In an attempt to match the caliber of scholarly writing and technical diction, I present you with Prejudice of Music in the Congregation of Song and other Phrasal Groupings.

There are multiple “Audio-Admiring Paradigms” of elitist listening forms and casual listening. The major modalities involved with processing music categorically involve the forms of hook, riff, song, album, artist, genre, and period/setting. The most popular methods of approaching and judging music are through artist, album, and song. Some people are stuck with favorite artists, others feel compelled to landmark albums, and other hand-pick songs or singles.

Lovers of Artists and Albums tend to collide into the same methodology of bodies of work, whether it be a series of songs in a time-limited album or an anthology by an artist and related projects. They savor the commonality and conceptual connection with the delivery of an artist or order of an album. This group will more likely purchase or appreciate CDs, records, tapes, or sets.

Lovers of Songs tend to be selective within artist or album repertoire. The consensus that a lengthy grouping of songs lacks adequate variance is common to the now anciently current radio and moderately contemporary mixtapes, remixes, and playlists. Singles, mp3s, isolated CD ripping, DJ culture, and compilations are served best for this group.

This arbitrary dichotomy can be related to portable music culture. Both groups use iPods and digital music. The hyper-electronic age caters more the the individual customization of selectivity, but options are available to both parties. One can rip entire CD’s or import their favorite tracks. One can heavily sort mounds of playlists or stick with a rigid tracklisting and (primary or insignificantly) intended sorting.

Is it ethical to listen to segments of a concept album? Or are we neglecting the concept song? Or even the concept artist. Maybe one should go as far as not ever skipping songs that are personally unappealing and follow a chronological systematization of EPs, LPs, and live material.

Is it important to appreciate a body or a body part? They seem equally acceptable given enough respect is given to listener’s freedom and artist’s desire as an artistic piece. Artists like DJ-oriented Girl Talk released albums both as a single track or separated. Recent stunts by Paul Westerberg of diverting the price gouging of albums by offering a single-track-gone-full-length-album for $0.49 on Amazon (no longer available) go along with the challenge of what a song or album consist of. Silence in between sound does not indicate a new song. An album can also be a single song. It’s your option to skip songs or to solidify the work into a singularity. In some ways it offers the user the option to choose how to capture it. In other ways, technology gives the artist control of how the user initially takes in their creation.

There is no pure way to receive music. Hear samples, remember that funny vocal phrase, savor the power of a song, embrace the sequential significance of an album, or submerge yourself in the life’s work of a musical entity and associated agents that are contained in it. I manage to skip around, realizing my favorite mode given what I know of the artist and how I respond best to the work. To limit yourself to only one of these modes pigeonholes your possible intakes of fresh perceptions. When these artists perform live, they don’t go through the same set as their latest release. They could, but the artist make a choice to either please with fan-favorites or have some underlying meaning behind their setlist. Having an order is a mandatory element of live performance that differs from recorded formats. One can’t interrupt a band while they perform. Recorded music enables freedom; live music requires community agreement (or band authority).