Back to music: why can’t the various streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) show liner notes? I’ve written in the past about how the streamers push you away from deep connection with the music. But after getting a record player a year ago and returning to vinyl, a further loss has come into focus for me: many (most?) albums throughout history have included not just lyrics and personnel credits but also essays, letters, art, photos, and other notes to the listener. These are such cool ways for artists to add extra layers beyond the recordings that make up the album. But the digital age, and now the age of streaming, have meant, poof, all of that is just gone. WTF?
(I’m currently on a deep dive into the music and world of Alice Coltrane; both she and John Coltrane made extensive, creative use of liner notes; these are strangely hard to access.)
