To 'Pod or not to 'Pod

That is the question for region music lovers who can't let go of traditional formats

BY TIM SHELLBERG
Times Correspondent

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Sunday, October 16, 2005 12:13 AM CDT

The difference between a generation at 33-1/3 rpms and another at 4 megabytes was all
too evident for Bob Wichlinski at a past get-together with friends and family.

Wichlinski, a Porter Township trustee, and his guests unearthed an old turntable to listen
to some treasured vinyl recordings, which caught the youngsters at the gathering
offguard.

"The six children observed in amazement gazing upon the vinyl spinning on the platter,"
he recalled. "My son Neil remarked, 'It's a giant CD! And there's music on both sides?'  
We (adults) laughed."

"Eventually, as our 'fearless offspring' reign the marketplace, I have no doubt that
physical media, CDs for example, will go the way of vinyl," he added.

Over the course of the first six months of this year, music download sales have soared
towards the $800 million mark, more than tripling the amount sold last year and
accounting for 6 percent of the year's music sales, according to an article published this
month in PC World.

Additionally, MP3 players have become in some quarters as common as CD players and
radios, and with Apple's announcement Wednesday of an iPod capable of playing video,
these tiny players could very well change the way we watch films and television shows.

Yet not everyone has joined the iPod nation, as many still prefer the traditional compact
disc and vinyl records. A handful of regional music fans and musicians sound off below
on the question "to 'Pod or not to 'Pod."

Chad Clifford (Crawpuppies, BeatleNerds, solo songwriter and performer)

Q: Do you own an MP3 player?

A: Yes.

Q: How often do you use it?

A: Pretty much daily.

Q: How important is your MP3 player to you in your daily activities?

A: I use it when I work out, mow the lawn, drive my car, ride my bike and practice with my
band.

Q: Do you see any downside or flaws in your MP3 player?

A: They run a little slow when they are loaded with lots of music.

Q: How important is having a tangible piece of music to you, such as a compact disc or
vinyl record?

A: I still love to buy CDs. I usually buy a CD and archive it, burn a copy for the car, rip it to
my MP3 player and enjoy.

Q: Will downloads ever replace physical music? Why or why not?

A: I think to a lot of folks they already have. The record companies should welcome this.
There are no manufacturing costs. I personally like to have the liner notes and artwork. I
think it is important to the product. It helps establish a feel to the CD. However, I think
most people could care less.

Q: What is currently getting heavy rotation?

A: "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard," Paul McCartney; "American Idiot," Green Day;
"Hot Fuss," The Killers.