would anyone wanna pass around a 2tb ssd drive via mail? this archive needs to be in as many complete hands as possible! im happy to send someone a drive!
That's an interesting idea you've put forward, and I've also toyed with similar notions from time to time. But I never followed through on this idea due to the considerations that Retronic et al have already articulated.
There have been times over the last 15 years when I've been really ill. So ill, that I begin to think about my own mortality and what would I want to happen to my own music archives in my eventual demise?
Like most of the LMT Community, I've got several external HDDs totaling several TBs of music, spoken word, background notes, etc. What would happen to my archives if I suddenly didn't wake up one day? Would strangers be rifling through my most precious things, grabbing whatever they could carry away, like so many sticky-fingered, bipedal cockroaches?
That's when the idea came to me, if I had a little bit of warning from my doctor, etc that I'd contact several "serious" collector types here @ LMT and mail out my HDDs where I know the legacy of musical archiving will continue for an indefinite period with loving care. That way, thousands of hours of research, detective work and downloading (and my own personal small fortune) wouldn't be wasted or otherwise profaned by unclean hands.
The alternative is that strangers might get my HDDs, glance at the files, then grumble about all the "crap" music I have on there, then proceed to erase the drives, filling them up with "Reality" TV, or some gawdawful animal husbandry porn, etc. I shudder to imagine! These exquisite Production Library sounds that exist therein must be preserved at all costs!
Also, as Retronic explained, this
"Have It Your Way" Burger King-ization of Library threads is a bit of a downer for those people who've toiled for years (or decades??) listening to, loving and then hunting for these recordings, spending small fortunes in the pursuit of same, these threads are a bit of a downer. Please don't mistake my tone as being above all that. I've also feasted on these Mega-Threads, and I never complained then.
But lately, over time, I see this mentality more and more all around me. It's not a LMT phenomenon; this Burger King
"I want it NOW and I want it My Way" mentality is world-wide, especially in western cultures. In this case, nobody is immune from the temptation to have it
ALL, and Right
NOW! Why wait, if you don't have to?
I often wonder if this desire for instant gratification isn't generational as well as cultural?
For myself, I've had a long background in team oriented, fraternal activities. Whether it's the Boy Scouts, the football team, the Armed Forces, Freemasons, etc (it doesn't really matter what the org is, it's the team / meritocracy concept). And in that fraternity / team culture, you don't matriculate overnight. Not even in 6 months. That which is being developed within the individual takes precious time. Months at a minimum, but usually years of progression.
And that progression is also how I view my own development in relation to Production Library music. It's taken me years to learn what I've learned, to truly notice and appreciate some of the smaller details in a label, a composer, a particular track, etc. I guarantee you that anybody who could have all the Library music they could ever want, in one sitting, wouldn't be a Library music fan. They might be an entrepreneur, but they're not a fan of this genre.
Lastly, and I don't mean to sound like somebody's grandparent, but when you look back at your fondest memories, you'll often find that the wait for that big thing you wanted, is oftentimes our favorite memories. Waiting is challenging, but that's how we also build appreciation for the person, object or goal in question.
Real learning, appreciation and even Library culture takes time to cultivate. Enjoy your Library journey, and I hope it lasts you for several more decades of eargasmic enjoyment.
md
