Do you still buy physical albums?

Arya Stark · 02-01-2010, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lateralus

Yeah true, in which case buying the album online off iTunes isn't much different from buying the CD and then ripping it onto your computer. The only difference is that you get the physical copy of the CD as well with the cover art etc (which I admit I do enjoy having

) but the fact that the ripped files are more important to you than the hard copy kind-of renders the hard-copy useless. Although I do like having the hard copies of CDs and like flipping through the cover art etc, it just seems more efficient/economical/environmentally friendly to buy it online.

It's not more important to me, I was just saying that I can get that files I'd be downloading plus the album itself.

Astronomer · 02-01-2010, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AwwSugar

It's not more important to me, I was just saying that I can get that files I'd be downloading plus the album itself.

In which case the files are the album, so isn't it more economical and environmentally friendly to just have the files and not that actual hard CD and all the plastic cover and sleeve as well? <-- that's just my reasoning, but I totally understand the appeal of buying the hard copy album as well.

It's good to see that others still buy their music at least as well!

tgpo · 02-01-2010, 07:52 AM

Now that lala allows full album screams for free, I don't download anything. I listen to it once and decide if I want to buy it or not.

I've never bought a digital song, I always figured getting a used CD and ripping it made more sense.

Guybrush · 02-01-2010, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tgpo

Now that lala allows full album screams for free, I don't download anything. I listen to it once and decide if I want to buy it or not.

I've never bought a digital song, I always figured getting a used CD and ripping it made more sense.

Why does that make more sense? If I wanna buy a game, I'll download it from Steam if I can. It's likely to be cheaper, takes me less time and I won't have to get the discs every time I wanna play it. Plus the box and the discs take up real space, something I prefer to avoid. I only have so many places to stash stuff in this apartment.

The way I see it - if all you do with a CD is rip it because you listen to files and don't ever use a CD player, then buying a CD when you can buy downloadable files is a bit of a contradiction.

I've come to terms with the fact everything I love on a CD can be digitized, the art and the music. All you're missing is being able to hold and manipulate plastic and paper with your hands. Perhaps also the joy of having a huge collection of physical items, but that feeling is something holding you back really. Letting go is good.

I think physical mediums make people feel the music or product is more real and more significant. You could easily argue the opposite, that the feeling is illogical and that in reality, the physical existence of all your CDs is likely to be a disadvantage rather than an advantage.

tgpo · 02-01-2010, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tore

Why does that make more sense? If I wanna buy a game, I'll download it from Steam if I can. It's likely to be cheaper, takes me less time and I won't have to get the discs every time I wanna play it. Plus the box and the discs take up real space, something I prefer to avoid. I only have so many places to stash stuff in this apartment.

A few things to consider:

I want whole albums, not singles
I don't own an iPod/MP3 player
I listen to digital music at work(ripped from my collection), CDs in the car and at home
I'm old

Paying $4 for a used CD that I can rip if I want vs paying $10 for a digital album makes perfect sense. Why pay more for an inferior product?

Plus, I'm one of those crazy old people who think opening the CD case, putting the vinyl on the turntable, cueing a cassette, is all part of the experience. Sure, it's not the primary aspect of it, but it makes me take more notice of what I'm doing and listening to. Digital music still doesn't do that for me, digital music still feels disposable.

Guybrush · 02-01-2010, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tgpo

A few things to consider:

I want whole albums, not singles
I don't own an iPod/MP3 player

This goes for me too. I've never bought a single mp3 file, it's always been an album.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tgpo

I listen to digital music at work(ripped from my collection), CDs in the car and at home
I'm old

If you actually use your CDs with a CD player, that's of course a valid argument for buying them. Many don't.

Regarding the "enjoyment" of putting the cd in the player and pressing the buttons or putting the needle on the LP and so on, I get it. However, I also feel it's overshadowed by the huge advantage of not having to do these things when you wanna switch between songs on and between different albums.

tgpo · 02-01-2010, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tore

However, I also feel it's overshadowed by the huge advantage of not having to do these things when you wanna switch between songs on and between different albums.

My ADD kicks in if I have access to all my music at once. I end up clicking around and changing music every minute. Having to physically change music forces me to stick with whatever I choose for the duration of the album.

TheBig3 · 02-01-2010, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tgpo

My ADD kicks in if I have access to all my music at once. I end up clicking around and changing music every minute. Having to physically change music forces me to stick with whatever I choose for the duration of the album.

lol, really?

See when I can access everything I put on dream concerts with the best setlist ever.

Arya Stark · 02-01-2010, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lateralus

In which case the files are the album, so isn't it more economical and environmentally friendly to just have the files and not that actual hard CD and all the plastic cover and sleeve as well? <-- that's just my reasoning, but I totally understand the appeal of buying the hard copy album as well.

It's good to see that others still buy their music at least as well!

Hehe, screw the environment, I like mah copies. ;]

sidewinder · 02-01-2010, 02:09 PM

This thread's too long to read.

I'm sure I echo some of the previous posts when I say that I love physical albums/CDs and most of my collection I have on CD.

However, it's just too easy to "listen before you buy" these days, plus we are exposed to so much more now than we were when I was younger, that it's tougher to decide what to buy and our wish/want lists are incredibly long. Back in the pre-internet days, you found out about music through friends, magazines, record label mailers, TV, radio, etc. and now you have all that plus countless websites and message boards.

So, I download a lot more than I used to but I still buy CDs of the stuff I really like. And when it comes to artists I really like, I always buy first before listening.

Even with a collection of about 1600 CDs, I have another 700+ digital-only. So I voted 50/50.

View Poll Results: How many of your albums are tangible?
None, I download everything.	22	13.75%
A few but mostly I just download	62	38.75%
Its about 50/50	26	16.25%
Most of them but I still download a few.	25	15.63%
I buy all of my albums in hardcopy.	25	15.63%
Voters: 160. You may not vote on this poll

02-01-2010, 07:52 AM	#53 (permalink)
tgpo Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 207	Now that lala allows full album screams for free, I don't download anything. I listen to it once and decide if I want to buy it or not. I've never bought a digital song, I always figured getting a used CD and ripping it made more sense. __________________ tgpo.org \| Last.fm

02-01-2010, 02:09 PM	#60 (permalink)
sidewinder Engorged Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 5,536	This thread's too long to read. I'm sure I echo some of the previous posts when I say that I love physical albums/CDs and most of my collection I have on CD. However, it's just too easy to "listen before you buy" these days, plus we are exposed to so much more now than we were when I was younger, that it's tougher to decide what to buy and our wish/want lists are incredibly long. Back in the pre-internet days, you found out about music through friends, magazines, record label mailers, TV, radio, etc. and now you have all that plus countless websites and message boards. So, I download a lot more than I used to but I still buy CDs of the stuff I really like. And when it comes to artists I really like, I always buy first before listening. Even with a collection of about 1600 CDs, I have another 700+ digital-only. So I voted 50/50. __________________ last.fm \| my collection on RYM \| vinyl instagram @allthatyouseeandhear I'd love to see your signature/links too, but the huge and obnoxious ones have caused me to block all signatures.