Who here actually still buys CD's?

Originally posted by Belial
Why else? To support the band.

I download mp3s, yes, but I use it as a tool to explore the artists music so I know if I like them. If a band truly stands out in terms of excellence, like Opeth, I will buy their CDs, thus giving some of my money to the band to help them make more of the music I love. Conversely, if a band is so-so, and I think they're unworthy of my money, I have nothing against downloading their mp3s without buying a CD.

Not to mention I have a "thing" for authenticity. I like having the actual CD with the cover art and stuff. It sort of gives validation to me as a fan of that particular artist. Also, if everyone held your attitude and just downloaded mp3s without buying CDs, the music industry as we know it would collapse, and there wouldn't be any new music.

This is how I feel as well! And another thing is that the cd
has to be available... If I can't find the cd anywhere I will
eventually stop looking because my love for the band fades,
as I descover newer and greater bands....

But as long as the music is good I'll buy the record, for the
whole experience.... Love the feeling of holding a cd in my hand...
Looking at the cover....reading the lyrics...reading the
"thank you's" etc etc. I need to buy more cd's!
I am really missing to hold a new cd in my hand! >:eek:P
 
I hardly thing any metal band could make a decent living ( or a living all togheter ) out of their record sales. Everyone has sidejobs to support yourself that is what it takes to devote to music. But if you respect the music you could try to support the labels that make it all possible with a couple of cds at year if you can afford it...but the band, no way i do not think they make a damn cent.
 
Well I've got a cdr on my pc.. and I've got a REALLY fast connection here (on the univ.. 100mbps).. but I DON'T burn any audio cds for me. I used to download some mp3z, but only to test-before-buying or to get some rare stuff that can't be found on cds (demos.. bootlegs.. etc). Now I just dl music videos..
The reason.. hmm.. I just like the original stuff.. the lyrics, the artwork.. It's more like a collection for me, although I'm not that rich and I don't have thousands of cds either. And of course it's the only way to show my appreciation for a band's work.. they get some financial support from this as well. Anyway as I said, I consider it as a collection.. something I'll be proud of in 10 or 20 years time..
 
everyone has pretty much stated what i think. mp3's are a great way to find out about bands. there is nothing that pisses me off more than buying a cd and it sucks. i had so many cds i had wasted money on and i know it would've been different if i had only been able to hear one of their songs. i didn't have a computer at the time i bought most of these crappy cds, but ever since i've gotten my computer i haven't been disappointed with any cds i've gotten because i always test them out first.

i suppose i have to thank those crappy bands that i had wasted money on. when i first heard opeth i didn't have enough money to buy any of their cds, but once i sold my collection of let-downs i had made enough money to buy all the opeth albums :)
 
i download mp3 mainly for getting to know bands
i burn quite a lot of cds, but only those i got to know from friends and which aren't so good that i would normally buy them. there often is the trick that you have to listen to music several times, weeks, months to appreciate it. if i hadn' burned the cd's i'd probably never realized the good points in certain bands (for example EverEve).
i buy cd's of these previously burned and mp3-ed bands afterwards. i don't like blind-buys.
 
I buy around 10 new cd's a month (at least) and still I also get dozens of promos every month. Sometimes I even buy albums that I have promo versions of. Just to get the real thing with lyrics and so on...
 
believe it or not mp3s piss me off... I am more than 3 and a half years online and my mp3s are less than 70..... (and these are mostly rare stuff,or stuff from small bands etc etc) ..i rarely download...For me music is connected with real CDs and vinyls and STEREOS....It pisses me off to stay with the PC on all day just to listen to music....I know I can burn CDs,but still i don't like this...
i like burned CD ONLY when a CD is fucking rare and i can't find it...and then if/when i manage to find the CD I simply buy it....
I listen to new music from magazine Cd-samples,collections,my friends etc etc
(call me stupid for my opinion,I don't really care)

and also as many people mentioned,I want to support the bands I like...It's not so fair to get their stuff for free....
and of course i want the originals because of the artwork,lyrics etc etc
Finally as TheMindzI said,yes I will be proud for my Cds in 10-20 years :D
 
I couldn't agree with you more Melancholia. A new product from a band isn't just the music. It's an overall impression I think. With the coverart, the lyrics etc. being an important part...

I would trade my 500 cd collection for 1.000.000 burnt cd's...
 
If you download an artist's music without paying for it, your stealing from that artist. Not only does the artist lose money, but it appears to their record label that they have a smaller fan-base than they actually do. That could lead to them losing their record contract. The artists in this genre are struggling to make a living. People like you only make it harder for them.

I often download entire CDs and burn them to disc. If I like it, I buy it. If I don't like it, I don't listen to it anymore.

GZ
 
i think if you are a real music lover and enjoy the music then you should be prepared to pay for it, as it is i think cd's are damn cheap anyway considering the number of hours of entertainment and enjoyment i get from them
 
fro the artists view, i don't think mp3 do a lot of damage to the performers. in fact, music is easily spreaded across the globe and therefore the potential consumer mass is larger. this doesn't appear to larger bands well-known already of course (like metallica ;) ), but for upcoming formations this is a bless and not a curse.
AND i for myself often rip cds on mp3 because it's so convenient... you get hundreds of tracks on one cd, and i have always music on my laptop while at work.
 
Okay, okay, fair enough you want to support the artist (which is what everyone is basically saying) but i doubt that is the actual reason you buy CD's.

If Opeth released a one-track single for a modest $40, who here would buy it?

Also if you want to support the artist, why not just send them money? Because i'm sure you're supporting the record company more than anyone else, and this way you *know* the money is going to them

Originally posted by Scytheman


I couldn't agree with you more Melancholia. A new product from a band isn't just the music. It's an overall impression I think. With the coverart, the lyrics etc. being an important part...


First of all , you can find album covers and lyrics all over the net and even print them out better quality than the original! The quality of the music doesn't have to be worse either, you can get really good quality music from the net.

But i'd agree with you that unwrapping a new CD from its wrapper is far more appealing than spending hours creating an album from bits and pieces from your computer
 
well personally i think its wrong to download and burn cd's, i mean in my feeble mind it seems no different that walking into your local record store and walking out with an armful of cd's without paying for them, the value doesnt lie in the packaging, its in the rights to the intellectual material contained within the confines of the cd, you pay for the right to listen to the music whenever you want, and so to download and burn your own cd's is theft, i've argued this point many many times and i always get the same response that they just dont want to give money to the evil music corporations, but in reality i doubt they have any moral concerns in mind when downloading and burning cd's, the fact is that they want something, but they dont want it enough that they would pay money for it. Fair enough if you cant afford to buy cd's every week then dont, and be more choosy about what you do buy, but to say that if you cant afford something then you have the right to steal it is ludicrous.....i have no problems with mp3s, i think they are great for finding out if something is worth buying, and loads of record companies provide mp3 samples these days anyway, to an extent i dont even necessarily have a problem with people making compilation cd's of mp3s they have downloaded because its something that otherwise you wouldnt be able to get....anyway enough of the ranting :) lifes too short to argue over such trivial things anyway, if you want to burn cd's then i think its your loss, its just not the same as buying an original and taking care of it then and getting suicidal after getting a scratch on your beloved copy of morningrise so that a certain point in black rose immortal keeps skipping :cry: and then having to buy another copy....oh wait thats just me :cry:
 
I disagree.

Art should be free, and if the artist really was creating music purely for the art of it, then he would not allow his music to be restricted to people who had enough money to pay for it.

As for "supporting the band", well the band is not a business, and its doesn't need to be supported. I should think (hope) they are not making music for the money, although it would make sense to break even and not be losing money, which i seriously doubt Opeth has much chance of, considering their current popularity.
 
Originally posted by hibernal_dream
Okay, okay, fair enough you want to support the artist (which is what everyone is basically saying) but i doubt that is the actual reason you buy CD's.

If Opeth released a one-track single for a modest $40, who here would buy it?

I would buy it! I've bought.. let's say a 5-track cd (group doesn't matter) for about £30-£35.. there are a couple of groups that I would give anything (almost) for their stuff. I've got 34 singles of a certain group.. and about 60 cds in total (only 10 of which are full albums).. enough? :)
 
Originally posted by hibernal_dream
I disagree.

Art should be free, and if the artist really was creating music purely for the art of it, then he would not allow his music to be restricted to people who had enough money to pay for it.

As for "supporting the band", well the band is not a business, and its doesn't need to be supported. I should think (hope) they are not making music for the money, although it would make sense to break even and not be losing money, which i seriously doubt Opeth has much chance of, considering their current popularity.
wtf are you talking about, would you want to work for free? since when is any art free? painters sell their paintings, writers sell their books and yet you want in many cases already struggling musicians to work for free just so you can be a cheapskate and not pay for your cd, and what music company is going to take a band on, pay for recording, editing, publishing, distribution, advertising for no gain? you sir are an idealistic fo0l! in your world we would have a handful of amateur bands without enough money to tour or make professionally produced albums
 
Question :Why does an artist paint?

I'm pretty sure that its because he has an idea and wants to express it to the world, and not because it is his job and he wants to make money. I don't think the first thing that came to Da Vinci's mind when he painted Mona Lisa was "hey this painting is gonna become famous and end up in a museum and be worth millions of dollars! "
 
I love MP3's :) ...
Because without them, I would have never discovered Opeth..!!!

God bless the internet... :D