The World Shrinking

I rarely think about the ways in which the world is getting smaller all the time. You hear people talk about it, and it is certainly visible in the real world from time to time, but it does not often have a direct effect on my day to day life.

I pretty much only buy music online now, and I'd say 99% of it is purchased in digital format, specifically MP3. I very rarely buy discs, and I even more rarely go into brick and mortar stores to do it. Back in July of 2006 I bought an awesome pop album by English MySpace-darling Lily Allen (website)(MySpace). I loved it. The album is great. I've been listening to it constantly ever since.

What I didn't realize is that the album still hasn't been released in the United States. If you check Amazon.com, you will see that her album Alright, Still will not be released until January 30, 2007. I didn't realize this until yesterday. I was reading an article about the album which included an extensive interview with Allen and I'm thinking to myself, "this is awfully late in the game right? That album came out over six months ago?!?"

It turns out that the site I buy music from carries music from all over the world. So when her album was released in England, the site made it available for purchase. I bought the album a full six months before its US release. And it's not just me. I know a bunch of people who've gotten the album and have been listening for a while.

Anyway, the point of this post is two-fold. First, to point out this crazy way that the world truly is getting smaller. Second, on January 30th, do yourself a favor and pick up Lily Allen's Alright, Still. You will not regret it. I can't think of too many reasons not to like it.