When you buy music, how do you do it?

[spag]

While I do like owning physical media, the moving I've been doing over the years has made it pretty impractical to deal with. Everything I own is ripped, and I won't even buy anything anymore unless I can get it in digital form. I buy everything I can from Bandcamp, Amazon for just about everything else. I don't deal with iTunes at all. I use Spotify at work 90% of the time because it's easy.

 

[PromisedLand]

Except for the nice box sets and bundles, I'm pretty much a digital guy now. When Symphony X, Blind Guardian, Edguy, or Avantasia release something new, I always buy the best they offer and import (except for Symphony X, since they release in NA first or simultaneously).

 

[dtmetalfan69]

Call me old school.....but I am a big fan of still collecting the solid album and not just the digital copy. If there is a band that I like a song or two, I am more than willing to give the entire album a listen.

I am a big fan of sentinel steel and amazon. There is not a time when I just buy one cd. I get some kind of happy satisfaction when I run out of room on my cd rack and I have to get a new one. I quit trying to keep a list. Seems like every time I would add something there would just be another band out there that is recommended, and the list just grows and grow.

 

[jem777az]

I went all digital a few months ago. Physical CDs take up too much space and I always listen to my Ipod anyways. I will still buy physical CDs though if they are cheaper than the digital download. I just rip everything then sell the CD to a local music shop for cash or store credit. So it basically comes down to price in order to determine which I buy first digital or physical.

 

[Charles Muller]

I'm old school, so I have the hard-copies racked up. I get most of my turn-ons by checking Amazon and see what's tagged in the "Customers also bought..." or recommendations or "similar to" links. I always have 10-12 projects and the same number of books in my wish list there. When I have 2-3 cd's and a book or two I can't put off any longer, I make a buy. I do pre-order a single project now and then. I get turned-on to stuff here as well (there is always something in Glenn's top 50 list I don't have that I do get, same this year). My son is a great source for shit I would never have heard otherwise. The one thing I ask him most..."Who is that?!"

I had never heard of lasercd.com. There are discs in my Amazon wish list that have no source. I will check for those on lasercd. Info rules!

 

[AeonicSlumber]

At this point, I just right click and add to playlist on spotify.

Same. I do buy records on occasion still because I do prefer having a physical thing to just chalking everything up to the cloud, but I only have so much space. Most of the time it's either Spotify or Itunes for me.

 

[Mardoch]

I had never heard of lasercd.com. There are discs in my Amazon wish list that have no source. I will check for those on lasercd. Info rules!

You were missing out. Make sure you read the descriptions. Sometimes they're better than the albums.

 

[mandrake6]

I'm old school, so I have the hard-copies racked up. I get most of my turn-ons by checking Amazon and see what's tagged in the "Customers also bought..." or recommendations or "similar to" links. I always have 10-12 projects and the same number of books in my wish list there. When I have 2-3 cd's and a book or two I can't put off any longer, I make a buy. I do pre-order a single project now and then. I get turned-on to stuff here as well (there is always something in Glenn's top 50 list I don't have that I do get, same this year). My son is a great source for shit I would never have heard otherwise. The one thing I ask him most..."Who is that?!"

I had never heard of lasercd.com. There are discs in my Amazon wish list that have no source. I will check for those on lasercd. Info rules!

I'm still old school, but have embraced the new school as well. I love the thrill of going into a record store and hunting for stuff, especially hidden gems. Unfortunately, nearly all of the record stores have closed. There are still quite a few used places to hit up, and I do try to hit those a couple of times a year. I buy most of my physical CD's online, whether it be through Ken at Laser's Edge (who is simply the best source for music online IMO) or Amazon (I'm a Prime member with them so that helps, gives me free 2-day shipping on almost everything). I do buy digital music and have started buying more, but still love CD's. I have a whole room dedicated just to my music, movies and books. My wife thinks I'm crazy.

This year, I went a little crazy with eBay, buying CD lots of stuff, 10-30 CD's at a time, for really cheap prices. Most of the time I get a bunch of great stuff, but every now and then there will be a few stinkers in the bunch. Those wind up getting traded to a used store. In my planning for going to PPXV next year, I am simply going to make a list and buy everything I can at the fest. Already started saving for it. Glenn's Top 50 list garnered a bunch to add to my list to buy this year. Need to get them bought and done before the New Year, because I am putting a self-imposed moratorium on buying for the next 9 months.

 

[Sumeet]

That is why I pack as light as possible when I go to the fest, so I can fit all the damn CDs that I end up buying back in my luggage. I got it to the point that I pretty much don't even pack a T-shirt for Saturday and Sunday as I will most likely buy them there (at the very least the "official" ProgPower shirt, which I typically wear on Sunday for the trip home). That is also why you always seem me wearing flip-flops the entire festival. Don't need to pack any socks.

And speaking of huge CD hauls - this was from when Ken was having that "blow-out" sale back in August:

So, if I'm interpreting this picture correctly, you're a big music fan, but an even bigger styrofoam fan?

 

[nailz]

To be honest, Spotify (as well as most online music options) is useless to me in most places where I listen to music.

Isn't it nice that we have choices?

 

[Mardoch]

So, if I'm interpreting this picture correctly, you're a big music fan, but an even bigger styrofoam fan?

When I got my box in I wasn't sure if Ken is a packing genius, or an epic troll. There were both whole AND shredded peanuts in that box. It took me a good 10 minutes to collect most of the shredded bits, and that's after I spent a solid 10 minutes being very careful about unpacking the box.

 

[TENTH DREAMER DECEIVER]

iTunes, Bandcamp, Amazon, eBay, Kickstarter & HMV.

 

[TheLongshot]

Isn't it nice that we have choices?

Not denigrating choice, but while being able to listen to anything on the internet is cool, sometimes you are limited by where you can get it.

1) Work doesn't like you using their pipe for your personal use.
2) Cell coverage isn't always universal.
3) You don't want to use all of your phone's batteries.
4) Don't always have access to your phone.

 

[Sumeet]

When I got my box in I wasn't sure if Ken is a packing genius, or an epic troll. There were both whole AND shredded peanuts in that box. It took me a good 10 minutes to collect most of the shredded bits, and that's after I spent a solid 10 minutes being very careful about unpacking the box.

Muhahaha! I've been buying CDs from him since 1997 or so, but because of my lower music consumption of late, less use of physical media, and because he hasn't been vending at ProgPower the last few years, I haven't checked out his selection in quite a while. Maybe I'll take a quick look now...

 

[Hammerlock]

I used to make big hauls like that, and loved it. Still would, if my finances were better. Nowadays, I contain my urge to buy LOADS of CDs by not going to Amazon or any big distros, because it's so tempting to buy more to save on shipping. Lately, I've been going direct to bands to buy them, because not only do they get more money that way, but I'm never tempted to make a huge haul. If you're just buying from one band's store, it's impossible to go on a rampage and bust my budget for the month.

 

[NorseBlood]

I have an eMusic subscription - http://www.emusic.com - so most of my music purchases are MP3. When eMusic doesn't have what I want, I'll usually go to 7digital - http://us.7digital.com - I like 7digital because the have good prices and the highest quality. 95% of the time the rips are 320 kbps MP3 (aka preset insane). As an added bonus, they also give you rips at 320 kbps AAC (MP4) downloads at no extra cost. No one else can top that for quality. You can get one, the other, or both. However, I always look for stuff on eMusic first because if you have a subscription (costs me $12 a month) you can get it for a significant discount. For example, a couple of weeks ago I downloaded Leprous Bilateral for $5.19. I got PoS Remedy Lane for $6.49. Orden Ogan "To the End" for $5.39. Here is the catch. You have to watch the music quality on eMusic. I won't download it unless I am reasonably certain its been ripped with LAME at V0 (aka preset extreme) settings. (I have a way I check that.) Some of the stuff in their older catalogue is NOT good quality. Also, you have to use up all your credits for the month or they get wiped when your subscription renews every 30 days. So, the short answer is I do not buy CDs unless I cannot find it digital - in which case I'll buy the disc and rip it myself. (I'm still waiting on T&N "Slave to the Empire" to be released digitally.) I might end up buying the CD, but right now there are other bands/albums ahead of it. The eMusic subscription is nice because I'm always getting new stuff to listen to.

 

[SkiBumMSP]

Also, you have to use up all your credits for the month or they get wiped when your subscription renews every 30 days.

I have an eMusic subscription too. I've been using it since the days when it was a number of downloads (I had the 90 downloads/month at $20/month plan). They since changed to the current "dollars and cents" model.

That is a major gripe that I have is that I cannot rollover unused portions of my monthly allotment to the next month. Especially annoying when I don't have quite enough left to buy a full album. I don't want to hassle with the "booster packs" just to get that extra 50 cents I need to grab an album I wanted. Also annoying that if there are tracks on an album longer than say, 10 minutes, they charge extra for it. Would be nice if they gave a discount like Amazon does when buying a complete album instead of track-by-track. I got bitten once with the "account wiped and refreshed". I had still had $13 in my account and lost track of the day when it refreshed, as I was about to go and use it up. It sucked royally to lose that $13, as that was at least two albums worth.

Still, I really do like eMusic and they do have a good selection for some really good prices. Anyway, I am of the camp that if I could, I'd rather get the CD because it does sound better (especially listening on a high-end rig), but there is no denying the convenience of getting it digitally.

 

[Justin G]

I love the collecting side of things, so I only buy physical products. According to my spreadsheet I average 293 discs - new and used - a year over the past decade. A good 25-30% of that comes from ProgPower, which I save my pennies for all year.

I totally get why people go all-digital, but my brain will not let me go that route.

 

[eppst1]

I still buy CD's, but I've started buying digital more. I will still pick the CD if it has more tracks compared to the digital version, or maybe a DVD or some such.

One think I do notice, sometimes there are tracks not available digitally that appear on the physical CD. I'm not talking about a bonus track, but a "normal" track that appears on the CD. For example, was going to pick up the digital copy of the new Artizan but noticed the track Ancestral Energy is labeled as "album only". Anyone know why that is? I don't believe that track is a bonus since it is the title track.

 

[Mardoch]

I believe in Amazon's case the album only thing means you can't buy that track singularly. It only comes if you purchase the entire album. I'm not 100% on that, though.