod? You probably do, if you’re sitting here, reading this. Apple has sold well over 100 million iPods, so you either own one of those, or you own another type of mp3 player.

Thanks to HUGE amounts of storage space, iPods can hold thousands of songs and hundreds of albums, not to mention photos and video. I realized I could carry my entire library of music with me, and that in a few clicks, I could listen to whichever song I wanted at that moment.

For example, on a car trip, one minute I’d be listening to Be Quiet and Drive by the Deftones, and partway through I’d have a craving to hear Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root.

I would rarely listen to a whole album in one sitting. Only very very special artists had the power to hold my Music Attention for the length of an entire album. This required near-Alanis Morrissette Jagged Little Pill perfection, which the world hasn’t seen much of since 1995.

Which is what leads me to my current dilemma. I have a giftcard to iTunes and I want to spend it, but it’s taking me forever to figure out what to download! I keep playing loads of sample clips, but it’s totally infuriating because they only play random 30-second snippets. How will I be able to tell if the whole song is great?

I don’t want to buy an album where only one or two songs are good. I need something that will satisfy my disorder. I need a fix of some great music, an album that is excellent through and through.

Am I the only one who’s experienced this change in how I listen to music?

I’m trying to get better, I really am. Any tips?