Björk’s latest album, Biophilia, has been at the front of a steady stream of Internet media over the past few months. Press releases have declared it the first “App Album,” as each song features its own Apple touch-screen application. The overall project also involves educational programs, concert series and the production of new musical instruments for the album.
So, really, it’s irresponsible to review Biophilia as an album. Not because the record had lost any sort of cultural significance — in fact, it gained some — but because by downloading the leak of the MP3s I was separating the two integral pieces of a greater overall work.
It’s not a ploy on Björk’s part to get people to buy the album, but an attempt at trying something different (which she is quite good at). However, it does bring the question of illegal downloading to light yet again, in a time when it has become the commercial medium of choice for music fans to get their fill.
Granted, Biophilia is a special case as it is the first record of its kind, but buying the record offers more than just the full package — it offers a connection.
There’s no truly great moral answer to this social equation, but perspectives must count for something. My experience with Biophilia has brought to mind the old argument of “Well, would you steal a painting from an art museum?”
No, I wouldn’t, but my desire to bootleg LPs seems to imply that I devalue the productions of an artist working in the aural medium and not another. To pay for a record is to give up a small part of yourself to hear the product of someone else pouring their heart and soul into a song, good or bad. It’s that connection again — monetary, yes, but an emotional investment as well.
If we don’t give something up ourselves, can we really value what an artist has to offer? Otherwise, it’s just another record, easy to just pick up on MediaFire and even easier to overlook in the vastness of an iTunes playlist.
Biophilia is a combination of styles, and as such, it can only be understood as a packaged whole. Before you pass judgment, put down a little cash.
It might mean more to you than you think.
berman@umdbk.com
