Introducing the Musidex: A physical music library for the streaming era
While I listen to a lot of music, my object permanence active recall is weak when it comes to remembering the artists and albums that I love. This didn’t used to be a problem, as flipping through my CDs or (later) scrolling through my iTunes library would jog my memory. When I switched over to using music streaming services my listening patterns shifted towards recent releases, and I found myself inadvertently losing track of the broad back catalog of music I loved.
Several years ago I decided that I wanted a physical manifestation of my favorite albums: an analog reminder of myself through the music I’ve loved, and a collection for re-discovery, by myself or for anyone visiting my home. I didn’t want to stop using a streaming service, but I did want to supplement it with a physical link of some sort.
I couldn’t find a suitable solution, so I made one. Enter: the Musidex!
The Musidex is a Rolodex full of albums. Each page presents a single album’s art and basic metadata—album title, artist, release year—along with a QR code that links to playback on a music streaming platform.
It has an NFC tag to the side knob; when I tap my phone on the tag, the phone connects and starts broadcasting to my living room speakers. I mounted the Musidex on a pair of hooks next to the speakers.
Several years in, I continue to appreciate my Musidex: both because I use it on a semi-regular basis, and because I enjoy its colorful presence in my home.
I’ve built two Musidexes now, and have found them to be relatively cheap, lightweight, and easy to make. The details are as follows.
Exhibit A: Musidex I
The first Musidex I built, pictured above, was for myself.
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