Topic: how do you buy music?

[Belgarath]

I buy music that I like.  I SAMPLE music that I don't like.  Sometimes I forget to erase the samples.

[Beleth]

I make a hobby out of looking into bands I've never heard of. I'm not spending money on a CD I know nothing about. I couldn't afford to. I'll see them if they're ever in Orlando or at a music festival, and if I become a huge fan, I'll buy the next album. Maybe.

I'm almost the exact opposite.  I know who I like, and I'll usually buy a CD of theirs without even hearing a single track from it.

Then again, I mostly like modern classical composers at the moment.  John Adams, Arvo Pärt, folks like that.

[Black_Magic]

I buy CDs - usually online though ... sites like CD universe.  I've downloaded a few songs from itunes and such... I probably should just do the MP3 thing... because what I do is buy CD's upload them to my computer - and then stash the CD away.  I have huge piles of CDs that haven't been moved in years. 

Not to get this into a big debate - but the whole 'I download songs to see if I like them then buy the CDs' is bullshit... especially in the last few years when you could simply go on the bands myspace and listen to a few entire songs from the CD, and then the 30 secs from other songs on sites like last.fm

[carrotflowers]

I buy CDs - usually online though ... sites like CD universe.  I've downloaded a few songs from itunes and such... I probably should just do the MP3 thing... because what I do is buy CD's upload them to my computer - and then stash the CD away.  I have huge piles of CDs that haven't been moved in years. 

Not to get this into a big debate - but the whole 'I download songs to see if I like them then buy the CDs' is bullshit... especially in the last few years when you could simply go on the bands myspace and listen to a few entire songs from the CD, and then the 30 secs from other songs on sites like last.fm

I bullshit you not. I don't find listening on myspace or 30 seconds on last.fm to be equivalent to downloading an mp3. For one thing I can put the mp3 on my iPod and listen when I am out and about, like commuting to work. For another, streaming often sucks over a medium like myspace. 30 seconds on last.fm is not usually enough for me to tell whether I like a song either. The last few albums I bought were purchased after I downloaded a few songs and decided to try the album.

[Sandwich]

Not to get this into a big debate - but the whole 'I download songs to see if I like them then buy the CDs' is bullshit... especially in the last few years when you could simply go on the bands myspace and listen to a few entire songs from the CD, and then the 30 secs from other songs on sites like last.fm

I don't download individual songs. Ever. I have to listen to an entire album as a whole three or four times before I decide if I like an artist. The myspace thing, eh, but when I listen to a 30 second sample of a song I already know I always think, "geez they picked the wrong part of the song..." I would overlook a lot of potentially good stuff if I did it your way, personally.

[Belgarath]

Not to get this into a big debate - but the whole 'I download songs to see if I like them then buy the CDs' is bullshit... especially in the last few years when you could simply go on the bands myspace and listen to a few entire songs from the CD, and then the 30 secs from other songs on sites like last.fm

I don't download individual songs. Ever. I have to listen to an entire album as a whole three or four times before I decide if I like an artist. The myspace thing, eh, but when I listen to a 30 second sample of a song I already know I always think, "geez they picked the wrong part of the song..." I would overlook a lot of potentially good stuff if I did it your way, personally.

There has NEVER been a single album made where I like every song on it (other than the occasional Greatest Hits album, which is just a compilation of various songs from a bunch of albums)

I can't select the single greatest 'Band' out there, to me there isn't one.  It's the song, stupid!

[carrotflowers]

but when I listen to a 30 second sample of a song I already know I always think, "geez they picked the wrong part of the song..." I would overlook a lot of potentially good stuff if I did it your way, personally.

Sandwich makes good points: 30 seconds of a song is often not even enough to tell what a song is really like, and B_M's way is wrong

There has NEVER been a single album made where I like every song on it (other than the occasional Greatest Hits album, which is just a compilation of various songs from a bunch of albums)

This makes me sad. "perfect album" is one of my last.fm tags. There aren't many, but they exist for me.

[Belgarath]

but when I listen to a 30 second sample of a song I already know I always think, "geez they picked the wrong part of the song..." I would overlook a lot of potentially good stuff if I did it your way, personally.

Sandwich makes good points: 30 seconds of a song is often not even enough to tell what a song is really like, and B_M's way is wrong

There has NEVER been a single album made where I like every song on it (other than the occasional Greatest Hits album, which is just a compilation of various songs from a bunch of albums)

This makes me sad. "perfect album" is one of my last.fm tags. There aren't many, but they exist for me.

I guess if you held a gun to my head and said PICK ONE, I'd have to pick Dark Side of the Moon.  It's the only album off hand that I can think of that I actually can listen to without actively hating at least one song.

[carrotflowers]

I guess if you held a gun to my head and said PICK ONE, I'd have to pick Dark Side of the Moon.  It's the only album off hand that I can think of that I actually can listen to without actively hating at least one song.

Yes. DSotM = "perfect album".  It's a good one to bring with you when you are test driving speakers.

[Sandwich]

I guess if you held a gun to my head and said PICK ONE, I'd have to pick Dark Side of the Moon.  It's the only album off hand that I can think of that I actually can listen to without actively hating at least one song.

Yes. DSotM = "perfect album".  It's a good one to bring with you when you are test riving speakers.

I can't take that chick wailing for 4 minutes on The Great Gig in the Sky though. Come on! 

[Belgarath]

I guess if you held a gun to my head and said PICK ONE, I'd have to pick Dark Side of the Moon.  It's the only album off hand that I can think of that I actually can listen to without actively hating at least one song.

Yes. DSotM = "perfect album".  It's a good one to bring with you when you are test riving speakers.

I can't take that chick wailing for 4 minutes on The Great Gig in the Sky though. Come on! 

You're doing it wrong.  By that time you're supposed to be so wasted that it doesn't matter.

[carrotflowers]

I can't take that chick wailing for 4 minutes on The Great Gig in the Sky though. Come on! 

But...but that chick is me! 

[DK]

Used to be CD's. Now I've gone digital, it's iTunes. Never had a problem. Just wanting to get my hands on my Dad's vinyl collection to digitise it all. Just about 1000 miles between him and me though.

[Black_Magic]

In my experience (anecdotal) very few people who say 'I just download to see if I like them then I'll buy their album' never actually buy the album.  All too often with friends I'll see their Ipod/mp3 player with 1000's of songs they actively listen to - and if I go to their house - they have like... 15 CDs.

In fact - the only people I know who say that - and actually do what they say are you two.  It might just be that I have to take your words for it (and I do take your words for it.)

[Schlenkerb]

Pirate