Nothing in media lasts forever, and this is especially true for anything without mainstream appeal. As fans of darker music and movies, we’ve all had the experience of briefly finding former favorites, only to never find them again. Luckily enough, there are ways to better our chances of recovering media online which we thought were gone. It’s not a guarantee, but with a little luck, that which we’ve loved and lost might not be so lost after all.
Different Fandoms in Different Countries
Our first suggestion if you’re trying to uncover lost media is never to underestimate the fandoms in other countries. Just note that there might be hurdles in uncovering this media, such as geo-blocking or language differences.
For geo-blocking, using VPN for Chrome can be a powerful solution to open access to different websites. This software allows you to change your location to countries so that regional restrictions won’t be an issue. Language differences can also be solved with translation tools built into Chrome. Simply right-click on an empty spot on the page and press ‘Translate to English’, and you can follow discussions from other countries about where lost media might now be found.
The Online Archives
With three decades of development behind it now, there’s a lot online that’s gone offline as host websites and servers die. This is another area where some work can help uncover what used to be there, though again it’s not a flawless solution.
Firstly, you could check out the work from the Internet Archive, which holds immense catalogs of music, TV series, and film. This fully legal website is a huge name in data preservation, offering an enormous library to freely browse and download. Even if bands or shows disappeared decades ago, there’s a good chance there’ll be some mention somewhere on this website. You could use the search function on music sales sites like Amoeba to track down older albums digitally, which you could then back up with a ripping program for PCs like dBpoweramp.
Another solution could be to use the famous Wayback Machine. This service works through collected snapshots of websites and pages as they existed in the past. This can be a great way to find online discussions about classic music, similar to what we offer online today, and can also point you in the right direction to find modern copies of lost media.
Websites die at different paces, and not everybody can stay online and feature helpful articles from years ago as we can. Just because there was only one website discussing media you’re interested in that went offline years ago, however, doesn’t mean that their download links are equally dead. This goes doubly so if the service recommends stores selling physical media like DVDs or magazines, which might still exist and have staff that can help you further in your journey of rediscovery.
The age of the internet may be chaotic, but there is still valuable content amidst the overwhelming sea of information. If you’re looking for a nostalgia trip, trying to introduce newcomers to important parts of cult media, or anything in between, don’t underestimate how useful the internet can be with the right approach. From doing the detective work yourself to exploring more indie-centric streaming services on mobile, just remember to keep a backup handy for anything you do discover, to help future generations enjoy what might otherwise be lost.
