cetan's weblog a man, no plan, a blog, golbanalponnama.

SXSW 2010 music download

I'm currently working my way through the SXSW 2010 music download.

http://sites.google.com/site/sxswtorrent/

The first download is 646 singles from musical groups playing at this years SXSW festival. That's not all the bands, mind you. Just the ones included in the first download/release. Last year there were 1302 songs.

Every year since 2005 there's been a music download, and every year I spend the subsequent 365 days trying to trim and cull the list into a "Rob's Best-Of." In 2005, 2006, and 2007 I was able to do this, getting down to about 150 songs for each year. I failed to accomplish this in 2008 and 2009. Of course, in 2009 there were nearly 600 more songs than in previous years, but still.

Part of the problem stems from the results of the 2005-2007 best-of play lists. There are a number of songs on these lists that I simply do not like any more. I can't understand why I put a few of them there in there in the first place. So, that poses an interesting question: if those songs are there, what did I delete and why?

With 2008 and 2009 I found myself deleting fewer and fewer songs. "Well, I don't really want to listen to that /now/ but what about later?" It's an interesting question, I think...but one that freezes decision making.

There's also the possibility that my inner pack-rat is being a little more assertive. Just a little.

Anyway, I'm 200 songs in, or so, and I'm finding the quality and caliber of music to be as varied as all the previous years offerings. There's some really great music and some really awful "music." For the record, I don't even bother with the death-metal. Sorry death-metal fans, but I'm so very done with having someone scream (gutturally) at me for four-and-a-half minutes straight. And most of the rap is predictably narcissistic.