Fandom in the Age of Music Streaming

It’s possible for music fans to utilize streaming with intention, but it’s not effortless. Rather than clicking on playlists and random recommendations, listeners can seek out albums and new releases from trusted sources (reviews, online radio shows, friends). And once a great album is discovered, learning more about it and the artist is just a few clicks away. That said, requiring the effort of intention won’t easily convert casual listeners into die-hard fans. But the seductive nature of playlists and algorithmic recommendations is turning fans into more passive listeners.

Intention used to be inherent in the medium. Gone are the days of merely perusing the CD or LP liner notes (or holding a curiosity-inspiring album cover) and digging further.

The writer Warren Ellis has been reclaiming his physical media, sorting through collected DVDs and CDs — and sending off for new additions — in defiance of the ephemeral streaming of digital art. Ellis’s re-transition is occurring in public, through his newsletter — Orbital Operations — and photos appearing on his blog. There’s a touch of paranoia about treasured music becoming unavailable, whether through hard drive failures, platform redundancy, the whims of corporate interests, or technological apocalypse. It’s a calculated “withdrawal from feeds and streams,” he says, implying that the download option is…