The musicians in “The Distortion of Sound” were most concerned about the sound quality of their music. They want it to be an authentic recreation of their vision, with all the complexities and nuance intended. So much of the work that goes into mixing and mastering music is lost on low quality speakers or earbuds and MP3 compression. They alleged that compression takes out the details and quality of the music in favor of convenience.
I listen to my music primarily through streaming services like Spotify. I also collect vinyl records and sometimes I listen to them on my record player. I love the whole experience of listening to a record on vinyl, especially opening one up for the first time. Getting to sit down and really go through all the artwork, pictures, lyrics, and posters included with the record itself is so fun. It feels like a secret message from the artist to me. So much time goes into every aspect of an album, from the music to the visual art. I agree with the musicians in “The Distortion of Sound ”, so much is lost in digitalization. I mainly use Spotify because it is so convenient and easy to find new artists.
I’ve never noticed any quality issues with streaming services. A lot of what the musicians discussed in the documentary focused on sound quality issues stemming from bad earbuds or speakers and compression. Earbuds in 2014 were of a much lower quality than today’s wireless AirPods or Bose devices. I remember using flimsy plastic headphones like the ones shown on screen and they were horrible quality, often muffled and distorted. To me, this is less of an issue today. I can’t speak to the differences between compressed music and vinyl as I’ve had some clarity issues with my records. This is likely due to the suitcase style record player I own, which is known for its second-rate speakers and clarity issues. I don’t listen to my records as often as I would otherwise, but I’m hoping to eventually get a proper set up to play them.
Regardless, I think myself and the musicians can agree that all we want is an authentic representation of their music, to feel every note the way the artist designed it.