{"id":866,"date":"2011-07-04T01:34:34","date_gmt":"2011-07-04T01:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arpjournal.com\/?p=866"},"modified":"2012-05-28T05:05:04","modified_gmt":"2012-05-28T05:05:04","slug":"adult-mp3-users%e2%80%99-perspectives-on-past-and-present-consumer-audio-technology-does-the-music-still-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arpjournal.com\/asarpwp\/adult-mp3-users%e2%80%99-perspectives-on-past-and-present-consumer-audio-technology-does-the-music-still-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Adult MP3 Users\u2019 Perspectives on Past and Present Consumer Audio Technology: Does the Music Still Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/em>Introduction<\/h3>\n

On an average day, as we navigate through our lives in city or suburb, we encounter a fairly ubiquitous sight:\u00a0 audio consumers plugged into their digital audio MP3 player by means of earbuds or headset, enjoying a world of sonic programming all to themselves.\u00a0 We hear news accounts of the Apple iPod from all corners: twenty-two million units sold between October and November 2008 alone; a queen receives an iPod as the ultimate gift of diplomatic friendship; a young living Buddha destined to guide Tibet forgoes the typically quiet monastic lifestyle and listens to hip-hop music on his iPod; people consider running back into a burning building or jumping on subway tracks to save their beloved iPods.\u00a0 You can find an online photo gallery at ipodlounge.com featuring pictures of iPods around the world.\u00a0 You can order your own iPod LEGO toy tribute at PodBrix.com \u2013 \u201c1000 brix in the pocket.\u201d\u00a0 The list goes on. This simple digital audio player has played center stage since its arrival on the market, and it still demands our attention and captures our imagination today.<\/p>\n

How can we characterize the MP3 format\u2019s cultural impact on the world?\u00a0 How has the iPod changed audio and how we listen to it? \u00a0Ten years after Apple\u2019s introduction of the iPod in 2001, the dust only now begins to settle.\u00a0 A rich swath of unexplored territory of scholarly study beckons, and the audio consumption revolution\u2019s cultural fallout will most likely produce years of research.\u00a0 Already, many studies of MP3 technology have explored youthful users and their consumption habits and attitudes (LaRose, Lai, Lange, Love, & Wu, 2005; Shade, Porter, & Sanchez, 2005; Emanuel, Adams, Baker, Daufin, Ellington, Fitts, et al., 2008; Sinha, & Mandel, 2008).<\/p>\n

However, none of these studies address questions of a more historical nature, such as, does the music or audio programming still matter as much now than in the past?\u00a0 Does today\u2019s consumer audio technology offer a completely new listening experience than did older technology? Does listening to audio still constitute the main event in audio consumer culture, or do other things related to the MP3 revolution possibly dilute or strengthen the listening experience?<\/p>\n

This paper argues that the MP3 audio consumption experience may differ from that of the past \u2013 particularly with regard to cultural elements of MP3 that have little or nothing to do with the actual act of listening to sound.\u00a0 This study argues that experiential peripherals<\/em> may play a more significant role in MP3 technology than in past music consumer technologies.\u00a0 The term \u201cexperiential peripherals\u201d refers to experiences connected to but not directly involved with the listening function in audio consumption.\u00a0 If peripherals indeed play a more significant role, the peripherals would also probably affect the core experience of listening in some way.\u00a0 As a result, the audio consumer armed with MP3 technology could not listen to the recorded audio in the same manner as was done in the past, and relevance of the audio content, therefore, might possibly change.\u00a0 For example, do peripherals distract the audio consumer?\u00a0 Could peripherals enhance the act of listening?\u00a0 Do record production practices impact the influence of peripherals?<\/p>\n

Qualitative interviews of adult MP3 users were conducted for this study, because adult MP3 users have often used older audio technologies (such as phonograph, 8-track, cassette, and compact disc) in addition to the new, and therefore stand at unique technological crossroads.\u00a0 Therefore, this study asks the following research questions:<\/p>\n

RQ1:\u00a0 How do adult MP3 users view their experience with the MP3 format in general?<\/p>\n

RQ2: How do adult MP3 users perceive this experience in relation to their experience with older consumer audio technology?<\/p>\n

This paper will first attempt to clarify an original concept of \u201cexperiential peripherals\u201d in audio consumer technology usage.\u00a0 The paper will then describe some of the existing literature addressing these peripherals in relation to MP3 technology. The method of the study and the study\u2019s results follow, and finally the paper will discuss the findings and conclude with a look toward future MP3 culture studies.<\/p>\n

Experiential Peripherals in MP3 Consumption<\/h3>\n

Coolness factor (brand, status), ease of use and ease of music acquisition, psychological mood benefits, and the control of personal space constitute some of the most significant or influential experiential peripherals in regard to MP3 technology, as supported by the MP3 literature.\u00a0 However, before this paper addresses these topics that appear in the literature, I will offer some of the reasoning that contributed to the notion of experiential peripherals. \u00a0During my professional record production work taking place over the past twenty years or so, I noticed that many conversations about recorded-music consumption seemed to transition from a focus on the music itself to a focus on concepts that did not directly relate to the music, that is, to things that \u201csurrounded\u201d the main event of listening.\u00a0 For example, people more frequently talked about how cool their iPods were and what color device they chose, or how many songs they could download from what websites, or how they could ignore everyone at the bus stop by plugging themselves into their MP3 player, etc., and less frequently discussed what songs made what impressions on them, or what new lyrics had shocked or thrilled them, or most important to me, how wonderful the latest recording from their favorite artist sounded. This transition occurred during shifts in popularity of particular music consumer technologies: the popularity of vinyl and cassettes eventually surrendered to the popularity of CDs, and then MP3 technology all but supplanted the music consumer technology that preceded it.\u00a0 As a consequence of this observation, I wondered if the music that I was recording and producing was somehow becoming part of a new (and perhaps worrisome) music consumption \u201creality,\u201d or culture — one in which the act of listening to music was somehow shifting in relative importance to other experiences connected to but not directly involved with listening<\/em>.\u00a0 And if this held some truth, I subsequently asked myself if — and how — my record production practices might play a role in this new consumption equation.<\/p>\n

The idea of naming these unrelated concepts \u2018peripherals\u2019 came from the concept of the computer and its relationship with peripherals and accessories.\u00a0 The CPU, or central processing unit of the computer, performs the \u2018thinking\u2019.\u00a0 All of the other equipment, such as the cables, printers, screen, mouse, etc., comprises the peripherals and accessories related to the CPU. \u00a0Helpful to the system, indeed, and sometimes utterly necessary (hard to use a computer without a screen or monitor), these items serve a secondary purpose to the primary function of the central device.\u00a0 But this \u201cperipheral\u201d metaphor cannot be applied to music consumer culture without one inconsistency: manufacturers create computer peripheral equipment with the clear intent of functionally supporting the computer system, in particular, supporting the main CPU.\u00a0 In the case of MP3 technology, I argue that the question remains open as to whether experiential peripherals support the main act of consuming music.\u00a0 Herein lies the philosophical heart of this paper\u2019s inquiry.<\/p>\n

Please see figures 1 and 2, to examine a graphic conceptualization of experiential peripherals.\u00a0 Two listening technologies appear in the diagrams:\u00a0 phonograph and MP3, which stand far apart from each other in the historical development of consumer audio technology.\u00a0 The relative sizes of the peripherals do not describe specific data in the study; rather they reflect the author\u2019s perceptual distributions or \u2018weightings\u2019 of importance assigned to different experiential aspects of music consumption by technology type.\u00a0 Five of the diagrammed peripherals, mood control (psychological manipulation), ease of use and ease of acquisition, brand and status, and control of personal space appear in the MP3 literature, and this paper offers further explanation of the concepts in later sections.\u00a0 Other peripherals in the diagrams, such as additional program information (liner notes, recording credits, photography, and album art) and companionship (the perception of the music player as a beloved friend, worth risking one\u2019s life to retrieve from train tracks or a burning house) come from the author\u2019s exposure to news stories and conversations about music consumption technology. In a future study, actual data could replace speculative data in this kind of display, including thematic data derived from further qualitative inquiry or survey data obtained by quantitative means.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

Figure 1. Experiential peripherals and phonograph technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

Figure 2. Experiential peripherals and MP3 technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

In summary, with regard to experiential peripherals, we would consider listening to music or audio as the primary function of the technology, both for current and past consumption.\u00a0 Other effects, experiences or phenomena connected to the usage of the specific technology at hand would constitute the \u201cexperiential peripherals\u201d of the technology.\u00a0 The previously mentioned peripheral areas specific to MP3 technology that appear in scholarly communications literature merit discussion in the following sections of the paper.<\/p>\n

Coolness factor: brand and status<\/h3>\n

Ferguson (2008) and Hayes (2006) both discussed music media branding and status.\u00a0 Ferguson blasted iPod culture in her assessment of the device\u2019s purpose:<\/p>\n

The tactile encounter with the product may be the one that is most often mentioned in reviews, but the \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0iconic advertising and somewhat staged performances of wearing the device \u2013 not to be tucked into any pocket, although this is simply a personal observation \u2013 suggests that the pleasure is one of managed social stratification.\u00a0 There is the pleasure of similarity with an advertised ideal of silhouetted hipsters, as well as with fellow consumers, and there is the delight of difference, always a part of personal stereo use and particularly obvious in the display of status through commercial brands.\u00a0 Is it this which tugs at our heart strings and renders us less interested in the sound to be heard therein<\/em> [italics added] than in the touch, the visual display and the kinaesthetic satisfaction of a body in sync with the normative values of late capitalism? (2008. p. 75)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ferguson supported the notion that listening possibly becomes secondary to peripherals surrounding the technology.\u00a0 Hayes (2006) described a counter-culture of younger vinyl users who actively attempt to resist the very \u201ccoolness\u201d that MP3 culture embraces.\u00a0 Because \u201ccoolness\u201d has a presence in the literature, and also impacts technology sales, the concept was included in this study.\u00a0 Specifically, this study explores the possibility that the \u201ccoolness factor\u201d doesn\u2019t play as large a role in older music consumer technology as it does in today\u2019s MP3 culture.\u00a0 Also, portability plays a potential role in the significance of the \u201ccoolness\u201d factor, because carrying a portable player in public inherently means the display of brand and the conferring of that brand\u2019s perceived status.\u00a0 The next section addresses this experiential peripheral, and two related concepts.<\/p>\n

Ease of use: acquisition, sharing, and portability<\/h3>\n

The ease with which the music fan acquires new music media via MP3 can override the need to actually listen to it.\u00a0 Acquisition and sharing of music files becomes a habit instead of a means to an end, and the music that in days past played for the consumer today can sit untouched (LaRose, Lai, Lange, Love, & Wu, 2005).\u00a0 Indeed, data gathered in the first interview for this study supports this idea.\u00a0 Sterne (2006) implied that much of the cultural significance of MP3 technology lies in its simplicity: \u201c\u2026this is the mode in which MP3s work: they are important precisely because they are useful but do not call attention to themselves in practice\u201d (p. 828).\u00a0 However, young members of vinyl counter-culture embrace exactly that which MP3 users avoid: active participation in the work of successful playback of music on their devices (Hayes, 2006).\u00a0 This study consequently examines the ease-of-use peripheral to explore whether it impacts the \u201cmain event\u201d \u2013 the act of listening to audio.<\/p>\n

Psychological manipulation: shuffle<\/h3>\n

Apple created one of its later iPod versions to function only in this important manner:\u00a0 random playback, meaning no predetermined or logical order to the songs.\u00a0 Never before have we seen such a powerful change in listening habits, and the literature, both scholarly and otherwise, attempts to describe the cultural fallout. Steven Levy (2006), a technical journalist by trade, wrote a fascinating account of the iPod, and as a tribute to the significance of shuffle mode, \u201cshuffled\u201d the chapters in his book so that they can be read in any order. (Other copies of the book also might have the chapters in a different order.)\u00a0 He declared that shuffle mode defines the \u201ciPod generation\u201d (p. 4), and described a new consumer mind-set that demands choice, subsequently turning pre-existing modes of thought about media consumption on its head.\u00a0 Some studies revealed that music consumers go as far as attributing the random selections played by their MP3 players to a spiritual synchronicity or other force beyond the technology (Levy, S., 2006; Ferguson, 2008).\u00a0 These consumers felt that because of their close relationship with their devices, the devices would \u201cknow\u201d what to play for them. Vinyl enthusiasts of many ages report a special relationship with their medium of choice by attributing human characteristics to the medium (Yochim and Biddinger, 2008).\u00a0 However, the difference between the two technologies lies in the ideas of \u201cimperfection\u201d, like vinyl, compared to the \u201crandomness\u201d of shuffle mode.\u00a0 Shuffle trumps any flaw or imperfection in the listening process. \u00a0Joe Levy (2007), writing for Rolling Stone<\/em>, described his own technical shootout between vinyl, CD, and MP3 (actually AAC iTunes files \u2013 similar to MP3) and concludes that they absolutely don\u2019t sound the same as they were intended in the vinyl and expressed discomfort and disappointment.\u00a0 Despite the letdown with the digital formats, he finishes his experiment by returning to his iPod: \u201cNow I was just jumpy and eager for the sound to change.\u00a0 So I pushed \u2018shuffle\u2019.\u00a0 And suddenly everything was fine\u201d (p. 2).\u00a0 The gratification of immediate and random playback ultimately superseded the primary goal of listening; \u201cshuffle\u201d won over the sound of the music itself.\u00a0 One possible implication of this is that random ordering of music brings about an entirely new structure in the listening of music.\u00a0 The significance of the psychological peripheral could then clearly differentiate MP3 listening from older music consumer technology consumption.<\/p>\n

Portability and space control: personal and public spheres<\/h3>\n

Michael Bull (2001) set the stage for music portability studies just prior to the release of the Apple iPod in his study of Walkman personal stereo technology.\u00a0 He argued that users manipulated their personal space in public places by keeping the headphones in place and music turned on.\u00a0 (In one ethnographic interview-like moment, my stepdaughter admitted to me that she often plants her earbuds in her ears with no music playing <\/em>to keep people from interacting with her in public.\u00a0 Now, that\u2019s managing personal boundaries with a culturally accepted visual<\/em> mode of self-containment.)\u00a0 Other studies that addressed portability and socialization include Ferguson (2008) and Emanuel, Adams, Baker, Daufin, Ellington, Fitts, et al. (2008).\u00a0 The bulk of the studies argued that portability and control of personal space constitute the most significant changes to society as a result of MP3 consumer culture. This study looks for similarities in MP3 portability as compared with older Walkman technologies (cassette and CD), but at the same time assumes that the portability peripheral plays a much larger role in MP3 music listening than it did in any other time in the past.<\/p>\n

Now, having reviewed some of the scholarly literature in the area of MP3 experiential peripherals, the next two sections of the paper will describe the study\u2019s method and results.<\/p>\n

Method<\/h3>\n

Research design<\/h4>\n

This exploratory investigation utilized the qualitative interview method because of its \u201cability to travel deeply and broadly into subjective realities\u201d (Lindlof & Taylor, 2002, p.170). \u00a0The study sought to explore the meaning of old and new audio consumer technology in the everyday lives of the study subjects, and to capture those descriptions in the subjects\u2019 own words.\u00a0 The interview guide for the study appears in Appendix A of this paper.\u00a0 I did not follow the interview guide verbatim, but the guide served as a good tool for keeping the interviews (for the most part) on track.\u00a0 I asked the participants about experiential peripherals only in an indirect manner, to determine if the subjects would raise the peripheral topics on their own.<\/p>\n

Participants<\/h4>\n

Three adult males MP3 users served as interview participants. The participant pool was purposely limited to three subjects due to the exploratory nature of the study.\u00a0 The age of the subjects varied: two of the subjects were thirty-years old and the other fifty-four-years old. The first thirty-year old called himself a music fan, (\u201cmusic fan\u201d) the second thirty-year old made a living in the recording industry, (\u201caudio engineer\u201d), and the fifty-four-year old described himself as a singer-songwriter (\u201csongwriter\u201d).\u00a0 All three were chosen for the study because they specifically identified themselves as regular, daily users of MP3 technology.\u00a0 They also identified themselves as users of older audio consumer technology from the past.\u00a0 The subjects were not paid in cash, but given food and drink.\u00a0 No females participated in the study, nor did any MP3 users under the age of thirty-years old.<\/p>\n

Procedure<\/h4>\n

I conducted the interviews in an informal setting with privacy. I recorded the interviews and subsequently reviewed the recordings for salient points. \u00a0I noted specific thematic data, and included them at the end of the results section of this paper.\u00a0 Subjects were allowed to expound upon any MP3 topic that they found intriguing or particularly important.\u00a0 The shortest session took forty-five minutes to complete; the longest ended after an hour and a half.\u00a0 I promised anonymity to all participants.\u00a0 A primary goal of the interviews was to foster uninhibited and candid discussion about the full range of topics related to MP3 usage.\u00a0 The institutional review board for human subjects research at Johns Hopkins University approved the research protocol for this study.<\/p>\n

Results<\/h4>\n

This section will detail the findings of the interviews in sections specific to the individual interview subjects, or in other words, in the order of \u201cmusic fan\u201d, \u201caudio engineer\u201d, and \u201csongwriter\u201d interview results.\u00a0 A brief summary will conclude the results section.<\/p>\n

The first thirty year-old male (\u201cmusic fan\u201d) served as the initial interview subject for this study.\u00a0 He said that he collects a large number of songs from the internet to determine what live shows to attend. He felt that MP3 offers him the ability to expose himself to a much greater amount of music in general.\u00a0 He admitted collecting songs that he never listens to, just for the satisfaction of collecting.\u00a0 The interview subject related to me (with what I perceived as pride) the affinity he has with non-Apple MP3 players; he refuses to use iTunes to acquire his music or create MP3s from his CD collection.\u00a0 He has a large CD collection, which he rarely listens to, unless he\u2019s auditioning one for possible transfer to MP3.\u00a0 He used cassette technology as a youth and never had much exposure to vinyl.\u00a0 He has no special affinity for any older music consumer technology.\u00a0 For him it<\/em> still is about the music, <\/em>and for him listening has changed but little; the listening itself still plays a central role in his consumption, and he just simply listens to music all the more than he used to.<\/p>\n

The second thirty-year old male (\u201caudio engineer\u201d) revealed that he only used the MP3 format when necessary in his professional work.\u00a0 He never uses the format for personal listening, because of what he regards as poor sound quality.\u00a0 Clients that use his engineering services often need their work formatted to MP3 for release on the internet, and also for submission to song contests and the like.\u00a0 In his earlier audio consumption years, he started caring about the sound quality of his personal listening experience when he first owned a car.\u00a0 From that time, car ownership and the listening format that came with the car at purchase helped determine his audio consumption habits.\u00a0 8-track tape, cassette, minidisc and CD formats constituted his experience with past consumer technology. He believes that the quality of music in general suffers because of cheaper digital recording technology, and because the newer format does not require the care or thought that older technology did from its users, such as the cautious handling and cleaning of vinyl records.\u00a0 He also believes MP3 simply provides another way to distribute music, nothing more, nothing less.<\/p>\n

The last interview subject, (\u201csongwriter\u201d), also attributed his past experience with audio consumer technology to using whatever came with his car at purchase.\u00a0 However, this subject also had experience with phonograph technology, unlike the other interview subjects.\u00a0 He used 8-track, cassette, and CD in his cars, and recently purchased a car radio with a dedicated input for a portable MP3 player.\u00a0 (Many current car adaptors for MP3 players require an FM transmission technology, subject to interference and other extra noise.)\u00a0 He expressed concern for the disappearance of \u201calbum listening\u201d in the MP3 age. He remembers the many songs he grew to love only after being exposed to them as they played between his other immediate favorites within album sequences.\u00a0 He also spoke of the old mode of audio acquisition in the vinyl age \u2013 he enjoyed going to a real store and talking to real people about the music he was looking for, and how that process lead to a great sense of satisfaction as soon as the new album hit the phonograph platter at home.<\/p>\n

A few emerging themes found in the interview data include cars and consumer audio technology, willingness to embrace new technology and abandon the old, and a somewhat detached and unaffected view of MP3 and the buzz that surrounds it.\u00a0 None of the three interviews yielded much data suggesting that peripherals influenced the subjects\u2019 current MP3 audio consumption experiences.<\/p>\n

In the final section of the paper I will examine the results of the interviews as they relate to the study\u2019s research questions and thesis.<\/p>\n

Discussion<\/h3>\n

The interviews provided rich accounts of past and present audio consumer MP3 habits and culture among the interview subjects.\u00a0 However, this study does not find support for its assertion that experiential peripherals play a more significant role in MP3 audio consumption compared with audio technologies of the past.\u00a0 The paper will discuss a number of possible reasons for this, and will then offer suggestions for other future MP3 culture research.<\/p>\n

First, limitations of this study\u2019s research method contribute to the lack of support for the study\u2019s thesis.\u00a0 The interview schedule reads more like a survey, and certainly many of the topics included in the schedule were left alone because of the total number of topics in the schedule.\u00a0 Also, the questions could have specified the particular experiential peripherals under scrutiny in the study, and the subjects could have commented directly upon them.\u00a0 The attempt of the interviewer to \u201cstay out of the way\u201d and see if the peripheral topics came up during the conversational exchanges probably proved too distant an approach to get to the central issues of this study.<\/p>\n

Second, limitations of the study\u2019s interview participants also contribute to a lack of support for the thesis.\u00a0 Three respondents constitute an extremely small pool of MP3 culture informants, and if the number of respondents increased, the variability of responses would probably increase as well.\u00a0 In addition, younger members of MP3 culture would possibly express more interest in the cultural experiential peripherals than older adult members, because adults bring their old listening habits and culture from the past with them. \u00a0Older MP3 users served the historical inquiry of the study well, but they possibly could not divorce themselves from their behavioral roots in phonograph, cassette and CD consumption.\u00a0 Finally, one other issue of interview subject selection involves the question of gender.\u00a0 No female interview subjects participated in the study, and therefore, the element of gender and audio consumption culture remains unknown.<\/p>\n

Yet, the literature mentioned earlier in the paper supports the notion that experiential peripherals play at least some<\/em> role in MP3 culture, as well as in general audio media consumption. \u00a0Further scholarly inquiry can help determine the degree to which this rings true.\u00a0 Future studies of MP3 culture and experiential peripherals could include a larger sample of the population.\u00a0 A survey might serve as an excellent method for investigating cultural experiential peripherals.\u00a0 The relative size of the peripheral \u201cspheres of influence\u201d in the earlier diagrams could represent actual survey data, and studies could make clear analytical claims, transferable to a larger population, based on reliable data.\u00a0 MP3 culture studies could also make a point of asking respondents directly, not indirectly, about these experiential \u201csatellites\u201d that orbit the center of their MP3 cultural system \u2013 the act of listening to audio.<\/p>\n

In the end, the data collected here support the notion that MP3 still just simply means listening to audio, or in particular, to music.\u00a0 As Steve Jobs, chief executive officer of Apple said, \u201cIt\u2019s not like we\u2019re making a gizmo and taking it out in the world and trying to convince people that they love music.\u00a0 People know that already.\u00a0 So all we\u2019re doing is reinventing the experience of enjoying music\u2026\u201d(Levy, 2006, p. 255).\u00a0 In other words, the experience of listening changes as technology changes, but ultimately the audio content, especially music, can still \u201cmatter.\u201d<\/p>\n

About the Author<\/h3>\n

Heidi Gerber
\nJohns Hopkins University
\nruffmix@aol.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Bibliography<\/h3>\n

Beer, D. 2008. The Iconic interface and the veneer of simplicity: MP3 players and the reconfiguration of music collecting and reproduction practices in the digital age.\u00a0 Information, Communication and Society<\/em>, 11<\/em>(1), 71-88.<\/p>\n

Beller, T. 2006, February 12. iPod on the tracks. The New York Times<\/em>. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from http:\/\/www.nytimes.com<\/p>\n

Bull, M. 2001. The world according to sound: Investigating the world of Walkman users. New Media and Society<\/em>, (3<\/em>)2, 179-197.<\/p>\n

Cooper, H. 2009. Obamas give queen Elizabeth an ipod. The New York Times<\/em>. \u00a0 Retrieved April 29, 2009, from http:\/\/www.nytimes.com<\/p>\n

Dongu, R. 2009, March 18. Fire displaces residents from 16 apartments. The Gazette<\/em>, p. A11.<\/p>\n

Emanuel, R., Adams, J., Baker, K., Daufin, E., Ellington, C., Fitts, E., et al. 2008. How college students spend their time communicating. International Journal of Listening<\/em>, 22<\/em>(1), 13-28.<\/p>\n

Ferguson, K. 2008. Aural addictions. Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, 22<\/em>(1), 69-77.<\/p>\n

Kotarba, J. A. 2005, July. Rock \u2018n\u2019 roll experiences in middle age. American Behavioral Scientist, 48<\/em>, 1524-1537.<\/p>\n

LaRose, R., Lai, Y., Lange, R., Love, B., & Wu, Y. 2005. Sharing or piracy? An exploration of downloading behavior. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11<\/em>(1), 1-21.<\/p>\n

Levy, S. 2006. The perfect thing: How the iPod shuffles commerce, culture, and coolness<\/em>. New York: Simon & Schuster.<\/p>\n

Levy, S. 2007. The perfect thing: How the iPod shuffles commerce, culture, and coolness. [Review]. Journal of Popular Culture<\/em>, 40<\/em>, 1084-1086.<\/p>\n

Lindlof, T. R., & Taylor, B. C. 2002. Qualitative communication research methods <\/em>(2nd<\/sup> ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.<\/p>\n

Marontate, J. 2005, July. Digital recording and the reconfiguration of music as \u00a0 performance. American Behavioral Scientist, 48<\/em>, 1422-1438.<\/p>\n

Pinch, T., & Bijsterveld, K. 2004, October. Sound studies: New technologies and music. Social Studies of Science, 34<\/em>, 635-648.<\/p>\n

Rodman, G., & Vanderdonckt, C. 2006. Music for nothing or, I want my mp3. Cultural Studies<\/em>, 20<\/em>, 245-261.<\/p>\n

Shade, L., Porter, N., & Sanchez, W. 2005. You can see anything on the internet, you can do anything on the internet!: Young Canadians talk about the internet. Canadian Journal of Communication, 30, <\/em>503-526.<\/p>\n

Sinha, R., & Mandel, N. 2008, January.\u00a0 Preventing digital music piracy: The carrot or the stick?\u00a0 Journal of Marketing, 72<\/em>(1), 1-15.<\/p>\n

Sterne, J. 2006. The MP3 as cultural artifact. New Media & Society<\/em>, 8<\/em>, 825-842.<\/p>\n

Theberge, P. 2004, October. The network studio: Historical and technological paths to a new ideal in music making. Social Studies of Science, 34, <\/em>759-781.<\/p>\n

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Yochim, E., & Biddinger, M. 2008. ‘It kind of gives you that vintage feel’: Vinyl records and the trope of death. Media, Culture & Society<\/em>, 30<\/em>, 183-195.<\/p>\n

Yzer, M., & Southwell, B. 2008. New communication technologies, old questions. American Behavioral Scientist<\/em>, 52<\/em>(1), 8-20.<\/p>\n

Appendix A<\/h3>\n

Interview Outline<\/h4>\n

I<\/strong>. Usage Patterns:<\/p>\n

Please describe your daily usage of your MP3 player.<\/p>\n

How many times do you use your MP3 player each day?<\/p>\n

Do you usually engage in other activities while listening to MP3s?\u00a0 If so, what activities?<\/p>\n

What time of day do you use your MP3 player?<\/p>\n

How often do you listen to MP3 files without a portable player?<\/p>\n

How does your MP3 usage differ from listening patterns of the past with other technologies?<\/p>\n

II<\/strong>. Listening Attitudes and Perceptions:<\/p>\n

How does your MP3 listening satisfy your music listening needs?<\/p>\n

How do you perceive your MP3 listening experience?\u00a0 Please describe your feelings and attitudes.<\/p>\n

If you could improve anything about your MP3 experience, what would it be?<\/p>\n

If you lost your MP3 player, please describe what you would do.<\/p>\n

How did earlier changes in older consumer technologies influence your listening habits or experience?<\/p>\n

III<\/strong>. Specific Comparisons with Older Music Consumption Technology:<\/p>\n

What other consumer technology have you used to listen to music?<\/p>\n

Is the MP3 a superior format to older formats, and if so, why?\u00a0 If not, why not?<\/p>\n

Do you ever use older technology for your music listening, and if so, what format and why?\u00a0 Have you left older formats completely behind?<\/p>\n

How were you introduced to MP3 technology?<\/p>\n

How did you learn to use MP3 technology?\u00a0 What help, if any, did you receive from others?<\/p>\n

What is the best thing about the MP3 format when compared with other formats?\u00a0 What is the worst thing?<\/p>\n

From the past to the present, is there any musical genre, particular song, or other recorded material that relied in part or whole on its original technological format to attain its full artistic or aesthetic impact?<\/p>\n

IV<\/strong>. MP3 Culture Issues & Controversies:<\/p>\n

A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sociability and Public Spaces<\/p>\n

Do you use your MP3 player in public spaces?\u00a0 If so, where?\u00a0 Did you ever use older audio players in public?\u00a0 Was the experience different?<\/p>\n

Do people in public places ever give you cues that they don\u2019t approve of your use of the technology in public spaces?\u00a0 If so, how do they communicate their disapproval?<\/p>\n

Do you ever use your MP3 player to avoid socializing with people in your immediate surroundings?\u00a0 If so, how often?<\/p>\n

Does MP3 use facilitate any increases in your social interaction with others?\u00a0 If so, how?\u00a0 If not, why not?<\/p>\n

Did older forms of consumer audio technology enhance or diminish your social interaction with others?<\/p>\n

B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Purchasing files<\/p>\n

What websites have you used to purchase MP3 files?\u00a0 What site(s) did you use, and what was your level of satisfaction with the purchase?<\/p>\n

How did you acquire audio material with older technology?\u00a0 How was it similar to or different from the downloading experience with MP3?<\/p>\n

C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Image and Group Context<\/p>\n

Do you own an iPod or another type of MP3 player?\u00a0 If you own other than an iPod, what?<\/p>\n

What or who influenced you to obtain the MP3 player you use?<\/p>\n

Do you feel any rapport with other users of MP3 technology?\u00a0 If so, please describe.<\/p>\n

Do you share your MP3 files with any other MP3 users?\u00a0 If so, how do you share your music?<\/p>\n

Do you have a brand loyalty to any consumer audio manufacturer? If so, why?\u00a0 Also, if so, what forms of their consumer audio technology have you used in the past?<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

V<\/strong>. Closing Questions:<\/p>\n

What else is important to you about using MP3 technology?<\/p>\n

Did this interview change any of your attitudes about MP3 technology?\u00a0 If so, please describe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now that MP3 has established itself as the primary means by which music fans consume their programming, what shifts in consumers\u2019 perceptions about the listening process, if any, have occurred? Do today\u2019s listening experiences with MP3 technology differ from listening experiences of the past?
\nThis exploratory study investigates adult audio consumer culture using in-depth qualitative interviews. Adult MP3 users who have used older audio technologies (such as phonograph, 8-track, cassette, and compact disc) discussed their past and present listening habits. The study found that adult MP3 users perceived today\u2019s listening experiences as similar to those they had with older consumer technologies.
\nThe paper also introduces the new theoretical concept of \u201cexperiential peripherals,\u201d which refers to experiences connected to but not directly involved with the listening function in audio consumption.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[65],"class_list":["post-866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles-editorials-provocations","tag-conference-paper","author-heidi-gerber"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arpjournal.com\/asarpwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arpjournal.com\/asarpwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arpjournal.com\/asarpwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arpjournal.com\/asarpwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arpjournal.com\/asarpwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=866"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.arpjournal.com\/asarpwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1223,"href":"https:\/\/www.arpjournal.com\/asarpwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866\/revisions\/1223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arpjournal.com\/asarpwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arpjournal.com\/asarpwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arpjournal.com\/asarpwp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}