6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: freightdawg
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 07:31 PM

Touche' Steeleye!

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Blowzabella
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 07:19 PM

I know I'm probably in the minority, but I tend to do exactly what brookeburkesluvr seems to draw his line at - I do send cheques direct to artists! I'm fortunate, though, in that my work brings me into contact with a lot of performers and I can often either buy at gigs or catch up later with a cheque. The next CD I plan to send off for will be for Jim Eldon's latest. I anticipate that it will be excellent value for money.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: greg stephens
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 07:05 PM

Poppagator: well said!!!!

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Bill D
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 06:04 PM

Oh, I'm sure that Ron is saying what Dick meant..*grin*...if no one buys CDs, the production of them will 'probably' decline!!!

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 05:40 PM

I don't want to speak for Dick, but I think some of you are mis-reading his note.

I believe what Dick was saying was that IF people do not support artists, you will be telling them to find other jobs.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST,brookeburkesluvr
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 05:26 PM

I'm pleased to see that people care enough about this issue to post so many thoughtful opinions about it.   It irritates me that the music industry is so profit-focused. It would seem to me that whether you buy the commercially printed CD, or use an online digital music subscription service, the artist is still getting the short end of the money stick. Free file-sharing is out of the question as far as I'm concerned, because I don't want to be sued and, aside from publicity for lesser-known artists, there's not much benefit to anyone other than the person who gets the free music file. Short of contacting various artists directly and sending them a personal check for copies of their music, I don't really know what we could do to change this mess. In the meantime, I think a nice compromise is to use a subscription based online service to find, preview and burn copies of certain tracks that you just want individually (Rhapsody has the lowest per-track cost at 79 cents - http://www.bestbuy.com/rhapsody) and then go to the store and buy the commercial CD for artists who you really want to support or that consistently put out great CDs.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: PoppaGator
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 04:32 PM

Thomas:

Isn't it evident what Dick Greenhaus means (seriously or otherwise) -- that most performers offer so worthless a product that we'd all be better off if they just shut up and got a day job?

I don't necessarily agree with such an extreme view, but I do feel strongly that many excellent *performers* -- players and/or singers -- are woefuly deficient as *composers*. The sad fact is that so much of the potential money to be made in the music business comes from publishing, royalties, etc., and that therefore anyone looking to make a living as a full-time musician owes it to him/herself to try for a piece of the writer's action.

I live in a city (New Orleans LA) that is a hotbed of musical activity, with plenty of live-music venues operating 6 or 7 nights a week, providing plenty of gigs to a wide variety of players. It's a very common experience to thoroughly enjoy, and be genuinely impressed by, a group or an individual interpreting traditional or "cover" material, and doing a great job of it -- and then to hear the announcement, "And now, one of our originals," only to witness the entire proceedings take a nosedive into mediocrity or worse.

All of the above, of course, speaks to the superiority of traditional music (folk tradition, jazz tradition, whatever) over the commericial music biz.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 04:18 PM

Martin - yes, I heard that story directly from Pete's lips, as have many people. I do agree with you in that over time I am sure the story has changed. There is no question, even from Pete Seeger, that he was angry at the time.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST,pdq
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 03:53 PM

IMHO, anyone who cannot find something worth buying from the combined catalogues of Shanachie, Rounder/Flying Fish, Rebel/County, Sugar Hill, Acoustic Disc, Nirada or Folk Legacy is not much of a music fan. Ooops, left out Vanguard, Folkways, Bear Family, and probably 50 others. This is the greatest time to be a music fan in history unless you listen to AM pop radio which truly sucks.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Thomas the Rhymer
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 03:32 PM

dick greenhaus...Though I may in fact intuitionally 'know' what you meant by the posting above, would you mind stirring the pot abit by clarifying your point? I'm listening... and eagerly too...ttr

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: NicoleC
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 03:05 PM

>You pay your money and you take your chances.

Yup. And this is why record sales are in the toilet, because the chances of spending $18 (US) and getting a CD off the shelf with good quality all the way through have dwindled to almost nothing. Yet many musicians and the industry seek to blame the buyers for their response to their lackluster product.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 02:10 PM

The best reason not to buy CDs is to encourage performers to take up other jobs.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Wesley S
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 01:44 PM

I don't understand this concept of " I only want to pay for the songs I like and nothing else ". How does this work when y'all go to see a live band ?? I can imagine the reception I would get if I walked up the band after a set and said "I want $4.00 back from my $10.00 cover charge because I only liked 60% of your songs". Or telling a theater manager "I didn't like the ending of the movie - give me $5.00 back"

You pay your money and you take your chances.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: PoppaGator
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 01:15 PM

I'm reading George Wein's autobio "Myself and Others" and learned yet another version of what happened backstage when Dylan "went electric" at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. (George was/is the founding producer of the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, producer of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival since its 2nd or 3rd year back in the early 70s, and many other annual musical events aroun the world.)

Wein supports the view that Pete Seeger's negative reaction was to the sound quality, not the basic idea of playing electric guitars and drums. The person who *really* freaked out was Alan Lomax, who had already objected to the inclusion of the electrified Chicago blues acts on the bill (especially white boys Paul Butterfield and Mike Bloomfield with their racially-mixed band, the musicians who wound up providing Dylan's accompaniment.) Lomax resigned his position on the NFF board of directors immediately afterward, allowing the festival to continue showcasing acts like Muddy Waters, Butterfield, the Junior Wells Band featuring Buddy Guy, etc. Two or three years later, they even included Big Brother and the Holding Company (with Janis Joplin) as a blues act (and therefore passable as "folk").

I was at Newport that year; I was arrested early Saturday evening when the cops saw me buy a beer -- after a l-o-o-o-n-g wait on line (or, to you Brits, "in queue") -- then immediately get back in line, sipping my beer in anticipation of buying another by the time I finished. They asked for my ID, determined I was underage (17), and took me off to spend the night in jail. I was released in the morning, with no charges, no record, no fine, etc., along with a couple of dozen other youthful miscreants -- but I soon learned about the big-deal historical moment I had missed, when Dylan had taken the stage with members of the Butterfield band, plugged in an electric guitar, and stupified the folk music esablishment.

By the way: I'm reminded of the title of one of the cuts on that first Paul Butterfied album: "Driftin' and Driftin." ;^]

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST,Martin Gibson
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 11:40 AM

Ron, As I was not there and I am unsure if Pete Seeger personally told you this, most all accounts that I have read have substantiated his over-reaction to the Dylan electric sound. Years later, it's probably plausable that Mr. Seeger has to some degree, downplayed this.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 09:22 AM

Martin - you are right about country music and electric guitars. You gave some great examples of how country music embraced the tools that were available. Well put!

I do have one "quibble" - your comment about Pete Seeger and his reaction to electric guitars. That incident at Newport has become so clouded and it is impossible to separate truth from the myth.   Pete has said for years that his issue was not the fact that Dylan was using electric guitars (which he had been doing for a year previous to Newport - and organizers like Pete certainly knew he would be using them)but rather the fact that the sound system distorted the instrument to the point where it was overwhelming the vocals. Sorry to drift, but I wanted to give my opinion.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST,Steve
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 07:27 AM

Steeleye - Thomas the Rhymer dates a wee bit before Steeleye Span came into being and even before the character Steeleye Span from the song 'Horkstow Grange' was conceived! If you like the band so much I suggest you find out some of the background information to some of the material! Cool!

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST,Martin Gibson
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 06:01 PM

Freightdawg

As much as I love to listen to and play bluegrass, I hardly think country was destroyed by electric instruments. Buck Owens' band took electric instruments on a hot ride, as did Emmylou's Hotband. Steel players like Ralph Mooney, Buddy Emmons, Don Helms as well as pickers like Marty Stuart have not destroyed country music with an electric sound.

Kind of like Pete Seeger's over-reaction to Dylan's electric guitar.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Steeleye
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 05:47 PM

Thomas the Rhymer made its debut on Now We Are Six and has appeared on just about all of their live and compilation discs.

Freightdawg, if electricity were the only problem with country, it might not necessarily be bad (I'm thinkin' Dylan at Newport). I can't handle the fake sobbing vocals, the pedestrian lyrics, the overly polished production, the whole pre-fab presentation ("freeze dried music" as Frank Zappa once referred to pop). And then there's the overdose of make-up and hairspray. On the women, too.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: freightdawg
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 05:15 PM

I agree with Steeleye and should have excepted Bluegrass from my rant against Nashville. However, I will say that since "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" hit the screens and bluegrass became a hot trend, very likely we will soon see even the Holy Grail of musicianship become tarnished. I better stock up on the masters while I still have a chance.

My only hope is that since bluegrass is totally an acoustic sound (imho), many of the people who have destroyed country with electricity will leave it alone.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Thomas the Rhymer
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 04:31 PM

Try to find a missive meaning, massive expectations
And guarentee the disappointment, and tenuous relations


Steeleye... Span was my favorite English folkrock band in the seventies... I enjoy listening to them now for the gleaning of gloaming... and nostalgia mostly. I love Maddy Prior's singing more than life itself... (with Karine Polwart a close second) but the arrangements are... dated... and sortaloose... nowadays...

btw... I have no recollection of their version of TtR... ttr

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: SeanM
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 02:48 PM

My problem with the "artistic vision" argument is that most of these visions seem to suffer from severe astigmatism.

There are some artists I will without hesitation buy an entire CD, sound unheard, and gladly shell the money out for it.

But for every one of those, there have been tens if not a hundred other CDs I've bought for a couple songs I'd heard, and then sincerely wanted the rest of the money back. I'd even give the artist back the unused part of the CD, if they want it.

Live performances do help to judge the quality, but where I'm at the folk scene is... well, "stunted" is a good word. And even for other genres, concert ticket prices have escalated well beyond the "Hey, I'm bored, let's go see a show" level of purchase. I like music, I like singing music, I like listening to it - but I can't afford to go see every single artist I want to buy something from, and in many cases it's not even a potential option. The dead don't tour very well, and to a lot of decent smaller groups, a "tour" is playing three venues in their home town in one night.

Personally, I feel that the music "industry" (in this case, the larger labels) is hanging itself and is trying to blame everyone else without ever once looking to internal sources. Pop music has become a dead issue - with the now nearly complete monolithic ownership blocs sucking up every major market, the labels now have the ability to grind one "trend" for ages by simply introducing occasional "mini trends" to give occasional relief - it means that while the kids get more and more pissed, mom and dad know precisely what to buy. It all sounds mostly the same, so anything on the best seller list can usually be identified strictly from the cover as to whether a pop fan will like them. Rap? Is it someone glaring at the camera wearing a sports jersey? Rage rock? Is it a dark, brooding picture? Pop? Primary colors ahoy! Etc.

Combine that with the lack of support *any* other form of music besides what's popular is getting commercially, and you find a recipe for declining sales - which is exactly what is happening. If you keep pushing the exact same sound and kill any diversity, you'll saturate your market. If you then lower the quality level of the overall product, you'll lose even the customers who kept you running otherwise...

GAAAH!

I can't keep going on this. It's become a major hotbutton with me, and I tend to rant. Bankruptcy to RIAA!

M

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: JennyO
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 12:38 PM

So Sandra, my fanatical CD-buying friend, have you heard the sound of crunching lately as you weave your way around your flat, past hordes of teddy bears and other small objects?

Better hurry up and get those shelves! The floor is not a very friendly place for CD's to live - oops ;-)

Jenny

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 12:14 PM

GUEST   (or one of the myriad) said:

Why is a fake name better than being a guest ?

Because people occasionally lose their cookies, and the default is GUEST, for one thing, leading to confusion as to who says what. But whatever the fake name you might assign is different (absent fraud or trollism) from the fake name I might assign, or that Suzie Jones or Harold Schwartz might assign. Thus a reply, for instance, can be directed to SJONES or ESSJAY or AITCHESS or HAIRYMONSTER or whatever, and another reader can go back and ascertain what that poster really said. And on and on and on....

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: DMcG
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 12:09 PM

I just thought I'd remind everyone how expensive CDs are in the UK. Taking 'Anglicana' as a CD at random, on Amazon.co.uk that is listed as £11.99 (or buy used from £14.69 ???) excluding postage. At current exchange rates, that's about $20.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Steeleye
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 11:12 AM

Thomas the Rhymer? Cool handle. How many people here know it's a Steeleye Span song? Have you credited them? Not that I find that essential, but as one of the greatest and most underrated bands of all time, they deserve all the plugging they can get.

I'm with the folks who like to discover the unknown cuts on a CD. Oftentimes that "filler" turns out to be real gems. As far as radio stations and performers playing hits over and over, yes, it annoys the heck out of me, too, but it all comes down to commerce. Give the people what they want. Blame the mindless masses. Who was it that said there's no accounting for taste?

Another good thing about buying CDs online is that whenever I used to go to record stores, they wouldn't have what I was looking for. That happened, I'd say, about 80% of the time, without exaggeration. Online I can find anything in print, and almost everything out of print.

Regarding that slick, homogenized junk coming out of Nashville some call "country," if you want good lyrics and virtuoso musicianship with your "country" by people who really mean it, go with bluegrass.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Thomas the Rhymer
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 10:22 AM

The problem I see, is nonsense to me
open your mind...tis better to find
what musicians free

One song here and one song there and
take the cream assunder
Favorites born, from others torn
Do shirk the artist's wonder

So if you like the graph'd spike
but not the dross of dailys
Perhaps your taste proceeds unchecked
beyond the joyful ceilidh's

Sure, I've got favorites too... but really...

btw, when I was a kid, I loved to buy used records, and soon tiring of them, I'd trade them in on others... collecting them seemed pointless... and considering my choice of generas then... it was probably for the best... ttr

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 09:43 AM

I'm with you, Steeleye. I buy almost all of my CDs on line, either through Amazon.com, CD Universe or eBay (I don't own stock in any of these companies, so this isn't a commercial.) I don't remember the last time I paid as MUCH as $15 for a CD. You can usually pick them up new or remaindered on the internet for $9 or $10, and even with shipping cost added, it's still under $15. On eBay, I've picked CDs up for far less than that. I even was the high bidder on a great early country music CD for a PENNY! I've picked up a few CDs I really wanted for under a dollar.

Buying on-line is great if you just want a "greatest hits" collection.
But to me, that's like the oldies stations that seem to think that Chuck Berry only recorded three songs. I love exploring a performer's repertoire, rather than limiting myself to two or three cuts. There are usually some surprises on a CD of songs that never will get any airplay, or get sung in concert. I'd never want to do a concert if all people wanted to hear were the two or three songs of mine they really like, any more than I'd want to go to a concert to hear someone else do the two or three "hits" they've had.

For me, musicians are a sum of their parts, so I don't want to just hear part of their sum.

Jerry

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 08:40 AM

I am fanatical CD buyer & am currently listening to Gordon Bok. I don't have a TV so listen to the radio & my own CDs & tapes all the time.

My latest CD cost $40 (recommended retail price) from my favourite CD shop, run by 2 enthusiast friends. They often sell CDs a few dollars less than the big chains. (It's Seeds - the songs of Pete Seeger, a double CD).

The albums my friends & acquaintances put out generally cost $15 to $25 - AUD = about 70 cents US

I am desperately running out of space to store them. I must get some real shelves & get my handyman mate to put them up so I will have more room on my floor!

sandra

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Wolfgang
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 06:46 AM

With very few exceptions (in Pop) I want to have the whole work of art (including order of tracks and liner notes) and not pieces. That's the main reason I buy CDs.

One good reason (profit for the artist) has been mentioned why some buy directly at concerts. Let me tell you a good reason not to buy at a concert. Often I have been disappointed by a CD from an artist I loved to hear live (didn't like the additional instrumetns on the CD or that artist just was best live and not on tracks). There are no listening options at concerts. That's why I never more buy at concerts unless I know other recordings of that artist. In that case I happily give him or her the additional profit of direct buy.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: freightdawg
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 06:31 PM

No telling how many times I bought a cd for the latest song or for an oldie but a goodie, and then found out that a completely unknown (by me) song soon became my favorite. It's true you get an occasional clunker, but I kind of like to know why some songs are hits and some are clunkers even when performed by the same artist or group at the same time. Was it poor lyrics, tune, lazy performance? We learn from what goes wrong, as well as what goes right.

My beef with the major producers is they think they have a lock on what is quality. You cannot find some artists out there today because they have been frozen out by the "same sound by every group" syrup that is foisted off as music today. I speak mostly of country producers, but from my smaller experiences with other genres I would say pretty much the same about them as well. Where are the producers who focus on quality lyrics and tunes instead of some idiot smashing his guitar on stage? We need somebody to turn Nashville upside down.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: open mike
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 05:57 PM

the best way is to get direct from the artist..
rarely over 15 $US if you acquire them as concerts-
then you cut out the middle man and the performer
gets a better percentage of the cost. You may find
a cut that you like that isn't the one which is
chosen for radio play, or by the label or others
who choose such things. Or one that was not perfor-
med in concert which means more to you than the ones
that were. The poeple who wrote and played and sang
the songs should be the ones who get the proceeds of
the sales. I know that some venues require the band
to share a certain percentage of the sales with them.
Esp. big businesses like universities...

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: NicoleC
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 05:52 PM

I've mostly stopped buying CDs, but for many of the same reasons, but with a different solutions.

I love great CDs that I can listen to from start to finish, too. But the vast majority of CDs out there are made up of one or two good tracks and the rest is filler material. Granted, some top notch artists do darn good filler material. But not many. That doesn't stop every lousy artist out there from whining about how people don't listen to their whole CD, when much of it is dreck. Those that really have a problem with it, simply don't allow the licensing to download single songs. No biggie.

First, I went to used CDs, so it didn't hurt $o bad when that new CD stunk 85%. But I was still tired of having a shelf full of CDs that I never listened to because it wasn't worth putting the CD in the player for one good 3 minute song. (Especially since I mostly listen in the car.) Sold a bunch of CDs on Amazon's marketplace. Lost money. Found one or two new artists that I liked.

Then I tried previewing 30 seconds of a song on Amazon, etc., but the previews didn't translate to a whole CD I might enjoy, and after a while I never found anything I wanted. Sold a bunch more CDs on the Marketplace, lost more money. Didn't find anyone new I liked.

Tried a "subscription" music service, but didn't have time to wade through gobs of ads for big artists to find the good ones. Tried to look up tracks for old favorites, but they usually weren't licensed for the service. Net result: one whole home-burned CD of Mozart's Requiem, final cost about $45.00 in fees.

Then I bought a Sirius satellite radio and paid $12.95/month service. I now have over 100 channels, 60 of them commercial free music. I no longer have the desire to buy CDs because there's always something great on, but if I do get the hankering, I press a button and the radio displays the song name and the artist. If only that button then emailed that info to my house, I might follow up on that purchase more often... and it probably won't be for a whole CD unless they *really* impress me.

Certain artists have earned the benefit of the doubt from me and I'll buy the whole thing site unseen.

Meanwhile, every CD that isn't either from a friend or good enough to listen to from start to finish has been sold or recycled. I don't have very many CDs left :)

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST,Claire
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 04:53 PM

I consider the $15 (US) I pay for a cd to be very well spent money.

I really enjoy having the cd, and not just the music and certainly not single tracks. When I sit down to listen, I generally read the liner notes, or if I am doing housework, I often find myself stalled by the notes. I want to know the instrumentation, the artists, the producer, the lyrics. I feel cheated if I purchase a cd and they have skimped on the notes. I want to hear an entire cd, front to back, because the flow of the cd adds to my enjoyment and appreciation.

I will probably never buy a shuffling 5 disk cd player for that reason. I will probably never compile cds of various artists for that reason. However, if I were doing purposeful research, then I can imagine going on-line to collect various versions of a song I am learning - haven't done that yet, though.

As a cd buyer, I really want to support the artist, and as a cd maker, having just put a cd out, I want the entire product to be listened to. I would much rather someone purchase the whole cd than only one track. No single track could give the full picture of the music as my band portrays it.

If this is indeed the wave of the future, then it is a shortcut, which will limit artistic expression in the long run.

Guess I'll go now and buy that Cherish the Ladies cd with the one song that I want on it. Maybe there will be something wonderful on the next track.

Claire

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Steeleye
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 04:32 PM

I'm surprised nobody else does what I do. Like you all, I refuse to pay $15 to $18 US for new CDs. For the past three years or so, I've been buying them used on Half.com, eBay and Amazon. It's not unusual to pay half the retail price or less.

In fact, the new June Tabor is on Half.com right now for $13.99. That's for a new sealed copy, and it's one of the higher prices I've seen on the site.

In any case, thanks for lettameknow June has a new album. I'm gonna have to get it. Been a fan since Airs and Graces.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Bill D
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 04:29 PM

"Why is a fake name better than being a guest ?"

well, just imagine 479 different 'guests' all trying to refer to each other's posts "dear Guest who posted at 11:30 on the 14th"....and besides, true or not, consistently posting as guest leaves a feeling that you have issues with US as listeners. Imagine also going to a party and encountering someone with a bag over their head and a disguised voice and trying to carry on a discussion with them.

if there are REAL reasons to sometimes not use a member name, then call yourself "rumplestiltskin" as a temporary thing..or "old Sam"...whatever...

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST,Peter from Essex
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 04:28 PM

June Tabor GPB11.99 Can$20.99 (import) both excluding shipping from Amazon.

Our Canadian guest seems to be quoting for imports not for locally released recordings which will skew the prices.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 04:14 PM

Guest - Was your question supposed to be "how do I support Bach" or "how do I support the musicians who are recording Bach?"

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST,Kim C no cookie
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 03:48 PM

I buy CDs because I'm a liner note geek. However, sometimes an artist I don't generally like may come out with a song that grabs my fancy. I have never downloaded music but I would have no problem paying for songs that I wanted via Internet. The $10 a month that someone mentioned seems plenty reasonable to me - I know my household spends more than that on CDs.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 03:30 PM

How do I support Bach

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: greg stephens
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 03:30 PM

I buy CDs because I dont know which tracks Im going to like till I've listened to them. Sometimes a few times. And I generally fund(hardlysurprising) that if an artist has attracted my attention with a song or two that Ive heard on the radio or somewhere, I more often than not enjoy the whole CD. As regards price: whichever way you buy music, even if it's over-priced CDs, it's still a lot cheaper than buying 78's and LPs was when I was a kid.(mind you the music's not as good as when i was a kid, ha ha).

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 03:20 PM

Blowzabella is right. Cut out the middleman, buy direct from the people you've enjoyed listening to, and support artistes in your corner of the world.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 03:11 PM

Martin - actually when you download songs from a PAY site, the artist is getting royalties and you are supporting their repertoire. True, you do not get the full scope of an artist, but it is still better than stealing their music.

CD prices have come down considerably. I agree with Martin, Wal-Mart prices are lower, and even though you aren't supporting a local merchant you are at least keep local people employed. You can also find local chains such as Best Buy.

Ron

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: John Hardly
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 03:10 PM

put me firmly in Martin Gibson's camp.

I like the "connectedness" I feel from the artwork and especially the liner notes from which I so often glean ideas for my next purchases. Liner notes are a great window into who is recording what -- who's playing with whom and who might have recordings of their own that might sound appealing.

I also really dislike the "45's" mentality of picking. So often some of the best music is that which grows on you after spinning a CD for another song. You know how it goes (maybe, if you loved 45's you don't) -- you buy a CD for one song and before long it is another....and then another, that become your favorites.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 03:09 PM

Why is a fake name better than being a guest ?

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 03:08 PM

Check out HMV Spring Garden Rd. Halifax. I just bought the new Annie Lennox...22.17 with GST. I tried to buy the New June Tabor..they never heard of her but when they looked it up said they would order it for me at 28.00 plus GST.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Bill D
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 03:07 PM

whereever you are, you need to say so..(and use a NAME, even if it's fake) the forum is worldwide, and people can't read your mind and intuit the details! Look how many posts were taken up with guessing!

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Amergin
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:57 PM

i looked at cd prices in canada and didnt find an average of 22- 30 dollars....more like about 15....

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:56 PM

I am not in australia, HMV is not an aussie music store exclusively. I am in Canada.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:54 PM

There are no local shops to support..There is HMV, there is future shop. That's it. Also, I resent having to pay for any of the following...music I don't want, badly produced music, plain junk.
If artists had as much respect for consumers as they would like consumers to have for them perhaps the music industry would not be in such a dire mess. I am not terribly sympathetic to their plight.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Amergin
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:48 PM

correction HMV is a worldwide store...but the prices our esteemed guest was quoting are Ozzie prices....which i understand is about average there.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Blowzabella
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:47 PM

I hardly ever buy CDs from any kind of store at all. Usually I buy direct from artists - most of my CD collection is made up of artists whose work isn't distributed in the mainstream. Consequently, I pay about £10 for a CD.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Amergin
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:42 PM

ok...i got it now....HMV is an Ozzie music store the 22 to 30 dollars is Ozzie currency....not american.

Guest you did not make that clear in your posts.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST,Martin Gibson
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:38 PM

1. You are overpaying. Wal-mart has decent selection $12-14 range.
2. You are not supporting local merchants.
3. By cherry picking, you are not supporting an artist's reportoire and the songwriters on the CD.

4. You get no artwork, no liner notes, no documentation, etc.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Áine
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:35 PM

My main reason is, well, there's a whole bunch of 'em. I've been a subscriber to EMusic.com for a couple of years now, and I love it. Not that it has a lot of 'brand new' stuff; but, you can't beat for some great folk/world/blues material.

I've found artists there that I never would have found at any retail source. It's just $10.00 a month, with unrestricted amount of download. I know this may sound like another 'commercial'; but, I really do recommend a look-see from those of you who have ecclectic music tastes (like myself) ;-)

Did I mention that you get a free trial subscription, including 50 downloads? Well, there you go.

All the best, Áine

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:29 PM

just about any store that carries CD's -

Are we talking the same Currency? though I shopped in Toronto and didn't pay over $15 Canadian there either - though I will admit some of the pricing was above that - but still at or below $15 US.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:25 PM

HMV....where do you go for fifteen ?

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: Amergin
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:18 PM

sorry the last guest was me....

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:17 PM

where are you going when you pay 22 to 30 dollars for a cd????

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:15 PM

How do I get tp where a cd is fifteen dollars. I regularly pay 22.00 to 30.00. I have stopped buying them. Too much money and now that most independant music shops have been swallowed by HMV the selection is poor. So I jusr gave up, I now download what I want and ignore the dross. This is an industry that is self destructing and blaming the consumer.

Subject: RE: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:12 PM

boy - does this look like an advertisement? or does it look like an advertisement?

I haven't EVER paid $20 for a CD except when bidding on one in auction. Most CD's I see are $15 or less.

And frankly - as far as I can see the publishers are far more worried about getting cheated out of their (much larger) share then whether or not the artist gets their cut.

Subject: 6 reasons why I don't buy CDs ...
From: GUEST,brookeburkesluvr
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 02:06 PM

1. easier to preview tracks online rather than drive to the store and wait for an open listening station
2. running out of storage space for all the CDs I bought just for 1 or 2 tracks each
3. I never know what the store has in stock and what they don't and it's a pain to try and find specific CDs in some of these places where their alphabetical tabs have all been moved around out of order
4. expensive ~ I pay less $ for each track online, and don't have to pay for the tracks I don't want. I'm tired of spending over $20 bucks for a 10-12 song disc with maybe 2 or 3 tracks that I actually like.
5. It just saves time and it's so much easier. Plain and simple.
6. Car listening. Whether you're using a 1 disc player or a 10-disc CD changer in the car, you know what I mean when I say that it's far better to have compilation discs loaded in with songs you like on them. Having a car filled with CDs that you have to change over frequently is a hassle (and sometimes a hazard)

So, I've finally come to the point of concluding that I'd rather do my music shopping online than to physically go to the store. I'm curious to know how many other people are following this trend now, and what service has been the best for you. I don't have any interest in the file-sharing services, primarily because they're illegal and artists get cheated out of their rightful share. Just subscription-based ones like the following;
BEST BUY's Digital Music Service ~ www.bestbuy.com/rhapsody

Press Play ~ http://www.pressplay.com/
i-Tunes ~ http://www.apple.com/itunes/
Buymusic.com ~ http://www.buymusic.com/