News and Observations from your Friendly Neighborhood Xennial
Soon after I began streaming on Twitch, I created a Discord server because other streamers I followed had their own servers and it seemed like a good way to share info about the stream and stay connected with viewers. After much consideration, I've decided to delete it. Here's why.
I have decided to retire the Newfangled merch store. Only a few folks have ever bought my merch, anyway. And I've come to feel that I don't want to promote a Newfangled “brand” – I don't want it to be about me or about the channel, but about the experience – good music and good people. Merch is for “influencers”, for promoting a brand, and that's not what I'm about. I thought that's what I wanted, but I don't. Not anymore.
To those of you who were brave enough to buy Newfangled merch while it existed – thank you so much for your support! I will always be grateful.
I thought it would take much longer for me to get to this point – it's been a mere 18 months since I started collecting music on physical media (PM). I haven't completely filled all 28 cubes in my IKEA Kallax shelves with vinyl, CDs, and cassettes yet, but after some family and friends have given me boxes upon boxes filled with PM over the past few months, I realize I won't have the space for physical copies of every album I want. So it's time to make some changes.
I got rid of most of my physical media collection – CDs, cassettes, DVDs, books, etc. – in the summer of 2017. Back then I had really gotten into the concept of “minimalism” – getting rid of unnecessary clutter and “stuff” so that you can focus on what really matters to you. I got rid of a bunch of stuff and it did feel good – most of it I don't miss. But I do regret parting with the physical media.
In an effort to deepen my faith and re-calibrate my personal priorities, I have decided to give up Twitch – as both a viewer and a streamer – for Lent this year, in celebration of and preparation for Easter. I will stream on Tuesday, March 4th and then will be offline from March 5 thru April 20.
Since I started streaming on Twitch almost a year and a half ago, I've experimented with various formats and equipment – even a second channel. But I'm finally figuring out the experience I want to create – and in a sense, I'm returning to my roots.
I have often felt so overwhelmed with social media that I struggle to know what or when to post and end up not posting anything. In an effort to simplify, focus, and improve my communication efforts when I am not streaming live, I have decided to consolidate my social media and make use of this blog more.
I just watched the films Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two. Now I'm reading the book for the first time and already nerding out over a thought-provoking quote in the first chapter:
'Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.'
There's a local second-hand media store in Logan, Utah called Fun Unlimited. It's the only store of its kind and scale in the area. Video games (including consoles and accessories), DVDs, books, comic books, vinyl, CDs, cassettes, and more. They're not super picky about what they let people trade in. It's kind of a mess. And it's great.
Since I have started collecting music on physical media again, I've been there several times and looked through their vinyl, cassette, and CD sections. I have brought home lots of gems. But I never looked through their huge section of 7” records. Not until a couple weeks ago.
In late summer of last year (2023), I discovered the world of Twitch vinyl streamers. People just playing vinyl records from their own collections, both for their own enjoyment and that of their viewers. More than that, I saw the streamer and audience having positive, meaningful interactions with each other.
I was hooked. And as I continued to discover more vinyl DJs and streamers, I felt an overwhelming desire to start my own stream.