Availability Overkill

A recent Slate article got me to thinking (I'll be honest, I only read the first page). The internet has brought the immediacy of entertainment in the form of Netflix and iTunes, not to mention illegal avenues like torrents and file sharing. We have easy access to every song we would want to hear. It should be wonderful. I mean, this is what we wanted, right?

In a budget-cutting decision I made a few years back, I decided to limit myself to one CD a month. It wasn't a difficult adjustment to make and it changed my pursuit of music. I had two minor details that drove this so-called "pursuit". First, I buy cds, I only download mp3s when I must (I'll get to that). I like the cover art and it makes it easier to distinguish when I'm driving my car and looking for a particular album. Second, I buy used CDs. The price often comes down enough to make it equivalent to an iTunes album so it ends up being a wash.

It should be noted that not all CDs in a given store are used; most are not. CD stores, to begin with, are limited in the amount of CDs they can carry. I am intentionally limiting my supply which seems to go against all that is wonderful about the free market. But here's the caveat, the used CD market is dynamic; people are always bringing in their old CDs so that on any given day something different can be available.

When the first of the month came around and I couldn't find a used CD that I was interested in, I would come back throughout the month and browse the store. I usually found what I was looking for at some point and if not I would acquiesce to the iTunes Gods and download it. What I came to realize was that I enjoy looking for a used copy almost as much as listening to the damn thing.

I'm the same way with books. A colleague told me about a treasured, hard cover, first-edition book that he was lucky enough to have access to buy from a book store. I can't imagine shelling out cash for a first-edition book. I bought a beat up copy of Catch 22 from a used book store for $0.97 and I wear that like a badge. It's the same words on the inside as any first edition or signed copy!

After searching for any David Foster Wallace novels for years at used book stores, I gave up and requested Infinite Jest ($30 for a paperback) for my birthday. Several weeks later, in a used book store in Gloucester, I found it for $7 and I cannot help but feel jaded. Traveling and exploring used book stores in different areas has become a favorite past time of mine.

Having every song or book you could ever want kills the hunting game. It creates dissatisfaction and boredom. By limiting my options, I enjoy more of what I do have and always have something to look forward to.