Downloads or a physical product?

[ambient]

I was just reading this that a friend shared on Facebook.

https://concreteshelves.blog/2018/09/25/taylor-dupree/

I personally love a physical product, especially when it’s well presented. I’ve been very fortunate over the last 3 years or so to have my music released on vinyl a few times, I also had an album released just this week by a new label on cassette. 

 

 

[ianrendall]

I do most of my listening through Apple Music these days. Although I do own and still buy my favourite artists on CD also. And my favourite favourites I will get on vinyl, which is easy because I’m stuck in the 70s and 80s.

[bartelby]

95% of my music purchases are either vinyl or CD. Vinyl massively outweighing CDs. 

[uk_lefty]

I buy my CDs through Amazon with immediate download. It's often cheaper than download only! I do like to have the physical item and the cover art and notes. I like my bookshelf and CDs out on display, well organised. All guests have a nose through our books and CDs and I want my daughter to pick stuff up and have a listen when she's a bit bigger, that's how I got in to music. If she needs to wait for me to unlock my phone and supervise her then she could miss out on accidentally finding bands she may love forever. 

Edited September 27, 2018 by uk_lefty

[Cato]

I went almost fully digital a couple of years ago.

It's saves a fair chunk of space and with a couple of decent bluetooth speakers it's easy to play music in any part of the house.

I've still got maybe 30 CDs, all stuff that isn't available to stream digitally through spotify or Amazon, but the rest , over 200 of them, all went to local charity shops.

I don't miss them.

Edited September 27, 2018 by Cato

[FinnDave]

iTunes for driving, and for learning new songs as easier to stop and start than a CD, but CDs for pleasure. I have bought about 50 CDs since I got myself a new player this summer. The old payer was sold in 2012, so I've got some catching up to do. Some of the 50 are boxed sets of up to 20 individual discs, so should keep me busy for a while.

[bartelby]

When I'm in the office I listen to an iPod, when I'm working from home I have iTunes running, the car has a 64gb and a 32gb SD cards that are full. But when I want to relax I have several hundred CDs and around 1600 records to chose from...

[alexa3020]

Digital music is so much easier! However, the thing I do like about physical is your more likely to listen to an album in its entirety.

I do have Vinyl, but I don't buy into 'Vinyl sounds better' argument - especially for modern music, which is mostly recorded digitally

[madshadows]

I mostly buy hard copies of CD's and then put them on my phone to listen to after uploading them onto ITunes

 

John

[casapete]

I’m one of those tightwad hoarders who don’t sell anything as technology advances, hence have 100’s of albums on vinyl, along with maybe 3000 singles. My CD collection is probably around the 1000 mark, which I still add to these days due to eBay being so cheap! Use Spotify (free version) for listening to new stuff, then if I like it I’ll source a hard copy. Have maybe 30 or 40 albums on my phone which I use in the car for when there’s nothing much on the radio. Avoid Amazon / downloads unless absolutely necessary, but know that will probably change in the future! File under ‘dinosaur’......😄

[Lozz196]

Physical product for me, my choice being CD as I prefer the sound quality.

[mikel]

All physical product, vinyl and CD. I never got the "Background music" thing. If I am listening to music then I am immersed in it totally so I listen to a whole album, not selected tracks.

[chris_b]

I like to hold my music. And my books.

If anyone thinks that's old fashioned and indicative of someone who isn't "moving with the times", then I'd proudly agree with them.

[mikel]

7 minutes ago, chris_b said:

I like to hold my music. And my books.

If anyone thinks that's old fashioned and indicative of someone who isn't "moving with the times", then I'd proudly agree with them.

Not at all, its personal choice. I love the whole experience of a vinyl album. The artwork, being able to read the information without having to resort to a magnifying glass, the musical journey through the whole recorded work, in the order it was intended. A bit like watching a film or reading a book from beginning to end, suspending reality.

[bartelby]

23 minutes ago, mikel said:

I never got the "Background music" thing. 

In work it's not background music, it's obscuring music. It obscures all the inane chatter in the office.

If I really need to concentrate when writing R, Python or SAS code I'll listen to Merzbow, Pain Jerk, Incapacitants etc. Loud, no lyrics, melody, rhythm or beats. Just noise to blot out distractions. 

[ambient]

45 minutes ago, chris_b said:

I like to hold my music. And my books.

If anyone thinks that's old fashioned and indicative of someone who isn't "moving with the times", then I'd proudly agree with them.

Me too, especially with books. If I’m writing an essay too, I have to print it off to read it properly.

[ambient]

3 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

I buy my CDs through Amazon with immediate download. It's often cheaper than download only! I do like to have the physical item and the cover art and notes. I like my bookshelf and CDs out on display, well organised. All guests have a nose through our books and CDs and I want my daughter to pick stuff up and have a listen when she's a bit bigger, that's how I got in to music. If she needs to wait for me to unlock my phone and supervise her then she could miss out on accidentally finding bands she may love forever. 

I’ve noticed it’s cheaper to buy the cd too.

I get a lot of my music from Bandcamp where you buy the physical product and a download, but you can stream too from the Bandcamp app.

[cetera]

CDs for me. Don't have a record deck at present so my vinyl is in boxes. Download the CDs on to my Fiio mp3 player for on the move/in the car. CDs always at home though.

I'm not interested in owning a piece of electronic data if it isn't also on a physical product.

[JellyKnees]

Vinyl for rolling a fat one on and enjoying the occasional evening of nostalgia, CD for listening to new music at home, digital for listening to in and to/from work...

[Monkey Steve]

CD's for playing, vinyl for looking at/owning if it's very nice, a band I truly love, or not available on CD.  Downloads as a last resort if I can't get it anywhere else...although if the vinyl comes with a download code then I will typically do that and copy it to a back up CD, just in case

That said, I do most of my actual listening on my iphone these days, but I don't trust my computer not to lose all the downloads that I have (see above).  Plus I love just having "stuff"

[jacko]

LPs and CDs here. The only time I listen to music digitally is either in the car on planet rock or on youtube if I'm learning a song. 

[Burns-bass]

I have hundreds of CDs, DVDs and records in the loft and have swapped it all for streaming. It’s absolutely fine, and allows me more space for my upright bass.

[spongebob]

I grew up in the CD/late vinyl era, and don't miss either.

Sold my vinyl as one collection as one lot, and CD's as another.

Thar was back in 2010. I first switched to downloads/iTunes, and then the streaming services (I've had Google Play for nearly 5 years).

All you need is a tablet/phone, decent speakers and sub, subscription, and you've got pretty much everything at the click of a mouse/finger swipe.

I appreciate many people get warm and fuzzy about vinyl, but having spent many hours trying to clean out skips and dirt from second hand records (or new pressings which weren't that great) I'll pass.😀

[Dad3353]

Mr Edison ruing the day he ever invented recordings, having thought through the nightmare jungle that would ensue ...

[TheGreek]

I prefer hard copies of everything - CDs, Books, videos. I even bought Victor Wooten's book, The Music Lesson on paper and on CD with VW reading the book.

I went to my nephew's flat recently - he's a music lover - no vinyl, no CDs - everything held on his PC. 

What happens when the electricity goes down?