CD player production ends at Linn

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8368895.stm

"The firm, which makes systems costing from £2,500 to more than £100,000, said discerning customers recognised the superior quality of digital streaming. "

Is digital streaming really superior?

On an earlier posting I was bemoaning the fact that I seemed to be suffering from musical burnout. A couple of people here suggested I listen to more radio. So last night I put a tentative toe back in the water and tuned into Radcliffe and Maconie.

At the end of the show they played the new single by Mark Knopfler, and it got me thinking as to why I am clueless about the sweatbanded plucker’s output over the past 20-odd years.

Back in the day the Dire Straits and Communique albums were sublime. By Making Movies and Love Over Gold the cracks were beginning to show, but not enough to put me off. Then, along came the monster that was Brothers In Arms (and Money For Nothing). From that point on I found it almost impossible to listen to them, let alone admit to ever liking them.

This is not an isolated incident. A similar fall from grace applies to UB40. First four albums, great. Red, Red Wine and Labour Of Love comes along and aforementioned LP’s are winging their way to the Record and Tape Exchange.

I was never a big Billy Joel fan but could see the appeal of Springsteen with a piano schtick of the early albums. Then, you guessed it, along comes An Innocent Man.

Sure, they got a lot of new fans and made shedloads of money. But what would you rather have, short term success or a body of work which stands the test of time?

And while we’re at it, any more examples?

I'm probably covering some old ground here but I have a question for the massive. Is there anyone else out there suffering from musical burnout?

I have a reasonable CD collection (1000+, no downloads) all ripped to iPod, yet for the life of me I can't find anything to listen to. Recently I've spent hours with said iPod on shuffle and haven't made it to the end of single track without reaching for the skip button.

Maybe I just need a new Smart Playlist to sort the wheat from the chaff. Or maybe it’s a case of putting aside some quality time with a whole album, playing it to death like the old days, immersing myself in it rather than the quick rush of shuffle.

Has the easy availability of music changed our listening habits? Has over-familiarity with our record collections made us harder to please?