I think, when purchasing and listening to purchased music[0], there is an action involved that prepares you for the (passive or active) act of listening. For s

I think, when purchasing and listening to purchased music[0], there is an action involved that prepares you for the (passive or active) act of listening. For some people, that action is moving to a library of media, selecting the disc (or tape), and starting it playing. For others, that action is starting an audio program, selecting the album[1], and starting it playing. I think both groups of people are doing the same thing: They are putting them into their proper mental state to experience the music. But, like many things, the way in which they go about that preparation will differ from person to person. [0]: Note that I am referring both to people who purchase music in a physical form (such as CDs) and those who purchase music in DRM-free digital form (for example, from Bandcamp or the iTunes Store). I do not include listens from streaming services (for example, Apple Music and YouTube). [1]: I'm specially limiting this to albums so as to make a more direct comparison with people listening to purchased music that comes in a physical form. Of course there are playlists on the digital side, and mixtapes (& equivalent CDs) on the physical side. It would be interesting to explore if this—selecting and playing a playlist/mixtape—gives the same feeling as selecting and playing a specific disc/album.