Downloading your music vs buying your music
 

Who downloads for free and who buys CDs?

If you choose to buy your music over downloading, why?

I buy CDs because I like having the collection, artwork and prefer the way it sounds on the stereo to what it sounds on my laptop.

I do both of these.

I don't have enough money to buy each and every album I want.
In fact, there's hundreds of albums I still need to buy.

But, everytime I get money, I buy albums.
I feel that, if I like the music, I owe it to the artist to listen to their music.

Noone here downloads for free.

I used to mainly buy CDs, nowadays however I tend only to buy CDs at gigs, often these are of local or smaller artists and the reason I buy them is probably that I wouldn't be able to find them otherwise. I get alot of my music from friends aswell. I often can't find the music I want in my local record shops, so therefore its easiest to find it on the internet.

I have never downloaded free music off the net ever. It's illegal and I'm a good lad.

I like buying my CDs from stores. I like tangible things. Plus I like to support the bands I love.

I didn't even know there was such a thing as illegally downloading music! This is disgusting and must be stopped.

Ee gats! people actually download music for free? That's a despicable act, you're stealing that money from the very pockets of corporate boardroom members! I say we form an angry mob with pitchforks and torches and give these people a little taste in mob justice. Those people who upload albums for people on a weekly basis are going to be sorry.

essentially this. i used to think i would suffice my downloads with my cd purchases, but that shit went straight out the fucking window, so to speak.

As Kirby put it, I buy when I can. I prefer having the physical CD and the artwork and all that. But if I strictly bought only, my music collection would be much, much smaller. Plus some things are just a pain to find.

Blank CDs dude.

I'm a music pirate without a doubt. The last album I actually bought was My Morning Jacket's Z. And that was over 3 years ago.

A healthy combination of both.

There's something about having a physical copy of my music that puts me at ease.

^true that. it feels great to look at a shelve full of albums and to say "I own them".

I also like the proper artwork.
Now you're gonna suggest printing the artwork out
I have you pirates sussed ;)

I'll usually download, then buy. If I really like it, I owe it to the artist as someone else said to buy it.

If I think it's average, I won't waste money on it.

I used to be one of the few people on this site who actually bought all their music via itunes music store. Until I lost most of it and started using 'free' downloads. Now most of the time I wont pay, but if a band I like comes out with a new album I'll download it from the itunes music store. If it's a band I love I'll probably get the new album on vinyl or if I cant find it on vinyl I'll settle for a CD. But the whole CD marketing is quickly dying who uses CD's when an mp3's are much more convenient.

I'm a big fan of the physical product. After all, there was no internet when I first started listening to and collecting music. I'm proud of my collection.

However these days, partly due to the internet and a wealth of information at my fingertips, I am discovering more stuff than ever and just can't buy a physical copy of everything I'm interested in. Back in the day, you'd hear about stuff on TV, the radio, through friends, or by browsing around the record store. Now, it's all that plus online forums, online stores, online reviews, etc. and everything links to more similar stuff and the discoveries are just endless. It's really overwhelming as a music addict. I have 20 pages in my Amazon wishlist of stuff "to check out", meaning I haven't heard them yet and need to check out samples.

So basically I may download something to screen it, and buy it on CD (eventually?) if I dig it. If I really dig it, it'll get purchased on CD rather quickly. Also if I'm checking out a new discovery and the CD is available used online for really cheap, I may just purchase it right off the bat if I'm interested enough. If it's a band I love and will buy unconditionally, I will buy on or shortly after release date, and will not spoil it by downloading it first. I want the full old school album experience of holding and examining the physical album while listening to it for the first time. :cool:

^^^

Exactly this. Spot on. Cassettes were our internet back in t'day. You would have to wind the electricity meter and eat coal and everything back in those days.

^don't forget walking ten miles in the snow without shoes and broken glass on the roads, that's if you were lucky enough to have roads.

I always buy things I really want but if its something I kinda want or its way too expensive I download. I like buying more because I can listen to it on my good speakers and its really nice to have a collection. I also like to buy cds more because I tend to listen to the music more than when I download it. I sometimes will download something and Ill never get th3e chance to really listen to it. I also buy cds cause I live in S.F where the best cd store in the world Is "amoeba".

This thread also reeks of Cory
but... i do both but i only buy the album if its something i really really want. i only download it if i want it but i think its over priced for overall quality. example: Bon Iver's Blood Bank costing $10 when there's four songs in total and one is some weird electronic a cappella song ("Woods")

Location: Nebraska

You reek of inbred.

That's enough. It's never a good idea for a noob to start bad mouthing older members.

He knows I'm playing ;)

I'm from Manchester, I'm sure most places are a heaven in comparrison. :D

umm. i'm in eastern nebraska, we hate people who: inbreed, racist, nonmusic-loving, and/or really skinny. almost no one born and raised in eastern nebraska has a natural accent (most of us make one up and stick with it). we usually eat more than we should and aren't as fat as we should be. people from eastern nebraska are extremely weird. Bill Gates is from Nebraska. take that cory!!!!!!!!

Why do you hate people who inbreed?

It's the closest we'll get to super heroes :(

its actually quite the opposite

Not if they wear a cape.

i know this is skeewing wildly off topic, but talking inbreed: did you ever see the X files episode "Home" of season 4?

Yeah it is off topic. Back on friggin topic please everyone.

I have never ever seen X-Files.

Interesting fact for the day..

Strange how this thread went from downloading music/buying music to imbred super heroes in capes.

Strange how it will have a great big closed padlock next to it if I have to read one more off topic comment.

Awfully strange.

So yeah, everyone's agreed, buying music > downloading.

Splendid stuff!

Mm, buying music is better for me when I was looking forward to an album or something, for example, I should have bought FFTL's "Heroine" when it same out. Instead, I downloaded it, which kind of ruined the excitement of the album.

I usually download music when someone recommends a band and I want a variety of their music to listen to.

I agree!

It's so easy to download/online stream listen, you can get tempted to have a sneaky listen.

But there's nothing like going to the shops, buying the album you've been looking forward to, and listening to it..

I'm still contemplating buying that album.

And I usually actually listen to the whole album when I physically have it there. I don't skip around as much.

I do the same thing, when you put it on the stereo, it's nicer to listen to it as an album.

When it's in iTunes, right infront of you, you get tempted to skip.

Hard copy > digital

There's also something to be said about going into a record store with a specific list of albums you want to get, realizing they have none of them, and coming out with something completely different than what you had in mind.

That's how I got into Mclusky and a handful of other bands anyhow.

Downloading music definately. Why give my money to some record company for an album that's over priced anyway. I will download it thank you. I will support bands by seeing them live whenever I can. Although I do spend about 80-100 dollars (american)on I Tunes every two weeks or so.

Oh, I do that all of the time.

The only thing is though, I never did get my Automatic Loveletter CD.

And that was disappointing. Because I don't want to download that.