The Last Mixtape: Physical Media and Nostalgic Cycles - Paperback

$47.03

The Last Mixtape: Physical Media and Nostalgic Cycles - Paperback

Name: The Last Mixtape: Physical Media and Nostalgic Cycles - Paperback
Brand: BooksCloud
SKU: 9780226840482
Price: 47.03 USD
Availability: InStock

by Seth Long

$47.03

Book Overview

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by Seth Long (Author)

A reflection on the evolution of physical media into metaphor, through the history of music curation.

Obsolescence makes the heart grow fonder, at least in the case of the mixtape. Not all technologies are so lucky. Some (say, wax cylinders) fade almost completely from cultural memory. A lucky few pass into metaphor: we still "hang up" our smartphones, "cut" film, and "patch" computer code. As digital streaming completes the obsolescence of physical media, what will become of the humble cassette?

In The Last Mixtape, Seth Long offers a microhistory of music curation, anchored by the cassette, from which he explores the meanings of obsolescence, ownership, nostalgia, and the speed of cultural change. A moving meditation on our relationship with music, memory, and curation in the digital century, Long ultimately calls for a return to the media ecology represented by the mixtape: a world in which media is cheap and abundant but tactile and meaningfully engaged.

Author Biography

Seth Long is associate professor of English at the University of Nebraska.

Number of Pages: 224

Dimensions: 0.7 x 9 x 6 IN

Illustrated: Yes

Publication Date: July 16, 2025

ISBN	9780226840482
Author	Seth Long
Publisher	University of Chicago Press
Genre	Hobbies & interests and History
Format	Paperback
Published	July 2025
Language	ENG- English
Pages	224
Weight	1.0 lb
Target Audience	Adults
Print Size	Standard Print