The Day the Music Died
The music died on July 1, 2021. Well, at least that’s when Spartanburg County Public Libraries stopped carrying music CDs in circulation.
I know Don McLean was referring to February 3, 1959 when Buddy Holly and others died in a plane crash. I don’t mean to trivialize that event. But for me personally, it was a huge blow to my music consumption to hear that my local library wouldn’t have music on CD anymore.
The lion’s share of music in my personal collection has come from the public library for a long time now. I would check out a music CD, bring it back to my desk at work, rip the album to my company-provided computer, and return the disc that afternoon or the next day. Was I supposed to be saving music from county-owned discs? Probably not, but I also wasn’t doing anything to profit off them, so I figured it wasn’t that bad.
This process went on for several years. I started doing it some time in the late 2000s, but it really hit stride between 2012 and 2019 during my years at QS/1. Of the roughly 34,000 tracks in my collection, a solid 15,000 or more had to come from the library. And really, why wouldn’t I do that? I wasn’t causing harm to anyone, and it was easier than paying for the music myself. I paid for it with my tax dollars. That meant I was entitled to a digital copy of it, right?
I got the first hints of the library’s decision when I couldn’t place a hold on some items. After my family watched Disney’s Frozen, we just HAD to have the soundtrack. The library had a copy of it at another branch, but the system wouldn’t allow me to put a hold on it. That wasn’t a big deal, but it was a little frustrating that I couldn’t get an album that was clearly in circulation.
A few weeks later, I first heard the new single by Rise Against, “Nowhere Generation.” I am a sucker for Rise Against, they’re easily one of my top favorite bands. Normally, I would’ve immediately purchased the album from Google Play Music, but…. oh wait, that service is dead now. Instead, I either had buy a lower bitrate version from the Amazon music store, buy the physical CD, or get it from the library. Given how quickly the library has gotten material upon request in the past, I figured why not try that again.
I tweeted at the library, and requested either that album, or the form by which I could officially request material as a library card holder. They supplied that link to me, and I put in a formal request. Very quickly after, I received a response, but it was certainly not the news that I had hoped for.
Admittedly, I probably wasn’t using the music CD items in circulation properly. With most material from the library, you check it out and consume the material, then you return it. For music CDs, I checked them out and ripped them, so they could stay in my collection permanently. It was legally questionable AT BEST, and I probably could’ve gotten into a lot of trouble. I wasn’t selling the music, but I wasn’t paying for it either.
I will continue supporting the library, because darn if they aren’t awesome. They have books, movies, and video games. Plus, they do awesome programs for kids and adults alike. I still think the public library is one of the greatest places on earth, along with Krispy Kreme. I’ll excuse the decision to stop lending music CDs out, but July 1 will live in infamy as the day the music died in Spartanburg county.
I know Don McLean was referring to February 3, 1959 when Buddy Holly and others died in a plane crash. I don’t mean to trivialize that event. But for me personally, it was a huge blow to my music consumption to hear that my local library wouldn’t have music on CD anymore.
The lion’s share of music in my personal collection has come from the public library for a long time now. I would check out a music CD, bring it back to my desk at work, rip the album to my company-provided computer, and return the disc that afternoon or the next day. Was I supposed to be saving music from county-owned discs? Probably not, but I also wasn’t doing anything to profit off them, so I figured it wasn’t that bad.
This process went on for several years. I started doing it some time in the late 2000s, but it really hit stride between 2012 and 2019 during my years at QS/1. Of the roughly 34,000 tracks in my collection, a solid 15,000 or more had to come from the library. And really, why wouldn’t I do that? I wasn’t causing harm to anyone, and it was easier than paying for the music myself. I paid for it with my tax dollars. That meant I was entitled to a digital copy of it, right?
I got the first hints of the library’s decision when I couldn’t place a hold on some items. After my family watched Disney’s Frozen, we just HAD to have the soundtrack. The library had a copy of it at another branch, but the system wouldn’t allow me to put a hold on it. That wasn’t a big deal, but it was a little frustrating that I couldn’t get an album that was clearly in circulation.
A few weeks later, I first heard the new single by Rise Against, “Nowhere Generation.” I am a sucker for Rise Against, they’re easily one of my top favorite bands. Normally, I would’ve immediately purchased the album from Google Play Music, but…. oh wait, that service is dead now. Instead, I either had buy a lower bitrate version from the Amazon music store, buy the physical CD, or get it from the library. Given how quickly the library has gotten material upon request in the past, I figured why not try that again.
I tweeted at the library, and requested either that album, or the form by which I could officially request material as a library card holder. They supplied that link to me, and I put in a formal request. Very quickly after, I received a response, but it was certainly not the news that I had hoped for.
Good afternoon Jake,Well, there it was. Just like that, the main source of new music for my collection was gone. Ms. Turner included a pdf of the official announcement, but that didn’t really assuage my disappointment. I really liked the ability to get new music from the library. Apparently, that wouldn’t be happening any longer.
Unfortunately I am unable to purchase Nowhere Generation by Rise Against. We are discontinuing the music CD collection at Spartanburg County Public Libraries. We will continue to offer a local music collection for check out, as well as streaming. Attached you will find a PDF document with more detail.
Thank you for supporting the music CD collection and the library.
Thank you,
Carmanita Turner (she/her)
Media Collection Development Librarian
Admittedly, I probably wasn’t using the music CD items in circulation properly. With most material from the library, you check it out and consume the material, then you return it. For music CDs, I checked them out and ripped them, so they could stay in my collection permanently. It was legally questionable AT BEST, and I probably could’ve gotten into a lot of trouble. I wasn’t selling the music, but I wasn’t paying for it either.
I will continue supporting the library, because darn if they aren’t awesome. They have books, movies, and video games. Plus, they do awesome programs for kids and adults alike. I still think the public library is one of the greatest places on earth, along with Krispy Kreme. I’ll excuse the decision to stop lending music CDs out, but July 1 will live in infamy as the day the music died in Spartanburg county.
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