But every now and again we become nostalgic, glancing in the rear-view mirror at past pleasures.
Alongside the digitised music of streaming services, analogue vinyl records have enjoyed a slow but sustained revival since the mid-2000s.
The enduring appeal of vinyl will be celebrated at the Dunedin Record and Pop Culture Fair, which returns for the third time next week.
Co-organiser Leighton Jones said people could lose interest in streaming services because they were less about albums and more about playlists.
"You are no longer listening to a full album, you are listening to your favourite songs."
A resurgence of record stores was helping people rediscover vinyl.
"I think people enjoy going to a record store and flicking through the boxes and finding cool stuff."
The market for records was no longer simply second-hand items.
Pop stars such as Taylor Swift now had their albums available on vinyl.
"It is not just crawling through op shops looking for second-hand stuff, everything is available on vinyl again."
An internationally recognised grading system for second-hand vinyl records, ranging from "mint" to "poor", guided consumer choice and directly influenced pricing.
"The good stores in town, they will have bargain boxes where there will be $5 records.
"There is a reason they are in that bin, it was either not very popular or it has been to too many parties."
Mr Jones organised the Record and Pop Culture Fair alongside Scott Muir, former band manager of The Chills.
The "fairly grassroots" event in No Name Alley would feature 14 stalls, most of which were operated by individual collectors and sellers.
As well as new and second-hand records, some vendors would be selling other pop culture items such as cassette tapes, CDs, DVDs, posters, band T-shirts and vintage clothing.
"We want people to enjoy the day, buy a couple of albums and come back next time.
"It is a very cool event and it is a very cool venue."
WHERE & WHEN
• Dunedin Record & Pop Culture Fair
Sunday, December 8
11am to 2pm
Steamer Basin
No Name Alley
