JUMPING DARKNESS PARADE: EYAL ON PHYSICAL CDS
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 5:00pm by Eyal Levi
Okay, honest question. How many of you are still actually buying physical CDs? If you download illegally, I don’t care. Just let me know what your preferred habit is. I’m not a tool from a major label that’s going to sue you. I don’t give a fuck. I personally think that the Compact Disc is a medium that’s in its death throes. Either that, or it died and occasionally twitches. Either way, I just wanna know…. How do you guys prefer to get your music?
Here’s part of why it doesn’t matter to me. When it comes down to it, we don’t make jack shit from record sales. Even if you buy a CD from us at a show, we’re still paying $7.50 or $8 to get it from the labels. If we charge you what stores charge, then it’s just highway robbery. So at prices we feel comfortable charging, our profit margin is like two bucks on CDs pretty much. You could buy a shirt where our margin is more like five to seven bucks and it might add up to us being able to pay our phone bills at the end of a tour. Sometimes we have to charge retail store prices because headliners make us price match, but if it were up to us CDs would be $7 or $8. They are definitely a loss leader for us on the road, but we bring them anyways because our latest album, The Concealers, wasn’t exactly easy to find in retail stores. So if you wanna buy a copy, at least you can get one from us.
But we’d rather sell shirts and hoodies. That’s where there’s actually profit. And it seems like metal fans are more into buying shirts anyways. I mean, you can’t download a shirt. Well, you can download the design and then iron on the print, but that shit ain’t the same. It’ll look like a shitty bootleg.
Anyways, it’s all the same to me if you download our record or buy it. I just care that you get it. If this was five or more years ago I might have cared that you were downloading it, but it’s just a fact of life now. Why would you pay money for something that you can get for free? Only shame is about the artwork. But, oh well, how many of you actually care about that? Seems like an old school thing, but I could be wrong. The artwork you guys seem to care about is on clothing items, not in CD booklets. Am I right or wrong?
Music buying culture has changed. It’s not about to change, it HAS changed. Remember the CD book? Where you used to keep all your CDs? Some motherfuckers had like five or six of them with a hundred CDs apiece. I’m sure some of you don’t even know what I’m talking about. Thing of the past. Nowadays you can fit all that on an iPod. So why would you even bother? CDs are cumbersome. I know iPods can fail and you could lose all your music, but it’s still so convenient, and our society is built on convenience, isn’t it?
I know most of you don’t buy CDs. Most people I know NEVER buy them. Shit, I haven’t bought a physical CD in so long I can’t remember what the last one was. Here and there are some dudes who collect them (funny that they happen to be older), but for the most part nobody I know buys them anymore.
So if you were to buy a CD, a physical compact disc, what would inspire you to lay down your money for it? And wouldn’t you rather get a shirt or two?
-EL
You can buy awesome Daath merch here. You should also check out their MySpace page.
we’re still paying $7.50 or $8 to get it from the labels
You have a shitty deal, then.
More like “You have an industry-standard deal, then.”
Spot on, Eyal. I wish vinyl pressers didn’t start charging a arm and a leg recently. They’ve obviously figured out the CD is a zombie, and vinyl is the only physical music medium seeing an increase in sales any more. I don’t really buy CDs very often. I know first hand musicians are earning so much more money from shirts anyway.
I feel like albums are just promotion to sell clothes. I don’t know about you, Eyal, but I didn’t get into music to play in the fashion industry, but it seems that’s what it has come to.
As Lord Gold so eloquently stated, “I think I would describe the state of music today as ‘clowns who sell clothing to people.’”
Yeah, I felt that was an astute observation.
ICP?
I can’t help but look at this and think “When am I gonna get to see a Daath/Cormorant tour???” Pleeeeease.
Haha Roadrunner brass wouldn’t touch us with a ten foot pole (though I hear rumblings some members of their A&R staff are fans). I’m down to open for Daath though, but I don’t think Eyal knows who the fuck we are.
Note to Eyal: LISTEN TO CORMORANT. NOW.
are vinyl getting more expensive? id hate if this was to happen since its all i buy these days. i dont buy a ton but ill usually try and get 2 or 3 a month. speaking of which i just checked out cormorant, it sounds really good just after a few minutes
Thanks man. You can actually listen to our whole album stream right here on Metalsucks.
Vinyl is indeed getting more expensive. Printers know it’s the only physical medium selling these days, so they’re cranking the price of pressing. Which then forces the labels/bands to pass on those extra costs to the consumer.
I tried listening on MetalSucks and the tracks were incomplete. I went to Youtube instead and they had full tracks for your full album (and it was fucking sick). It might be my connection, but check that shit again.
I will certainly buy your two CDs when I get enough money/a credit card. I’ll have to find a job before I let myself have a credit card, so it might take a few months. I like the fact that you dudes get 100% of sales and have digipaks, which are sweet.
Bought Metazoa on CD, but wondering – will it be released on vinyl, or is it just too damned expensive? That album art needs to be on my wall. (and the record needs to be on my phono.)
Thanks..
Thanks for the support guys. Metazoa will be on vinyl eventually, it’ll just take a little time to get the money together. The issue I’m having at the moment is the album is 70 minutes long, and a single LP usually can’t hold that much music. Double LP is pricey as all hell, so we’re weighing options. As to the MetalSucks stream, if might be your connection, because I haven’t had any problems with it. You can also stream it in full via Last FM if that suits you better.
I still buy cd’s. The ones I choose to buy either have amazingly cool artwork and nice lyric booklets and/or they have a pre order thing going on for a sweet tshirt or something like it. Otherwise I just download the fuck out of it. Mastodon is really good for this stuff as far as the entire package goes, which is why I own all their albums on cd and on vinyl.
Indeed. I’m the same way when it comes to buying CDs. I like to actually own a physical copy of a recording as opposed to digital. That way, when my prehistoric P.O.S comp crashes I can still have the music for my Pod somwhere. I usually only buy on pre order though.
i still buy cds, but i’ll also buy mp3s online via a trustworthy service like bleep.com, etc.
Hell Yeah I still buy cd’s to support my music industries!!!! wouldn’t have it any way else!!!
Saying that you’re supporting the artist is a horrible justification for buying CDs. Read Eyal’s article again. Pay attention. Artists get fucked on CD sales.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy CDs. I buy CDs. I like to have a lossless, physical copy of the music. I like artwork. I Like Things. I’m just saying that if your primary aim is to get money to artists, buying a CD is the worst way to go about it.
Where I live it’s impossible to buy any metal CD’s. What I do is I order them online when I have the money(I buy the CD’s from the bands I love the most). I also make sure I write down every single album that I ended up liking so I can buy it when I have enough money. I think that if I didn’t end up liking the CD, the band/artist probably didn’t deserve my money.
Most of the time I download CD’s, but then I burn them onto a disc (I still use a Walkman, FUCK Ipods and all that shit) I still use those CD BOOKS. I love looking at the artwork in the CD booklets. That’s one of the more exciting parts of buying the actual thing, next to listening to the disc (while thumbing through the pages)
i still buy cd’s consatantly gotta support metal any way i can
You do the same thing I do. If I hear something I like, then I will write it don’t. I don’t go to Best Buy just because I know most of the shit I want wont be there. I order off a local music shop’s website. Disc Exchange. They are awesome and usually have everything, and if they don’t, they will get it. I hope that shop doesn’t get swept under any time soon. Look them up.
Damn. I can’t type worth a shit today.
WELCOME TO THE 20TH CENTURY
I’m one of the few that still actually buy the CDs, but that’s rather an effect of my heavy OCDs than anything else. I need the CDs to be in perfect order on my computer or my brain will freak! Also, I only buy the CDs I can’t find in the library…
But I wonder, I just bought Sharpen The Blades on iTunes, do you make the same poor profit from people just legally downloading a single song or two?
i buy CDs to support the bands that i really love and because artwork is a big part of an album for me. even though i download a lot, i always try and pick up the artwork so it comes up when i play a song from it on my ipod or computer or what have you. once i get a record player, though, i’m switching to vinyl. sounds better to my ears, and the artwork is bigger.
I’ll admit it… I download music. If I really like it, I buy the album, or a shirt. And I do my best to spread awareness of the band, which really isn’t much, but if it leads to someone else buying from the band then it’s something.
I can say that unique packaging definitely makes a CD more worthwhile. For example, the last Clutch album; the packaging was incredibly cool. I like it when bands put some effort and thought into making the album art and packaging worthwhile.
Still, if it weren’t for the internet and downloading, there are a lot of great bands I never would have heard of.
I should also mention that when I do buy a CD, if I don’t already have it in mp3 format, I will rip it to mp3 format. I take my mp3 player to work with me every day, and really only listen to CDs in my car.
Oh, I do the same. I still listen to my ipod. But to have the CD in your stereo at home, or in the car is a lot better than listening to headphones all the time.
Plus, when you lay down and just have a CD like “Crack the Skye” or “Dark Side of the Moon” blaring out of those speakers… You get magically whisked away to Delaware! Hi! I’m in… Delaware… Well, you probably go somewhere a lot cooler than Delaware, but you definitely get taken on a mind trip.
Heh… nice Wayne’s World reference.
good point about the internet exposing bands you would of never heard of. BUT, it works the other way around aswell. I used to be that you had to be of importance to break through and become something, or even get your name out. Now, the scene, every music scene is flooded with literally 1000s of 1000s of bands, some worth our time, some total shit. now, we have a sea of mediocre bands that should of remained local acts in their cities instead of becoming headlines on the metal front pages…
I’d love to buy CDs still but it sadly isn’t worth it to me anymore. I’ve had cars gets broken into 3 times over the past few years and had my cd collection effectively erased. So yes, I download music. That definitely doesn’t stop me from going to shows and buying merch though. Even when my band tours no one really buys CDs. They get shirts instead which is totally ok because like you said, the profits from them aren’t as good as those from merchandise. Selling merch is also advertising to boot and that never hurts. We actually happen to have a pretty good deal with our label to where we get CDs for about $4 a pop but we sold all the ones we had and now don’t have any many to get more ha ha. Maybe next tour?
I like to buy actual cds just because the sound quality on my computer is crap. At least if I have a cd I can pop it in my stereo for a good (and loud, something my laptop is not) listening experience. I still download a lot of music, from which I do burn cds to listen to in the car or stereo, but that’s not very convenient. I’d rather get the actual item, complete with liner notes and artwork. It also seems a lot more permanent, I’ll have my cds a lot longer than I’ll have my laptop. I don’t consider my mp3 collection worth transferring to a new computer, all the music I really love is on cd anyway. I also like to check cds out from my local library and copy them to my computer, I’ve gotten a large portion of my music that way (I still don’t know why that’s legal, but downloading the album from a filesharing website isn’t). When I have some cash leftover I almost always use it to buy a cd, unfortunately the best place around here I can do that is Best Buy. I just bought The White Stripes’ debut album yesterday with some money I had leftover from grocery shopping (for only $7 nonetheless!). And then of course I get some albums by robbing MS blind in the Caption Contests.
I agree with this man ! CDs are still the best medium for me, and they will last much longer than download, plus no one will ever be able to hack your CDs, or steal the password to your CDs. Also my music collection looks awesome :D
the old library trick is definitely not legal, my friend. it’s just difficult to regulate.
I figured that, I just can’t imagine someone busting my ass for checking something out at the library
you generally dont get in trouble for downloading or ripping music. you get in trouble for sharing it. so if you dont have torrents running, or put your whole collection up on a PTP network, youre almost definitely safe.
Any money*
I buy some stuff on itunes, but overall, I usually like the have the hard copy. I dunno what it is, it just… I guess it’s a sentimental thing. Although, lately, I’ve been using that free metal albums site that Ziltoid posted, so I haven’t bought much of anything for a couple months. If I’ve got money, I try to buy shirts at shows, but that doesn’t always work so well when you aren’t actually old enough to have a job XD
I buy CD’s from bands I absolutely positively LOVE.
But I buy shirts from most bands I go see live, or at least the best band at a certain show, to support them.
But yes, Downloading is the main method for me.
I actually like physically owning something. Driving in my car, my buddies can flip through my CD collection and actually SEE the music. There’s still something to that, as far as I’m concerned.
I don’t buy many cds, but I do buy a lot of vinyl. Also, I typically pay for my mp3s, though not always. I love album art, and vinyl is the best medium.
Honestly I download almost everything now. I still buy CDs, or vinyl, from bands when I see them live because I have so many t-shirts from seeing 100+ shows a year for years and years that I don’t need another t-shirt most of the time.
I still buy CDs.
1. The artwork is part of metal’s history
2. CDs sound a ton better than an MP3 in a stereo. The quality of the CD is better on a stereo than hooking up an iPod.
3. Support the fucking bands you love!
4. If you’re a big fan of the band like me, you like to read the ENTIRE booklet. Not once, but multiple times.
5. Because it’s a lot cooler to have the CD than to have an MP3.
And Eyal, the way to get people to buy actual CDs? Well I don’t know about most other people, but if you have some sick artwork in there, that’s enough for me. Not to mention just having the great quality.
You nailed it dude.
If you can truly hear the difference between a CD and a high-quality mp3 (VBR or 320 CBR… I usually can’t) then maybe you need to check out FLAC.
Swiggity sweet groverXII, I’m checking it out now. Seems pretty cool. But I mean, CDs are just something I like to have you know?
One more point.
You can actually HOLD a CD. You can’t hold a file from a computer. You know? There’s just something to that, that makes having the CD THAT much better.
Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I feel the same way.
Im absolutely computer retarded whats FLAC?
FLAC = lossless audio format, or, in other words, it is an exact audio replication of what you hear on the CD, with absolutely NO degradation of audio quality.
Exactly… it actually stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec, and it is what is known as a ‘lossless’ format, smaller than .wav files but without losing any audio quality. There are a few other lossless codecs out there, but it’s by far the most popular.
How do i get my hands on this….FLAC..you speak of?
If you’re looking to convert your own CDs to FLAC, then you’d want to start here: http://flac.sourceforge.net/
If you want to download music in FLAC, well, that depends on your source. Most music torrent sites will specify the format and bitrate of the album (ie, FLAC, VBR V0 or V2, CBR 320, 256, 192, etc.).
Sweet thank you.
after you get done buying new external hard drives to store all that lossless flac goodness, you probably just spent more than you would’ve on the actual cd.
That may have been true in the past, but with drive space in the terabytes available now relatively cheap, not so much. And of course, you can always just burn it on a blank cd.
exactly
Having something tangible is the only way in my opinion. What the hell are you paying for on itunes? You don’t own the music, you’re just paying for the right to listen to it. If you have a cd, cassette, vinyl, etc. you actually have something that you can trade / sell / lick, or whatever else you want to do with it. I used to download stuff for free but it just didn’t give me the same satisfaction as actually purchasing it with my own hard-earned money. Having a physical copy of the original album just feels right.
I guess I’m kinda old school, but I still prefer to purchase physical CDs. I have bought from itunes and downloaded stuff, but the sound quality is always all over the place. I also like the art work and packaging that comes with the CDs. Altho nowadays I download at times to preview stuff, and if I like it then purchase the physical cd.
In regards to shirts, I used to buy tons when I was younger, but nowadays rarely do so. This year I only purchased one shirt, got a Behemoth shirt at the Mayhem Fest.
i pirate like i get payed to do it. if i dig it enough i’ll pick it up at a show or order the record or something. i like records because no matter what format i purchase it in im going to listen to it on my ipod either way. bigger art (vinyl) > smaller art (cd’s).
I still buy physical cd’s but I am 36 and am probably considered old school. To me it’s a piece of art (albeit a cheap piece). I also the appreciate the imagination that goes into some cd packaging (ie Tool) which you don’t get when you download. I also buy the odd shirt at a gig but the missus gives me a bit of grief about it (ie do you really need another black shirt….)
“…but the missus gives me a bit of grief about it (ie do you really need another black shirt….)”
Ha- I get the same response, too.
Same. And yes, we do.
I AM the missus and I wear the oversized black concert t-shirts with the tour dates on them to bed.
(Butthead voice)…Hey Baby….
my wife does that… she steals all my t-shirts and “lounges” in them until they’re in tatters. I used to have like tool, NIN shirts, etc… now I just have shirts from places my mom’s been to. like “Alaska” or “hard rock cafe, Prague”.
to be honest though wearing a “band” t-shirt would feel a little silly these days, especially for metal bands where the shirt is all black but with a colorful square of a mutilated corpse and some pointy crooked writing no one can read.
i buy physical CDs whenever I have the money, my shelves contain about 120 CDs and live DVDs accumulated over about a year and a half
what i tend to do is download stuff that catches my interest and if i listen to it enough i try to buy it
i have something like 30 albums in line i want to buy
being a young artist and hoping to one day be able to make a living doing metal-related artwork (though with the decline of the physical medium that is becoming less and less likely) i love to have the physical copy in my hands so i can not only admire it but also analyze it to help me with my own work, learn new techniques and stuff like that
generally when i go to shows i spent all my money on the ticket and cant afford to buy a shirt or anything there
buying CDs is something I have been doing for a decade and I always will. 800+ at 23 and still kickin. I think its necessary as a fan and that not buying physical copies is a shitty way to be a fan of music.
“I think its necessary as a fan and that not buying physical copies is a shitty way to be a fan of music”
This attitude is maybe kind of old school but it is also totally my opinion (although i’m more into vinyl)
I prefer downloading it through Itunes, I have a 120 gig Ipod and it’s goddamned convenient to have whole cd’s available with the snap of a finger. I love the artwork that comes with a disc and what not, but I prefer that on shirts more than on a booklet that’s going to take up space. The only time I’ll buy a disc is to listen to it in my car.
I always buy a shirt though, if I really want to support the band, I prefer the tour and shirts than having the cd laying around. I’m perfectly fine with just the file on my ipod, it’s amazing. I hit that fucking shuffle button, and I have at least 20 + hrs worth of music to run through.
Yeah I agree with you, Horgh. itunes is extremely convinient, they do sell a large assortment of underground metal. Although I do prefer the physical CD with bands I really like, stores may mot carry it, so I just buy an itunes card.
I definitely prefer to buy physical CDs. I don’t know, I like having something to show for my music collection. I like being able to slam my giant 50 pound CD book down and go “That’s my music!”. Don’t get me wrong, I do download some album illegally (oh no!) but, if I like the album enough, I’ll end up buying it from my local record store. I think it helps that I have this badass record store here where you can find virtually any underground album you can think of. It’s great. They sell all kinda of music like a regular record store, but their metal selection is fucking epic.
And, if I can’t find it there, I go online. And, if you have one of those “Buy this CD and get a shirt for only $25!” things, I love that. Even though, I know in my mind that I’m not saving that much money. I just love getting the shirt and album in one shot.
Oh, for the record, I’m 17. So don’t think that I’m like “remember the days when…” I realize my generation is really dropping the ball when it comes to actually getting music.
I actually get my music exclusively in CD form. I found The Concealers in a local record shop not too far from my old apartment and picked it right up. I love CDs for a few reasons. First off, I still think the sound quality in a properly EQ’d stereo is amazing. I dig good artwork. Plus, since I’m dating an artist, I support local art, and there is some seriously cool metal artwork out there. Also, I dig reading the booklets and liner notes. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve been exposed to new bands simply because of who bands I already listen to thanked in their albums. There’s so much to learn from lyrics to music to the occasional explanation of why songs were written like they were (Hatebreed does that all the time). I never felt like opening an iTunes account and I don’t download illegally. I’m a musician, and I support the scene, even if it bankrupts me here and there. I hope CDs don’t go completely out, or else I’m probably boned…
Financially, CDs are just too expensive anymore. Unless I find something at a flea market or yard sale on the cheap, I don’t usually buy them. iTunes is pretty steep too. So unless I really want it I don’t try to do that either. That shit is an expensive luxury (like Internet), I got a bunch of kids and child-support, bills, habits, gas, etc etc. So I bum a lot of shit from friends and iTunes it. Library has some unexpected gems from time to time.
I do agree they seem way too expensive for something seemingly on the verge of obsolescence.
exactly
I buy CDs. It’s a packaging thing for me. Someone’s made the effort to make this record a complete package with artwork, lyrics and liner notes. It’s the way it should be experienced.
I still love the CD. As stated it sounds infinitely better in a good stereo system. To me its all about the Album, and saying that makes me feel old (28). Usually ill check out a band on myspace, if i cant get it in a store (usually its a 98% chance i cant) ill get it on itunes. If its ultra-rare, like a b-side, live song, or just something obscure ill drink the wine and get it illegally. I do believe in supporting the band, also the album, again stated above is part of history, most of the time it looks good and its fuckin timeless.
Put it this way id rather introduce my 12 yr old cousin to a badass 200 cd booklet of Metal and classic rock thats full of history, than hand him a sterile fuckin ipod. Although i do love my Ipod, but you get what im sayin.
I like that last paragraph. Because I feel the same way, I want to introduce my kid to metal the proper way:
By shoving the Opeth CD in his face and saying, “This was my favorite band when I was a kid. It’ll blow your mind.”
Me.
I buy a shitton of them every weekend, because I like them, and supporting those who took the effort to make them.
i buy CDs. i dig having a tangible, physical copy of my favorite music. on the other hand if stuff is impossible to find, not available in the states, or out of print, i’ll download reluctantly.
I download everything first. If I’ll listen to it more than twice, I’m buying that CD, if not ill delete it. I haven’t downloaded anything and kept it, without the utmost intentions of buying it. I think i have about 12 albums in a digital form that I haven’t purchased a physical copy of, yet. On the other hand, I’ll always get the shirt/hoodie first.
I still buy CD’s simply cause I like having them. I definitely buy them more to collect them then actually buying them to listen to them cause I download everything then if I like it enough I go and buy it. And I got the Concealers from HMV at the mall near where I live for like $12.
A dollar+ a song from Itunes is a rip off. Its as much as a physical CD but you don’t get anything physical for the price.
I just want to add to what Eyal said about price-matching. Before I got further into the industry, I used to bitch about the massive costs of shirts on big metal tours. 30 fucking dollars for a short sleeve T, are you kidding me? But I didn’t know at the time that a lot of bands on these kinds of package tours are FORCED to match their shirt prices to the headliner’s rates. I found this out at Paganfest where the tour manager pulled us aside and said “I know you want to sell your shirts for $15, but….”
I still buy CD’s, cause vinyl’s inconvenient and I like having something physical. It’s like a best of both worlds thing. You get something to throw on a rack, and you get the MP3’s too. I download stuff too, but I just like buying CD’s.
The price matching t-shirt thing is kinda funny because when I saw Carcass in Cleveland on earlier this year everyone was selling their shirts and stuff for the standard like $25 or $40 and over at the Abigail Williams way over hidden in the corner their singer was selling shirts for like $15 and hoodies for something like $20. He was telling everyone to keep hush hush though. I thought that was kinda funny.
I feel im one of few teenagers who still buy Cd’s they mean something to me plus i can’t stand downloading music unless it is the only way without paying $125 for Voivod’s Nothingface on Amazon
ive personally been ripping cds since i started owning them its a medium ive learned to disrespect (vinyl is the opposite i can really appreciate the artist for the album art, the music and any other work they can squeeze in there) so downloading or vinyl
Also i think alot of whats wrong with people complaining about “bad production” on albums is due to the fact that most of the time, the first time people are hearing said bad production album, is on an mp3. Your cheatin yourself by not giving an album a try on cd, i know some people will think im whacked out of my mind, but i think its true.
I think all of Lamb Of God’s Sacrement sounds horrible and tinny on mp3, but the cd sounds terrific.
Think on it.
Ugh, I with you on this one.
Thank GOD! im not the only one. Thanks dude.
Sometimes I’ll read a user review of our album and the dude will say “I can’t hear the bass” (the bass is actually fucking loud for a metal album). Then I cross-reference Last FM plays to my sales inventory and discover, surprise surprise, that the person writing the review was listening to a pirated digital copy of the album on his crappy no-subwoofer computer speakers.
Well now.
At the risk of sounding “elitist” there are those of us who know good sound, and the science behind good sound. Being a guitarist/musician helps Then theres those who dont and complain because something sounds “like shit”
But yet i didnt know what FLAC was until 5 minutes ago lol. Learn somethin new every day.
I’m listening to Metazoa @ 256kbps on those $10 Gumy headphones. I can hear the bass just fine.
That must be a crappy digital copy.
Yep, people tend to forget mp3s are compressed music files, the nature of which is degraded sound quality. Of course, I tend to think using high quality VBR, 320kbps, or the obvious lossless FLAC formats are good enough to reproduce the sound. Problem is, a lot of people aren’t knowledgeable about these things, then go to some P2P or random torrent site and find terrible sounding, low quality files.
All this talk of good sound makes me want to listen to Bridge of Sighs on Vinyl…..
Unless you have some really low quality mp3s or a myspace rip or something, I honestly can’t tell the difference between an mp3 and a CD. And yet, I can still hear if a record has shitty production / mixing.
Im really not in a position to buy CDs
I have a massive collection of illegally downloaded music that I wouldnt even know where to start with collecting physically. I am a massive gig goer though and I try to buy merch at the gigs if money is on my side. Im a full time 17 year old student though with no income so it looks like im not gonna change.
I doubt I would buy any CD, even if it was cheap, I have no CDs or CD collection and itd just get put down somewhere and not even listened to.
On the other hand though I would nearly love to have the actual physical copies and be a true music collector, but its a stupid amount of money that isnt going to anyone worthy of recieving it :/
I always buy physical CDs, and yeah, I know what CD books are. I have enough CDs to fill 2 or 3 big ones. 95% of my shirts are bands.
I always buy physical copies of CD’s for bands I support. If it’s a band I’m not as into I will buy it on iTunes. If it’s a band I don’t care much for but they have a few songs I like I’ll borrow a CD from a friend and throw it in my iTunes.
I usually only buy local band t-shirts to show support because signed bands charge like 20 bucks for a shirt at a show.
I buy CDs. For me, the packaging is an important part of the album, and can’t imagine, for instance Crack the Skye without the awesome cover artwork. Plus, the whole ritual of buying a physical disc, with unwrapping it on a bus and reading the booklet is borderline mystical.
But let’s be honest, if I had been only buying cds I wouldn’t have discovered 99% of music I enjoy nowadays. It is financially impossible. I buy the ones that I’ve already listened and liked the most. My last 2 purchases: Crack the Skye and The Infection. And I still listen to them both.
I’m going to return to my old ways with Black Gives Way To Blue though, and buy it without hearing it beforehand. I have bought all their albums that way, and none has disappointed me.
Good point, im in the same position. if it werent for myspace/itunes/internet, i wouldnt know about alot of bands i listen to as well. Well said sir.
Agreed. I’m on a student budget, so I make the few cd’s I can buy count. Last few I’ve bought are Crack the Skye, Sol Niger Within and Addicted, I’m over the moon with the first two and Addicted is sure to do the same. Wouldn’t have heard of any of them without the internet though…
Eyal, you are honestly the best poster this site has, hands down. Thank you for continually coming up with provocative and intelligent subject material, it is truly a pleasure to read and engage in.
What you said completely confirms my beliefs on the matter of how artists make their money; of course, it’s no surprise and most fans of music realize a band makes little or no profit from selling CDs, at least no anymore. I have said it on this site before, I’ve been downloading music for many years now and I have a massive collection on my computer (all of which is backed up because if I lost it all, I would probably commit suicide….sad thing is I’m not really kidding about that, as I’ve devoted endless hours in meticulously collecting and organizing everything over the years), none of which I share on any sort of P2P networks or anything, it’s really just for my personal use (which includes giving it to my friends). When I first started downloading music, I still purchased CDs, but over the years that trend has been discontinued. I still occasionally buy a CD, the last one I bought was the debut album by my close friends’ band, The Fetals, based out of my hometown (Philadelphia); the CD before that was a band called Paris Is Burning, who opened up for The Fetals at the Khyber. But, I did that to support very underground bands who are unsigned and get 100% of the profit and who will likely never become anything “big” (and the first thing I did was use an audio extraction program to make mp3s and put those releases on my IPod)
As for bigger name bands, I rarely, if ever, purchase CDs by them anymore. The only band I think I’d do that for anymore is Tool because not only are they my all time favorite band, they also put more effort into their artwork and visual concepts than any band I can think of. I’ll still download their CD when it leaks early, but without a doubt I’ll be a first day buyer.
On the other hand, I own more metal shirts than I care to think about! If I like even just a few songs by an artist, or, in some cases, if I merely like the artwork on a shirt, I’ll buy the merchandise because I love to sport metal shirts and hoodies. During this year’s Summer Slaughter Tour, I purchased shirts by 5 bands and an awesome bowl by Origin (I’ve never seen a metal band selling pot smoking paraphernalia before, and the pipe has devil horns plus the band logo, it’s AWESOME!).
I go to shows all the time, just this year I’ve been to probably 150 of them, both local, underground stuff and mainstream stuff, and I’d say I’ve purchased shirts or hoodies at well over 50% of those. So, between the tickets and the clothing, I consider myself pretty good about supporting the artists.
I’m good friends with Paris is Burning. They are from Miami. They kick fucking ass.
The guys needed a place to crash after the show, so I invited them over to my place. They’re really down to earth, humble, nice guys. I told them they can crash at my place anytime they would need to.
Anything by a few select bands will I buy the physical CD (Gojira, W.O.P., Suicide Silence, DTP, etc etc)
but anything else I just download. I mean shit, I am a music man myself. I can barely afford my own fucking bands merch!!! haha
I am ALL about buying band shirts and hoodies though. It’s all I wear unless its sponsor gear.
Every local or bigger band I play with, I always try and get a shirt or something.
I am a band shirt whore…lol
I can honestly say I bought The HInderers though…for $2 used at Amoeba…lolz I love it :-)
To me, CD’s just sound better then iTunes, or illegal downloads and shit like that.
But I think the CD’s time is pretty much on the outs….
I’ve actually gotten back into the habit of buying CDs recently. I used to be a massive illegal downloader, and probably acquired a third to half of my music collection that way. I moved on to getting albums from iTunes once I had a steady income and thought that $8-$10 was reasonable. Now I’ve rediscovered that I like having physical CDs and an insert and all. I usually buy a CD, rip it to my library and the CD case only ever comes out again when I want to read the lyrics or something, but I like having it nonetheless.
I buy Cds from bands I’m really into and want to support and I also DL music from a artist when I’m curious about them or have seen a video of them and want to hear some more now. I don’t have an Ipod or MP3 player because I like putting in a CD when driving. If a band I’m into plays near me I go see the show and buy a shirt and most of the time I’ve already got the music but if I don’t then I pick up one of there CDs at the show. I still feel like you don’t get the same effect when your traveling with a Ipod rather then listening to a entire CD from start to finish and feel the album as one piece rather then a shuffled batch of random stuff.
I’ll download to check something out and if I like it I’ll actually go buy the cd. I don’t like spending almost $20 for a cd and the $10-$15 in gas to get something i might not like. I buy shirts from the bands on tour a) because that way I can have proof I was there (which is flawed logic I know) and b) because it helps the bands that I went to see. I do like having the physical cd though I like the packaging and I like to get all of the bonuses like the dvds and whatever. I also like to think that I’m helping out the bands by doing so also.
When I have a steady source of income, I actually use Rhapsody To Go (fantastic deal, you guys should check it out) for $15 a month, legally. Whatever odds and ends I can’t find on there for some reason, I’ll download illegally. I buy a lot of vinyl too, and I like the artwork better on those anyway. I think CDs are just trash, much like cassettes (though cassettes are obviously much cooler). They’re flimsy, easily destroyed, and the booklets and stuff are smaller than vinyl. MP3s last (virtually) forever, and vinyl is much easier to care for.
I am 20 and I buy them like they are going out of style, which they are. It’s like someone above said, it is an OCD/addiction of mine. I appreciate itunes though I never use it, for me I love holding the album in my hands and having a collection. Plus I love having a physical back up, and looking at the artwork.
I buy vinyl from time to time. I would buy more but I am already cramped for space and box’s of records would take up a lot of room, though I probably will start purchasing more
Shirts…I have a lot of fucking shirts. I buy them when I go to shows (Hoodies on occasions) and when I do pre-order albums, I tend to go with the shirt-CD or shirt-vinyl packages
I buy a lot of CDs, for the most part because I want to support the artists. Would I be better off spending the same amount of money on shirts and downloading the music instead? Which would the artist prefer?
I still buy CDs, but not that often. And I don’t download illegally. Well, I have on occasion; maybe 200 songs total over the past 8 years. And a lot of that was just a prelude to actually buying the CD.
For me, the CD collection is a ridiculous and outdated point of pride – but a big point of pride nonetheless. I enjoy when people come to my house for a barbecue or something, and they see my CD collection and say, “Holy shit! You have that old Quicksand album? You like Burning Airlines? Oh, cool, Cannibal Corpse, I haven’t listened to those guys since high school… waitaminute, what the fuck? Kelly Clarkson?”
Then I get to have a discussion about how “Slip” is one of the greatest albums ever, Cannibal Corpse is fucking badass and only got better after George joined the band, and fuck off, dude, “Since You’ve Been Gone” is a killer fucking song.
Nobody gives a shit about what’s on my computer, and it certainly doesn’t start any conversations.
I also love album art. The last few CDs I bought that stand out in my mind ALL had artwork by John Dyer Baizley of Baroness. That dude rules. I wanna get the new Every Time I Die CD because Jordan Buckley’s cover art rules; just haven’t gotten around to it yet.
I download stuff before it comes out, if it’s good I preorder (the deluxe edition if there is one) it.
I spend a lot of money on CDs. I have over 500 now.
What a difference in the comment sections when Eyal or Arthur posts a story. Since both of those blogs began, the comments have been almost unanimously intelligent and thought-out. Compare that to the response your typical Axl or Vince post generates. It’s like a different group of people. Just goes to show the response reflects the quality of the subject material.
Agreed.
But they dont care, tomorrow they’ll post something about Dime and watch us all go for the throat and Laugh.
Ouch… albeit true — Axl and Vince generally post incendiary comments that are (more often than not) insulting. Alternatively, these dudes post mostly chilled out, thought provoking material. Each style serves its own purpose, and the comments reflect that. With Axl and Vince, most responses in the comments involve some sort of derogatory retort, whereas Arthur and Eyal’s blogs generate insightful and intelligent responses. To each his own, I guess…
It reminds me of one the lines from the movie Shoot Em Up. I can’t recall exactly how it went, but Paul Giamatti’s character says something about anger triggering a chemical response that lowers the I.Q. I’m not sure if that’s true, but it sounds logical. Angry people tend to be dumb, and vice-versa.
I would also like to state the obvious, that if it werent for shit-stain record stores (cough) sam goody (cough) virgin.. that completely jacked up cd prices(15-22$) throughout the 90s/early 00’s kids wouldnt downloading illegally as voracious as they are. If record stores across the states had held a 8$-11$ flat rate during that time, maybe it wouldnt be as bad. i say bad, but i dont think it is bad. Music is a gift and if Lars Ulrich wants $18.99 for Garage Inc, well to me its justified.
I would love to buy more CDs (as well as T-shirts and hoodies) but I’m a broke college kid and it’s just not possible. I use torrents to download albums I want to hear, or to check out stuff I’ve never heard of. I’ve discovered many great bands this way. I just can’t afford to go buy an album that looks cool or that a friend recommended on a whim, knowing it could turn out to be a complete stinker. If I like something a lot, or a band I’ve been supporting for years that hasn’t ever let me done is putting out a new album, I’ll probably buy it. I’d say I buy 1 or 2 CDs a month, and I like having them. I am still one of those guys with a stack of CD books, each filled front to back. I don’t own an iPod because I’d rather spend a couple hundred bucks on something more useful. Most of my money that I could be spending on CDs goes toward going to shows – I live 2 or 3 hours away from any cities that have lots of good tours come through so the drive there and back is a little spendy, but I make it to a couple good shows a month.
I was just talking to a friend the other day about torrents and how I figured the artists would probably rather have me hear their music and enjoy it for free than never hear it because I don’t have the money. Thank you for confirming this!
CDs for sure, I love the collection aspect because they all relate to different times…and I want an actual physical copy, not just a download on my HD
I’m 29 years old and a first day buyer. I have my zune, from which I rip all my cd’s into my laptop and transfer the files to the zune for my mobile listening enjoyment. But when I am at home or in the car I just pop a cd in and crank my stereo up! I have never downloaded a song. EVER. I don’t plan to either, unless cd’s really do go extinct. The last cd’s I bought was Baroness’ *Blue Record* along with Skeletonwitch’s new one too, and while I was at it I also bought Skeletonwitches first record as well. I can honestly say that I have never heard anything by them before, but because Axl and Vince had been sitting on their tips for so long I thought ‘why not’?
Before that I had purchased the new Alice in Chains, Insomnium, Despised Icon, Muse, a couple Yes records, ordered the debut record of Lye by Mistake. This next Tuesday the new Red Chord and BTBAM come out and I will be picking those up. Dude, I am just a cd buying fool! I don’t know if it is an addiction or what, but I am buying at least 6 or more cd’s a month! I don’t usually buy t-shirts anymore because my closet is full of ‘em and my wife rolls her eyes everytime she sees me leaving the house in public with my two toddler daugthers in a Cannibal Corpse t-shirt, so yea, I’m whipped but I get to smell and touch a real vagina at night.
The artwork is a big factor for me, and I used to be into the lyrics a lot when I was younger, but then I grew up. Now lyrics only really matter if a band has actual substance like let’s say Gojira or Becoming the Archetype, I still listen to gore and deathmetal but I’m kinda passed the immature kill your dog, rape your mother type of stuff or even the satanic aspect of most of the bands. I like reading the thank yous and what not, especially when they mention all the bands that they are friends with or tour with. Sometimes that’s where I find out about some bands that I may never had heard of… actually that’s how I discovered Opeth before they became more well known as they are now.
Cd’s rule! I hope that medium of entertainment never dies.
I pirate like a motherfuck, but I’ll purchase CDs and shirts and patches and what not if I like a band enough. Last CD I bought was the new Baroness.
I buy CDs, but only because my car is old. That, and I like having the booklets. It makes me feel cool to have them, and to read the official lyrics. I also like reading the liner notes. I think my favorite is Behemoth’s Evangelion CD, because the liner notes explain a LOT of where the songs were derived from and where the ideas for lyrics were spawned. Plus, a lot of bands have GREAT artwork you can’t appreciate as pixels.
I still buy CDs, but I’m an ancient 25 years old. I just like having the CD with the artwork, liner notes and picture disc, ya know? I also like the idea of having a hard copy of the music I love, as well as amassing a huge collection over the years. It’s odd that the CD is dying according to some. I remember when I used to have a cassette collection and CDs were the new thing!
One more thing, when I buy a CD I almost immediately rip it to itunes, make room for it on my iphone, and put it on my iphone. It’s so much more convenient than carrying around the giant CD book. lol
i dont buy CDs because im broke, and i dont download anymore. i get virtually no new music. i only listen to releases through youtube, last.fm and exclusive streams
I haven’t bought a cd since Sacrament, and that was only for the dvd that came with it, since i already had the music. before that, i’ve got no clue what the last one i bought was.
even back before pirating became prevalent, if you were in a band, you knew someone in the scene that worked somewhere and got press kits/radio/screeners, whatever you want to call em. if someone wanted it, it could be found about a month early, so this is really nothing new, just more widespread. just like they said though, no one really gives a shit since the artists that make those cds see none of that money. i’d feel bad if they actually got a good chunk, and i’m sure most people would too, but i’d rather pay bills and buy gas that help out a company.
i havent even listened to a cd in years, i’ve got a cable hooked up to my truck/system in the living room/good headphones for my ipod, so why carry a shit-ton of cds when its all on one piece of equipment.
I try to buy cds as much as possible, but metal is a hard genre to find in stores that don’t charge 20 dollars per album. I have a lot of bands and albums that I’ve downloaded that I’ll likely never buy. I prefer cds, they sound better on my Zune than mp3s.
I want to want Cd’s but for me its nothing but a hassle. I only listen to music in my truck, on my mp3 player, and occasionally when im playing a game. I actually have a USB port in my radio that reads all my music from an 8gb flashdrive. All of the above require the songs to be in digital format and you can imagine trying to go back to listening to cds in my truck, changing cd’s every few minutes instead of having hundreds of songs at my access in an instant. In my current home environment I cant really play much music, nor do I have much time to do so. Even though my current situation is pretty much as anti-CD as it could be I still feel that CD’s nowadays are simply inconvenient for most people especially people who haven’t ever owned a CD. To me the formats pretty much dieing.
I would buy a cd any day, just did today. I’ll deal with the lack of space because if I download something, there’s almost no real drive to listen to it or keep coming back. The cd and booklet are all part of the listening ritual.
I buy CDs for bands I wish to support and those I deem worthy. Since I have grown up with the idea of music as a physical property, I have had a hard time letting that idea go. But I am getting better at it.
I have a question for you, Eyal…. you mentioned that you make more $$ selling shirts. What about shirts sold through 3rd party vendors, like Rockabilia.com? I would expect you to make less $$ from sales like that, correct?
I went to see Daylight Dies, and I bought a CD because they were so awesome.
I like to buy CD’s out of respect for the band. I mean, it just feels right to be able to buy something they put a shitload of effort into. Everything down to the artwork. Especially if one of the members did the artwork.
The only reason I haven’t bought a CD in so long is because…I’m broke.
I buy CDs most of the time, and I put said CDs on my iPod relatively quickly. I like having CDs because of the artwork, mostly, and because I’m a bit of a collector. Also, picking up CDs at shows is really nice when it’s a band you’ll most likely never see or hear from again, as long as that band is good. I’ve picked up a few records due to sets and overall they’ve nicely increased my collection.
I plan on switching over to vinyl when I get a better sound system.
Love owning the CDs, you get the slipcase with the lyrics, band photographs, and the album artwork in hand. I mean i do really like good album art, sometimes i even just judge an album by the artwork, if it looks dumb then i tend to ignore it, but i think it’s good to have a physical copy of an album you love. Hell, i believe in try before you buy, but if you like it buy it, ive done this with many albums this year, mainly because due to inability to get to gigs i like to buy CDs to feel like i am supporting the band even if they dont recieve much from it. It makes me feel like more of a fan with the CD than just having a file on itunes.
I still buy CDs.
Hell I am have some on order for next week (Transatlantic, 3, and some New Model Army).
A quick list at my music and I have bought 21 CDs released this year, probably another 25 or so that are older that I have found used or are bands new to me.
The only way I am interested in paying for a download is it is in a lossless format.
Yes, I am also older than your average MetalSucks reader. OK, probably as old as any two combined but you get the idea.
As far as getting my music goes, I prefer to listen to mp3’s, reason being that my 60GB Zen Vision:M is a lot easier to carry around than a Discman and a CD Wallet that doesn’t even begin to store all my music.
As far as supporting bands goes, I prefer to buy a shirt whenever I can, main reason being that maybe someone will see one of my shirts and check out the band, so in a way I’m helping to advertise.
Ideally I’d love to buy every CD and T-shirt that I please (and even send some money via PayPal to the bands I love the most), but unfortunately cash is a significant barrier.
I still buy CDs and records. I like to have the physical album with the artwork, lyrics, album info, etc. There’s something about going to the record store the day an album is released, purchasing it, taking it home, and unwrapping it. It’s like Christmas Day every time your favorite bands release an album.
I usually check a bands myspace before purchasing an album to make sure I’m going to enjoy it, but if for some reason I buy one and I end up not enjoying the music, I can take it back to the record store, sell it and get some money back. You can’t sell a downloaded album back.
And if I really like a band then I go to their shows and maybe buy a t-shirt.
I still buy CD’s.
I’m a pretty avid cd collector, I would say 2 to 3 cd’s every 2 weeks. That is slowly waning though as more and more cd shops close up. I didn’t realize how fast they were closing up till about a month ago I tried 4 different spots I used to go to and they were all closed down. Huge bummer, but hopefully I can get a couple more years out of Lou’s Records.
I only buy vinyl if its available. If not I stream it and record it on my Tascam cd burner, I almost never buy a cd.
I buy CDs either used or when they are discounted. That said, I still prefer a CD because the audio quality is somewhat better (especially when I compare listening to a CD in my car versus plugging in my iPod). I’ll also buy a CD for what appears to be quality artwork on occasion. In the end though, when I want quality artwork and practically the best sound I can get, I go for the vinyl (which is my primary means of purchasing music these days).
If a CD comes packaged with a DVD containing live performance (none of this ‘making of…’ shit) I will most likely to buy it. If my purchase were to include a t-shirt with the overall price being no more than $20.00CDN, I would probably buy it.
I would rather mu music be on vinyl, or failing that, CD. As for file sharing, I enjoy hunting down rare shit – live recordings – out-of-print, and so on. And, I admit – I mostly won’t buy a CD until after I have downloaded and listened for a couple of days. If I like it, I buy it.
And the art – Man, I dig album cover art – one of the reasons why I prefer vinyl release. If ever all music is released via download only, the artwork will vanish. That would suck.
I find it amazing that in most of these online ‘poll type things’ a majority of people will claim they mostly buy CDs and do so fairly often. And still the record shops are closing down. Hmmm.
Any music I buy is CD (cept for a few digital of that a few lossless). But, I’m just a kid and I don’t buy much music. I want to support at least the current audio quality of CD.
I download all of my music these days. I never buy a physical CD unless i see a band I like open for somebody and i decide to pick it up right at the show (almost never happens). just like the cassette before it and the record and 8 track before that, the CD is being faded out. no reason for them. the biggest shame for me is the artwork though. If there is one thing I miss about buying CD’s it’s listening that first listen while I flip through the booklet in the sleeve. My Ipod doesn’t really show a great picture of album artwork on it. I wish there was a way to get more artwork with the music on my ipod. They should work on that. Or maybe they already have and I just have an old ass ipod. but I personally feel that the ipod is the greatest thing I’ve ever come across with music. I used to have a huge ass binder with 500 cds I lugged around in my car. now i have a 2 by 4 inch ipod that has twice as much music on it. it’s fucking amazing.
I agree totally about the IPod being one of the greatest inventions ever when it comes to music! Back when I was a kid, I purchased countless CDs for years. Then, one day someone stole my CD folder with over 500 CDs in it. Suffice it to say, I was devastated; the vast majority of my music was gone in an instant. I tried to re-collect some stuff by buying used CDs from amazon and today my CD collection is back up to probably 300 or so, but the IPod is just so much more convenient. Trying to look through these huge, unorganized CD binders while driving was a major pain in the ass. Now, I have a 120GB IPod that has over 100GB of music on it, meticulously organized so that each band name only shows up once, each album title only shows up once, all songs are in the correct order, all information is on point. It took me a LONG time to do that, but it’s so worth it. I also have the entire thing backed up on an external hard drive so that if the IPod ever breaks, I just have to click and drag the collection back into a new IPod (trust me, I learned that the HARD WAY, as I went through 3 IPods/3 times of putting music back on manually before realizing it can easily be backed up).
Also, for the people in here saying CDs just sound better, I disagree insofar as finding high quality mp3s; I won’t settle for anything less than 192kbps, though most of my music is high quality VBR, 256kbps, or 320kbps. My car has an auxiliary jack through which I can directly plug in my IPod using an 1/8th in cable; it sounds as good as a CD. Some people may be able to hear the difference between high quality VBR and a CD, I just think that’s being far too picky; the degradation in sound quality for high quality mp3s is incredibly minimal and difficult to hear without having a “trained ear” – maybe musicians or sound engineers can hear it, but to me I’ll take the slight loss in quality for the convenience of having every album I could ever want to hear at the push of a button.
Good topic. If I could afford it, and if CDs were still as easily available as they used to be, I would buy CDs all the time. Half because of habit, half because you get the physical thing you can hold in your hands, read the lyrics and liner notes, look at the artwork, all that shit. Unfortunately, in this day and age, I got three mortgages to pay and other things of higher priority. The amount of money I’m going to spend on fun in any given period of time will most likely go to seeing concerts, which are infinitely better than sitting around listening to the CD. For the most part I stream what I can from the web and listen to the massive collection of MP3s I have ripped from all the CDs I’ve owned over the years.
When you brought up the CD booklet, it triggered some fond memories. And some bad ones – like having your entire CD collection stolen out of your car, or even worse, your friend’s car. At least now you can pretty easily just go and download it.
The availability of CDs is what’s pissed me off the most recently. The few times I have gone to buy CDs, they’re nowhDere to be found. Took me a month to find the new GWAR, and almost two months to find the La Coka Nostra CD. Plus most of the music shops are gone. HMV targets DVD and games mostly now, and even if you can find one, A & B Sound barely sells CDs anymore. Sam the Record Man’s gone, and I haven’t seen a Music World for years. The best chance you have is paying way too much at a pawn shop or an obscure used CD store.
I like cd’s
havent bought cds in a while, student now so i “cant afford it”
last cd’s i bought was every Death cd =)
I only recently started downloading all my music. I just can’t financialy keep up with everything that comes out. And the cold truth is, a lot of the stuff that comes out isn’t worth the price of a CD anyhow. I go to every show I possibly can and always buy merch from whichever band I felt had the strongest performance that night.
I almost always shop from distros runs by labels (ie No Escape, Razorback, Grindhead, Blood Harvest) or eBay, and they’re either CDs or vinyl. I buy digitally from iTunes only once or twice per year. And even then I always try to find a physical copy somewhere. Basically, the physical formats rule supreme in my music collection. Always will.
I only download without paying if the band is putting demos or albums up for free, most recently Abhorrence’s demos: http://www.timetombs.net/abhorrence/
Sorry, bad link…
http://www.timetombs.net/abhorrence/
You lot know how to copy and paste. Do it.
i think the main lesson to take away with illegal downloading is that corporate America absolutely corrupted and ruined the music industry, and downloading is a backlash against that. Rock and Roll cannot be corporatized and bastardized.
Illegal downloading has turned me on to tons of bands that I otherwise would have never heard of or listened to. In fact, most of my favorite bands I have discovered this way. I actually see downloading as something the industry should embrace. It greatly widens the popularity of bands. It’s great for underground bands trying to get themselves exposure. I think this is the dawn of something great for real music.
do both. honestly though, as a student, i only buy cds when i have the cash, which isn’t that often, and downloading is fucking easy isn’t it. google search it, and half an hour later you’ll have the album.
finding some music (as you said) is also impossible, ESPECIALLY cos I live in australia. You could order it… nah fuck it, just download it.
eBay = amazing deals, i got the concealers for six bucks, and War of Attrition for one dollar.
But all of you stay off it because I don’t want competition
CDs suck ass. I always hear people say “Downloading is cool and all, but I miss the days of going to the store and picking out a CD”. I’ll be the first one to admit that I am not one of those people. If I’m actually going to spend money on music without giving the artist a penny, I’ll buy an album on vinyl. That way I get an actual piece of artwork and a great listening experience instead of the exact same digital tracks I’d get in a torrent plus a shitty little booklet. Record sleeves look great all lined up on a shelf or stuck to my wall, CDs just take up space.
Oh, plus downloading an album is great because then I can save the money for weed to smoke before I listen to it / see the band live.
I still buy CDs ._. ANd Proud of it,I don`t like destroying the music industry just to listen to music.I pay for my stuff.
I love buying CD’s. Try to download as little as possible
As I get older, the importance of what’s in a physical cd or its packaging just keeps getting less and less. In part of it is because the artist just doesn’t have the capitol to put forth a decent looking product. The record company’s lack of attention to things like booklet info and artwork hasn’t helped much either. I remember pouring over booklets when I was younger. I especially remember the Type O Negative liner notes after I figured out that 90% of what they did were inside jokes. “
i still buy cd’s regularly…i got a collection somewhere around 700 or so…i just like having a physical copy in my hands, to admire the final product with the artwork and everything…i do download some things , if i only want one or two songs…as for shirts, i try to buy a shirt at every show i get a chance to go to, doesnt always happen though
Gotta have physical CD’s man. I have probably 3 hundred CD’s and they’re all neat and orderly in my CD cases along with the booklets. I try to buy about 2 good CD’s a week. I’m very proud of my collection and I try to keep it nice. And I’m only 19, so for me anyways, it’s not a lost art.
+1
I’m about your age too, and I have a little more or less than 300 cd’s, especially in the last 3 years when I became able to get a little job besides school I started to buy LOADS more cd’s. I’m also proud of my collection(ordered alphabetically and year of release). There are actually few people I know that still buy cd’s, especially of people my age. I always had the idea that metalfan’s rather buy their cd’s than others.
Great article – couldn’t agree more. Last CD i bought was Mastodon’s Crack the Skye tho just for the bonus dvd which I couldn’t find on the net haha. Would much rather a shirt tho! Going forward I don’t plan to ever buy one again, I just have a weak spot for bonus live material not found anywhere else.
I usually download music, but when it comes to physical copies I always buy Vinyl. The artwork is still important and the packaging can show lots of ingenuity and care in the product. Note to all bands, you should produce Vinyl, and sell it on tour.
in jr high it was LP’s and 45’s then in high school CD’s were fetished by me and whatever female friend i decided to have hang out with me after school. i contend that it was not only the listening but the looking and goin through those physical slabs of music that eventually led to many intimate moments. i couldnt imagine kids today gettin all wet in the knickers over some icons on a screen.
No doubt dude, there’s no joy in downloading. I enjoy buying the cd, just chillin with some friends blasting the album on the radio and looking thru the artwork
I buy the c.d. if its a band I like. I do this to support them. I dont if thats really supporting the band of the label. But whatever. I still like getting the c.d. I just bought rammsteins new one yesterday and the artwork is awsome. If I take care of it Ill have it forever. unlike an ipod which will eventually die and then my music would be lost forever.
I usually download, then buy the physical copy if it’s really worth the money. I hate downloading but usually do it when it’s hard to come across the cd or something or if it has like 7 songs on the album and bestbuy sells it for like 14.99, I collect cds and i’m only fifteen, i’ve spent around a thousand dollars worth on cds.
i LOVE to buy cds. i buy them whenever i can, and if a friend is going to a show, i will give them 40 bucks and tell them to buy me a cd and a shirt. it isn’t like i am rich, unless minimum wage is rich nowdays, but i love to hold cd’s, i love to read the album art, i love to pop it into the stereo and blast it. i am feeling rather old-school for only being 22, because i still have, not only a cd book, but 2 cd racks and a bunch of cds stacked on top of them, or next to the stereo, or loaned out, …
I still buy CDs. The audio fidelity is higher, unless you have incredible amounts of memory on your computer/ipod/whatever and can get .wav files. Sure I just put them on my ipod anyway, but if I want to take the time to pop a cd into my Bose and really focus on it then I have that option. Then there’s the fact of the artwork, and the liner notes, and even if artists don’t get more than a couple bucks out of it if the album charts higher then it could prospectively lead to getting them a better deal I guess, or at least make them feel good that that many people actually care. To be honest, though, I’d prefer vinyl with a full-quality download to accompany it… 5.1 bonus mixes are great as well.
I still buy/collect CDs.
Just got the new Immortal last week and on my way to get the new Converge after I type this.
I usually try my luck at Best Buy for new releases (they have most new Relapse/Century Media/ Metal Blade stuff) although they might only get like 2 copies in if youre lucky.
FYE nearby has a metal section and they are having some crazy promotion where all regular CDs are $9.99 so I’ve been picking up some stuff from there lately.
But thankfully I live in Socal and can go on a spree at Amoeba Music. Can find almost anything there, new and used alike.
I buy the CDs, skim the booklets as I rip em to my computer then put them on the shelf once they get loaded to my iPod. I’ll still blast the actual CD from my home stereo if im going to work out or want to piss of the nieghbors but other than that, its the iPod or the comp speakers.
I ALWAYS buy cd’s, the trick is(at least with me) to stream a couple of songs from myspace or youttube, if I like what I hear I look up some reviews(4 or 5) and if it’s quite positive to really positive, I buy it! I have like 95% chance that I really like said album I’m looking up. I never EVER download, I don’t mind everyone else downloading.
They prefer to have it free while I love the idea to have a physical cd with lyrics, photo’s, artwork and of course the music(I will never EVER sell or lose my ‘Through The Years’ Limited 4cd of Artillery)
I like to discover new music online, and I listen to lots of new stuff, but then I usually buy the cd. I have an 80 GB ipod which I like to transfer music onto, and I listen to it from a speaker at home. In my truck I prefer to listen to cds, although I can hook the ipod up to the truck’s sound system as well. It’s kind of a pain to mess with the ipod, plus dangerous when driving.
I am glad to be able to support the bands I love by buying their cds, t shirts, and concert tickets. I have a music budget. I have a full time job. I’m very lucky in that respect.
However, I also go to three or four local music stores which sell used cds, and I pick up bargain metal cds for sometimes as low as $3.99 and maybe as much as $11.99. Good deals can be found with used cds.
I buy CDs all the time. I’ve only been living at a new place for a month and I’ve got 24 new CDs since then. That shows you how about how much I buy CDs on the regular.I have a cool stereo system where I can actually hear the sound quality versus hearing shitty/decent mp3s so I will always buy CDs as long as the sound quality is great and the artwork comes with it. I really like looking at lyrics and artwork. I would never take digital media over physical media if possible.
Note: by “new” I don’t mean necessarily “never been played before.” I buy used CDs from local record stores very often and a lot (probably most) of the CDs I buy are used CDs.
Between shows and our local independent stores, I probably spend $50 on cds each month, on average. I’m 24.
to be honest, i download quite a bit. in fact, im downloading the new scar symmetry album as we speak. however, i am often tempted to buy cds for a few reasons:
1) i buy cds and demos and such at shows sometimes
2) i buy cds from my favorite bands, cuz i want to own the physical copy, just cuz. like i physically own every dream theater studio album and dvd release.
3) DELUXE EDITIONS!!! i am such a sucker for deluxe/special/limited/fan editions. probably the single biggest reason i purchase cds is cuz of all the stuff u get with it. like 4 example, dream theaters BC&SL super crazy uber limited special edition box set thingy, or slipknots 10th anniversary box set. those are extreme a lil cuz theyre pretty expensive, but even small stuff like “heres a cd and a making of dvd 2 boot” or “heres a poster and a shirt along with this cd” stuff like that suckers me in every time. extra stuff man, what am i supposed 2 do?
I buy CDs. I used to buy them all the time but there’s been many times where I’ve bought a CD and realized the album sucks so now I only buy them if the album’s really good. I have a wishlist.
Oh, and I thought if bands sell their cds at their shows for 10 bucks they make all 10. silly, naive me. I should’ve gotten axe to fall at fye for 8 bucks then.
I buy Cd’s, vinyl and various merch.
I simply just love having the whole experience of an album. If I’m uncertain about wether or not to buy an album I can just pop down to my favourite record store and give it a listen, or I can check it out on my space or something. If I’m gonna spend money on and get attached to earthly possesions, It might as well be music related. And I admitt it is kinda fun having a physical collection of music to show off to those who still think it’s as cool as I do.
I just started buying CDs recently, partly because I’m jealous of a few of my friends’ massive CD collections.
When I go to local shows or play at a show, I almost always try to buy CDs of bands I enjoy because I know how important CD sales can be on a small band level financially.
I must say this article made me feel a lot less guilty of all the downloading I’ve done over the years.
I should note that I hate buying music on iTunes; I don’t want to pay as much as a physical CD for something I can literally download for free. Buying a physical CD or vinyl makes it worth it because you can hold it and hang it on your wall or show it off on a massive shelf with your collection.
By the way, on rare occasions (usually when I’m really, really low on money) I do download some albums to see if it’s worth my money to buy. If it is, I usually buy it. If not, I don’t listen to it anymore. It’s kind of a sampler for me. It’s much more convenient to download and listen on the go than just to sit at your computer and hear a stream from myspace for like a time-frame of 1 week before release date. If I’m ever dissatisfied by a CD (which is actually pretty rare), I either return it or never listen to it again. I think I’ve only returned about 3-5 CDs back to the store for store credit before.
I’ll buy a CD on occasion, if it’s a band I love, has great cover art or is just an absolutely amazing album. I try, wallet willing, to support the music u greatly enjoy.
I still buy cds, though a majority of what I do buy I get used. I’ll put the cd onto a hard drive, keep the disc and the linernotes in a slim jewel case and just burn copies and mixes when needed. I still have the physical copy, but I just keep it.
Most of the metal stuff I buy in CD form, and all the artists I like that are non-metal I usually buy the real CD too (it’s a pyschological thing; I enjoy the process of buying and owning the real thing whether I care about the artwork and lyrics or not). For all the random songs I want in which I care little about the artist, I buy it off iTunes. I’m against downloading music, but I guess I’m a little hypocritical because I occasionally get music from friends’ computers (which they probably downloaded in many cases).
The one thing that really does worry me about music going digital (besides the sound quality, which was mentioned early on in the thread) is the death of the album as a work of art. I love listening to an album beginning to end that was clearly meant to be listened to in that way. Albums that just sound like a bunch of random songs thrown together don’t have the same effect on me. If (not that it’s even a question of “if” at this point) music is indeed eventually going to be released exclusively through digital distributors, are artists just going to release one song at a time, or much smaller batches of songs? What about the artwork that can enhance an album in so many ways by adding a visual aspect to the music? Strange times for music.
I still buy cds. I need a physical medium. I like looking at the linear notes, seeing what the band put into art direction wise… “the whole package” if you will.
I will still buy certain albums. I got the new Dethklok, Skeletonwitch, and the Assjack album all in cd format for a few reasons. First, I wanted to support the artists, and 2nd the artwork. I’m 26 so I definitely bought a shitload of cds growing up, and I prefer to have the actual disc in my hands with the artwork, liner notes etc.
Yeah I pretty much download everything, since I’m a lousy broke teenager, but I will occasionally buy a CD if I have extra money. I think I only own about 10 actual CDs though. However I’m very good about supporting bands I like by going to see them live and usually buying a shirt.
I still buy physical CDs. I have done so even for albums I bought digitally online, because I wanted the real thing. I enjoy the artwork, the booklet, the lyrics, etc. The CD package allows more of the band to be presented to the listener like their style and their personalities.
The thought of music going 100% digital bothers me.
I’m one of those few weirdos that still buys cds (and vinyls). I like having a physical copy, and I really dig the artwork. If I like a band I’ll buy their cds and usually end up with a few shirts
I still buy cds all the time. I love having the actual cd in my posession, the artwork and all, not a burnt copy or some downloaded thing. I don’t even have an mp3 player, I dont see the point, i am never in a situation where i need one. my car has a cd player. so i listen to cds in the car.
i still buy cds regularly. I love having them. end of story and hopefully they don’t stop making them.
I buy actual compound discs cause I like making payment acounts like itunes shit and I dont want viruses from free downloads. I like the artowk to I think its kick ass it inspires my tatoo ideas, and I like em because I can play em in my car. and I think its more badass having CDs
I meant to say I dont like making acounts
I am one of the “older guys” that Eyal alluded to – I have a collection of a few thousand original cd’s, gathering dust in the corner. I am an obsessive collector, but all of my listening comes from computer files these days, pretty much for the last ten years, whether that be flacs or mp3s. I have managed to accumulate a massive collection, never again will I be ripped off by buying an album for thirty bucks that turns out to be shit. Downloading has opened up a whole new world of music – I used to think I knew a lot of bands, how wrong I was! As a musician myself, I’ve always known how it was a misnomer about ripping artists off if you don’t purchase the album, multi-nationals obviously always just have one goal – make money for themselves & the shareholders, not the artists. The way you support an artist is by going to gigs, bringing your friends along & buying the t-shirt before you leave!
I download most of the music that I listed to. But I still buy CD’s too, about 1 CD per month. Once I get the CD, I rip it to my computer, then the CD goes on the shelf and rarely gets touched.
The reason I buy CD’s is to support the artists. But also to “cast my vote” for the music that I like. Purchasing the music is a way of saying to the record companies (and the music industry as a whole), “this is the music that I like so if you want my money you should make more music like it.”
The reason I buy CD’s (as opposed to other formats like vinyl or MP3) is because I still believe CD’s are the best format. MP3’s are a rip-off because they’re compressed, and you don’t get the physical case or artwork. You can download the EXACT same MP3’s illegally for free. At least with a CD, you are getting the physical product. A CD also retains some value and can be re-sold, whereas an MP3 cannot. Vinyl is nice. But it’s more expensive, less portable and not easily converted to digital, so I personally prefer CD’s.
Another item that I purchase a lot, almost as often as CD’s, are concert DVD’s. I consider DVD’s to be a better value than CD’s, because a 2-hour DVD (music & video) is usually the same price as a 1-hour CD (just music). And DVD’s are also harder to download.
As for shirts and other merchandise, I do buy them occasionally. I have a collection of about 25 shirts. But I don’t have that many opportunities to wear them, so I’m reluctant to keep buying them. Not to mention, anything more than $15 or so for a shirt is a rip-off. I’d rather just give your band $5 cash and get nothing back, than spend $20+ on a shirt that I’ll only wear once or twice a year.
I would rather buy a CD than download 100% of the time. I would also rather buy a CD than a t-shirt or sweatshirt. Working for one of the biggest companies in the country precludes me from wearing anything too outlandish, and besides, that’s not really my style anyway (although, I do love my Meshuggah “Nothing” t-shirt).
There is no substitute for the experience of buying a CD, especially when you find it in a store–it’s like finding buried treasure, especially if it’s something really obscure. Also, I like having liner notes, a physical backup of the content, and what is typically the best sound quality I can get–downloads especially don’t cut it on the last front. I have more than 3500 CDs/SACDs/DVD-As and I just keep going, and I would be willing to spend more money on physical media if it was provided in a higher resolution format: SACD, DVD-Audio, Blu-ray, etc. I have players for all three and will always gravitate toward these formats if they’re available.
I should also say that I love what bands like NIN have done with making music (especially special/limited editions) available directly from them. I presume that bands make more money this way, and I’m glad to pay an extra buck or two if it means that the band will be able to keep making music. I’m highly suspicious of the labels and I’ll do anything I can do support a band making more money and thus being able to stay in the business.
i still like to buy cds because sometimes, it’s really the only opportunity i have to support bands i like. and you know, there are a lot of snobs who like to bag on cds, choosing vinyl instead, but i don’t really give that much of a shit. plus, i don’t really feel like dragging a turntable with me any time i move. oh, and like, if i want to listen to just one song, i hate having to guess where it is on the record. yeah, it’s great to have that huge cover art in great detail, but i don’t really feel that most modern cover art really needs that sort of treatment.
anyway, i’m kind of starting to get onto why i don’t care for vinyl instead of the subject at hand.
for me, i absolutely hate buying digital media. i like being able to utilize digital media, but when it comes to actual, legitimate ownership of an album, i like to actually own the album that i can hold in my dirty little mitts. to me, the concept of buying an mp3 is just too nebulous. i can’t grasp it. i don’t understand it. more than that, it’s just too easy to lose. the concept of losing an entire collection of music in a hard drive crash just doesn’t appeal to me at all.
yes, i still do buy cds. i’ve been buying a lot less ever since i got my internet connection, not because i’m not interested in supporting bands, but because i’m a lot choosier with regards to what i buy than i used to. for me, i sit and really take my time with an album and consider whether or not i feel that i’m going to be listening to it 10 or 20 years down the road.
and yeah, i know that shirts and hoodies put money in the bank for bands, (and i do have a fine collection of band t-shirts) but personally, i place much more value on an album. a shirt can keep you warm at night, but a great album can warm your soul.
sorry for the wall of text.
what’s a cd? Oh, you mean like those small laser discs?
Hell, I dont even like the way i tunes gives you those lame e-booklets now to go along with your music (although the steel panther one was done like the old 80’s tape books with lyrics and all, and that was pretty awesome)
If i like a band/bands music, i will pay for it, even if i previously downloaded it.
But id rather make a cd from digital music than go ALL the way to a store and buy it for $16 or however much they charge.
I only buy VINYL dude..and I am twice as incluned to buy an album if effort has been put into the artwork. I reckon bands like Mastodon, Skeletonwitch and Baroness could sell albums almost on artwork alone.
I rarely buy shirts at gigs cos they are usually overpriced and on some shitty fruit of the loom shirt that fits badly and stretches or fades out in five minutes..
I live in China so buying CDs is pretty much impossible. I download my music, even i LOVE buying physical CDs. Whenever I go to my home country over the summer, I’ll buy albums I already own, just so I have them as tangible objects. Unfortunately, in my generation, I’m one of a tiny percentage of people. Faced with a limited budget, what gets me to buy CDs (other than quality of music, obviously) is definitely artwork. Records like The Red Album, Colors and Ire Works have fantastic designs, and this is probably the deciding factor when buying albums I, technically, already own.
I probably prefer buying shirts, though. Whenever a band comes to town (and by town, I mean shanghai), and a surprisingly decent number of hardcore/metal bands do come, I make it a point to buy a shirt.
*even though i LOVE
Yeah I’d be lying if I said I ever bought music. Every once in a while I buy something off of newburycomics.com if it would look cool on the wall like the last Motorhead album being autographed. There is too much disappointment in buying a metal album and it sucks because they had to jump onto the sound of another band trying to make it. I have hundreds of shirts though and I feel like going to see every band that I like tries to make up for it.
I buy CD’s of bands I support and feel they need the support. To hell with mainstream bands. Can’t stand them. MTV friendly watered down bull shit.
The last 6 CD’s I bought were
Divine Heresy – Bringer of Plagues
Daath – The Concealers
Job For A Cowboy – Ruination
Suicide Silence – No Time To Bleed
Emmure – Felony
Winds of Plague – The Great Stone War
Bands like these are the only ones I will EVER buy anymore.
wait a minute. you actually paid money for emmure? my heart is weeping.
sorry, can you explain how Job, Suicide Silence, WOP, and Emmure are not watered down bullshit? Ruination was good, but besides that and The Concealers, your list is shite.
I still buy cds. I may download them to listen to them and see if they are worth my money, or go to youtube and listen to songs or whatever, but I still buy the cds of all the albums I listen to.
I honestly couldn’t tell you why I buy the albums. I just do. Religiously, I’m opposed to stealing, so there’s that, but even if downloads are offered for free from bands, I still prefer to buy cds.
I find that unless I buy an album, I can’t fully appreciate it.
I think iTunes and Amazon charge almost the same price for a digital album as a physical copy, so whats the point really? I’d rather buy the Cd and be able to actually leaf through the artwork, and sometimes the albums come with bonus shit.
I do pay for the CDs whether it’s iTunes or emusic.com but I don’t really care to go to a store and buy it when I can pay 1/2 price on emusic.com and burn it onto a CD. I do, however, like to buy shirts. I like becoming a walking advertisement for bands. I wanna bring metal back to how it was 20 years ago. Back when a metal band selling 100,000 copies meant that sucked. Now days it’s like you posted a while back. I do think the metal industry WILL make a comeback with tours like Mayhem and Ozzfest. It just depends on how long it wil take for ya’ll to start making a living off CD sales. It WILL happen eventually.
I buy all my albums, i believe that illegal downloading is for pussies who cant even support the band they are into, even though you say u get shit all from us buying them, it still just feels right to receive the full package!
Fucking love daath! come down to Australia dammit!
I still buy physical cd’s. I will even order from overseas before i’ll download something.
I really prefer to the satisfaction of having the physical version of the music and all the cover art and see all the work that has gone into making the cd worth buying
I pirate all my music.
If I have the cash and I see a CD I like, I will usually buy it. In fact, this past weekend I bought Covenant by Morbid Angel. It was used and put out for like, $6. It needed a loving home. For the most part, I download my music because I know the artist doesn’t make shit off of the CD, but there’s no feeling like having your favorite band’s CD in your hands.
To make up for my piracy, I try to go to as many shows as possible and buy shirts to support the band. I’ve been proudly displaying a Daath shirt ever since the second time I saw you (July 1 on Conquer & Curse at Spicoli’s in Waterloo).
Whoa, July 1st? You should probably change and have that thing washed!
If I really like a band vinyl is the only format I have ever wanted.
Yeah, I pretty much prefer to buy shirts. It’s a way to show publicly show support for a band, and you guys make more money from them anyway.
Well i have a different problem, because i live in a country where finding a nice (at least the ones i like) cd is preeeeetty difficult.. practically impossible.. So i have to illegally download them.. And i hate that, i wnat to support them and i can’t (we have some problems with dollars too) even buy a shirt or sth.. Tho i spread the word, i tell everyone i can how good they are.. Hopefully someone would make them rich ^^
PLEASE check the Iron Thrones.. Those guys are incredibly amaizing.. and their album id free ^^
One thing all physical CD’s have been SEVERELY lacking lately is good album artwork. i Know there is no shortage of great artists willing to do it. That is where it really gets worth the $$$. A great album, plus epic images. if there is any shortage of artists, feel free to contact me, i would happily do album art for one copy of the finalized CD.
:-P
but yeah, i always buy physical CDs if i have some $ to buy them with. fuck digital downloads
I’ll keep on buying CDs until lossless DRM-less versions are available cheaply & from a source that is not i-fucking-tunes.
Eyal- I actually still love to buy physical albums. Granted I do download a cd if A. I am curious about a band and heard their album might be good or I wouldnt spend money on it cause its an average album with 2 or 3 solid tracks on it. I will always buy albums from bands I truly care about examples: Chimaira, Hatebreed, Killswitch, LOG, etc. My favorite bands are the ones I will always support! I have a large collection of albums I have bought over the years. I do buy a few albums off Itunes though for the convenience. I will always buy a shirt when I go to a show to see a band.
I am someone who thinks 2 ways I download songs and then I burn them off. Then after I listen to it a few times if I like it I buy the cd cause I like to have all the art work. The only problem is over here in australia cds are $30 so for us who dont get alot of money it is alot. And you might ask what I do with the burnt cds. I give them to friends and share the music and 90% of the time they go out and buy the cd also and then pass the burnt one to someone else.
Most of my music is downloaded. I do this because I currently don’t have a job, which means I can’t really buy CD’s as frequently as I like. And, even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to afford all of the music I currently listen to.
You see, I really, really like listening to music. The artwork, the physical object, that’s all nice, but it’s secondary to the actual music itself. Yeah, the CD sounds better, but I don’t have the equipment to tell the difference between lossless quality and high-quality mp3’s.
I’d pay for all of the music if I could, but I can’t. So that leaves me with two options: download illegally and get the music I want, or go without and try to claim the moral high ground. The second option doesn’t seem worth it to me, especially given how little a signed artist actually gets from record sales.
For a short time about 3 years ago, I would download music. I would download mostly old music that I just knew I couldn’t afford, but ever since I’ve truly gotten set on being a musician I’ve only bought CDs. It’s nothing special that grabs me, I just want the music to be well written and not sound like it was constructed by a midi program in about an hour. It’s need to be kick ass, but it also needs to have heart and soul. I don’t want to put down recording and it’s technological advances, but don’t sell me an album that when I hear it live sounds NOTHING like what I paid for.
I don’t even buy music from sites like Amazon or the like because those companies are a rip! I buy almost strictly through indie record stores and bands when they tour. If a band has a label like Neurosis with Neurot recordings, I support one hundred percent. The only thing I may go on the internet for is something long out of print or only available through import.
i prefer to download music from frostwire/limewire because for some reason i can just get into it a lot easier. for example, i bought opeth’s blackwater park and ghost reveries and it took me like 2 weeks before i actually got the complete musical picture whereas all of their other music that i dled only took me the first few listens to really get into it. perhaps that’s just because when i get an album, i tend to focus more on the album in general instead of just individual songs and with the dling i tend to give each song more individual attention… i guess… even though i usually dl a whole album at a time… i don’t know. it’s 9:30 on a thursday night and i can’t make sense of anything.
I still buy physical CDs. Just the other day I was on a roadtrip and the entire time I was looking for the new Revocation CD. It took me three states before I could find it. I like downloading from iTunes and illegally as well. I just like having the physical product I suppose. Part of me wants to hold on to them so when I have kids I can be that obnoxious parent that tells stories that start with “back in my day..”
In my mind, if it’s not on vinyl, I’m probably not paying for it. Unless its a band I’d take a bullet for.
T-shirts and hoodies, you better have something that fits me right. Its not my fault i’m tall and skinny, and most shirts are made for people 4 feet wide, and 3 feet tall.
Hahahahah. I forgot about my facebook default.
I buy cd’s all the time. I like owning the artwork, and its a way to support a band rather than steal their music.
On a side note, Eyal why does Daath have to drop off the upcoming Epica tour?
Cause I’m not 100 percent at health yet and all three doctors I’m seeing about the pnuemonia I got hit with said that it would be somewhat suicidal for me to be in those conditions. I got sick on the European run but I fought it hard with a bunk in a tour bus(sleep) and anti-biotics. Canada, in a van, in February I won’t be able to fight it off.
Wow, sorry to hear that Eyal! Rest up and hope you can be back 100% sooner than later!
well i guess im totally old school because i pretty much go CD shopping every tuesday like clock work (im 32 by the way) I have 1546 physical cds!
If i do download anything from itunes its just a few unreleased tracks thats about it. I NEVER download a full al bum from Itunes. I cant see paying 10bucks for an audio file that is NOT as good as a cd. Dont get me started on the fact that the record labels cry the blues about being poor now. They are selling every one an audio file! they have almost NO physical product to make (think about there profit margins, they must be making BIG bucks since there is NO physical product to make and sell) plus i can get the cd pre ordered from any of the labels websites for the same price if not a few dollarsmore with a shirt!
I also look at it this way. If i buy the cd the labels see that an artist like Opeth can sell a decent amount of records & this helps in getting the band tour support so that they will come to my town & they wont get dropped! That means they can contiune to record and tour. If i download illegally, then the labels thinik that NO ONE is interested in the band and they drop them or there tour support
I
holy hell this place is jumping. what a marketing group wouldn’t pay to pick your brains!
Anyway, I’m sure I’m not alone hear but I download a ton of music. I still buy physical cd’s too, though most of them are used. When there is an awesome new release from a group I like a lot I buy it, the new Behemoth, Devin Townsend, those Defiance reissues, and the Immortal cd’s are a few I bought in the last month or so. In a busy release month I might buy up to 4 new cd’s whereas I download about 20! I have spare money but not enough for all the awesome music coming, especially when I have to cough up that dough for concert tickets.
I guess this is kind of weird, seeing as I’m 16… but I buy almost all of my music. I usually buy 2-3 CD’s a month, sometimes new but usually used. There’s a fantastic local independent music store that carries almost everything I look for, including The Concealers. I may download an album that I want to review (I review for Metal-Archives.com) or one that I want to hear before purchasing, or even one that I like, but not enough to buy, but I end up buying almost all of my music. Even when I downloaded something, I often end up buying it. Don’t worry, I pretty much buy 3 things: Guitars, CD’s, and merch, so you guys get plenty of support from me. I just really like having the solid CD with the artwork and the thanks and the hidden stuff…. I just fucking love it.
I still do buy cds from bands I still want to support. I buy them not only to support them but so I can have the best possible quality rip to my computer and mp3 player. If Im on the fence I do download and then decide if I want to purchase the cd or not. I view the whole download thing like this. People have been pirating music since the cassette tape days. How many times did you record your favorite tape or cd from a friend growing up? Probably alot. Downloading is the same thing. I really dont think that it is hurting the industry as much as they claim it is. There are still people like myself who will continue to buy albums,cds whatever you want to call them to have the physical disc, artwork etc. Its the labels faults for abandoning great artists and music that doesnt “sell” a million units and signing crap bands just to make a quick buck. How many cookie cutter bands are there out there? How many bands all sound the same? Hell at this point with protools how many bands can actually play their instruments? The industry has been guilty for a very long time of wasting money on crap bands that all sound alike signing all of them in the hopes that at least one will turn a profit. There are so many great bands that never get a chance because the labels dont support them properly or give artists a chance to release the music they want to make. Labels SUCK and deserve every bit of financial difficulty that they are now experiencing. Being an artist myself I could care less if people download my music. The point of making music is so people can hear it and connect with it not to make money. Sure its nice if that does happen but you may as well start looking for that needle in a haystack. Plus now with digital distribution and where the whole recording process has gone its so easy to just release your own music without a label. Great bands all over MySpace are doing that. I think that is what is hurting the labels its not the people downloading music.
BTW Eyal thanks for posting so much great stuff here. Ill continue to buy Daath cds as long as you make them. Its great for people and maybe musicians who are just starting out to hear whats its really like out there in the music biz before they venture too far down that road. I had the dream myself but after everything I went through and what I saw other artists go through it just wasnt worth pursuing that dream anymore. I wish like hell that it couldve worked because theres nothing like connecting with an audience live but without some type of support or independent wealthiness its just too hard to find paying gigs and have any sort of tour while trying to hold down a full time job and pay rent etc. Kudos!
I always buy CDs, sometimes two copies if…
The album is a special edition/reissue/limited edition first press with the standard bonus DVD, extra tracks and sweet digipak/digibook/slipcase/super jewel case packaging. That is always a HUGE incentive, and more and more metal labels need to do this, because metal fans generally purchase albums. Nothing beats owning the new Behemoth album with the appealing artwork, slick foldout digipak and the bonus DVD.
Unfortunately the new Daath album came in a boring, standard old jewel case. Not appealing.
I also find that buying Japanese editions is becoming more affordable, and tend to import them if my favorite bands release them in that country.
Damn, that’s a lot of responses (Well-thought, civilized responses, in reference to my earlier post in this thread).
But, uhh… I still buy CD’s. I may be back with a more elaborate response tomorrow, but mostly everyone here has said what I would have said anyway. So, in short, like… fuck downloads. Yeah.
I have legally downloaded maybe 20 albums or so in my life, and it’s usually because I have iTunes gift cards given to me as gifts. I still prefer to buy the CD, just so I have the physical packaging/liner notes/booklet, etc. even though I almost never listen to the physical CD itself. It tends to go in my computer, import files, onto my iPod, and then onto a shelf until I want to look at the packaging. I like downloads a lot, but if I’m going to pay a dollar or 2 more and get the physical thing, even if it’s just a backup, then I’ll get the CD.
I buy CD’s. I don’t really know why, because due to the fucking atrociously paved drive to school and the way the car I drive is I can’t go a minute without hitting a pothole or massive crack that causes the CD to skip and sometimes even ‘error’ and stop completely, I don’t listen to them in the car, I use my iPod (which has every album I own – well, except for those Weird Al albums from 10 years ago) and the auxiliary input. No skipping, and since the speakers in the car SUCK BALLS and are blown out as fuck, sound quality isn’t a factor.
But as for the process of buying a CD: I torrent the album. I either stick it in iTunes to put on my iPod or burn a CD of it (then delete from my computer) and listen to that. If I like it, then I add it to the list of albums I want to buy (when the money comes), and if I stuck it in iTunes I delete it. This keeps me wanting the CD’s, rather than just having it and there not really being an advantage to the physical thing. I’ve got something like 100, but since I just started buying them…oh, 3 months ago, I think it’s pretty big.
I don’t do vinyl, because I can’t play it. I don’t use ‘legal’ downloading, because fuck that I want the CD!
And I buy a shirt at every show I go to.
I think that labels/stores should charge less for CD’s. I’d buy a shitton more that way, and I feel like a lot of other people would as well. Generally, I’m not willing to pay much more than $10, unless it’s brand new and I either REALLY want it or it’s some sort of deluxe version (oh yeah, I’m a sucker for a deluxe edition).
I buy CDs, burn them to OGG to listen to on my portable player, and rip them to FLAC to store for archival purposes on an external hard drive. I like to own the things, I like to original quality. I have an open source music player, and I don’t use iTunes. I have a badass stereo at home, and I like to play my metal as it was originally conceived, no compression…
I might download something to check it out, but if I like it, I’m buying it. Them’s the rules.
When I go to shows, I buy shirts, every time. My house is overflowing with metal CDs and shirts.
I honestly prefer CD’s to jsut about nay format, because i can put it on my computer and mp3 player but can still put iin my trucks stereo system without the shitty sounding fm transmitter things. The only problem is there are no cd stores in my town or in the towns near it besides wal mart but they do not carry shit in the way of good metal album that are not edited. The editing shit is bad because if you ever heard the edited version of redneck by lamb of god, it sucks and ruin the song. I am not alone in my area all 10 other people in my little hick town high school who listen to metal wish there was a good music store within an hours drive. So we end up just downloading all our music and because the internet is so fucking slow in our area it makes us sad that we must wait an hour for our music to download.
Vinyl are big for their artwork and actual collectible value. My bro got in over his head collecting vinyl, he was importing most of it from Europe. He eventually sold it all when he went broke from it but he profited so yes, vinyl is becoming more sought-after and expensive. I can’t remember the title of the most expensive but it was about $200 from Germany. That was in 2006.
The clothing helps us represent the bands we really like. If you think about it the clothes help you make connections with other people. When I was a teenager into metal and grunge I met the majority of my friends of today because of my shirt collection. Several of those friends of 10+ years approached me to tell me they liked that band, or they liked the shirt and we turned out to be great friends. We still rock out and pal around after all these years. Whoever said bands are shirt peddling clowns is a douche.
I completely agree with Eyal about CDs, they’re cumbersome, the discs and their cases break and mess up too easily and they have practically no value. They always eventually find their way into those bulky cases to get scratched and pawed up or even stolen. My entire collection from teenage years (200+) was ganked by a crackhead when I moved to the ghetto so all the years and money invested into those discs were gone in a matter of seconds. Screw CDs…however I am proud to admit that I bought The Hinderers after seeing Daath at Ozzfest ‘07 :D Lousy ex bf stole it though. I’ve downloaded it for free since, I figured I’ve paid my dues to the band already (sorry guy luv ya but I’m broke). I love my PC and MP3 player so CDs are inconvenient to me. Playing CDs on my PC kills it’s memory while i run other programs. When driving in a car I may burn a copy of a disc to rock out. That’s about the only CD action for me these days, whether it’s a full length album (or two) or a custom mix to suit my mood. I like making my own discs. I have a huge, music loving family and I’m always the person who burns the CD for my passed-on relative’s funeral. You can say I really do put the “fun” in “funeral” lolzzz.
I now prefer to buy CDs as I’ve come to realise just how much an integral part of the experience they are. I find that if I download something, I am less inclined to really get into the album. There’s a failure to get into the correct mindset to really enjoy the music when I obtain it in a few minutes and its ready to play. There’s a lack of anticipation which I get when I buy a physical copy. I’ll pop the CD in and let it burn onto my computer while I read through the booklet and examine the artwork. By the time it’s finished burning I’m ready to give the music its full attention. As a flourishing artist myself, artwork is always a big thing for me, and often dictates the sort of atmosphere I’m expecting for the album. I hope that CD artwork doesn’t die with the medium, though I don’t really know what an alternative will be, to me viewing a digital booklet in itunes or looking at a digital image doesn’t seem to have that same feeling.
I know exactly what you mean. The artwork IS an integral experience. Music is evocative of IMAGERY, and the people who make CD’s probably know this, and want the artwork to have some influence. Just for example, take Children of Bodom:
Something Wild-sounds red.
Hatebreeder-sounds green.
Follow the Reaper-sounds blue.
Cradle of Filth-Midian-sounds purple.
Does anyone else know what I’m talking about or am I just synesthetic?
Yeah I definitely get that too, and only just realised that it was synesthetic, in particular the Mastodon albums really do that for me, Blood Mountain is very “red”, Crack the Skye very “blue” and so on. Its hard to explain haha.
If you find a large picture of the artwork online, and you print it on good photo paper, you’ll have a considerably larger and better quality version of the artwork than a shitty little CD booklet.
Of course, but its not just the artwork but the lyric booklet as a whole, its like a gateway for me that helps me get into the music.
I think you’re onto something there, as Blooddrunk indeed sounds like an ugly bloody mess.
LOL. That album is the turd that will not flush.
I mostly download music illegally, but if I really like something then I’ll buy it on CD. I like owning the actual physical product, the packaging etc, so I’m never going to pay to download music, especially since it’s so easy to get it for free. If CDs do die out, I suppose I’d just stop buying music altogether. I don’t see that happening for a long time yet though…
I ONLY buy cd’s and vinyl. I like to have the physical thing. I like to have the artwork, the liner notes, all the “such and such a band member thanks [insert long as fuck list of names I don't know]. I’ve downloaded albums off of iTunes before, then gone out and bought them or ordered them from Amazon months or years later, not minding paying twice. I have an iPod (or rather used to have one…or 6…now I have a generic mp3 player that works much better) and I import my cd’s onto it. I listen to the mp3 player while I’m on the train or in a car or on the park or something, and play the actual CD’s at home. I only download if I’ve just discovered a new band and absolutely must familiarize myself with their more of their discography because I happen to think they’re incredible (Daath, anyone?), but inevitably end up obtaining a physical copy as soon as I can. To me, not having the artwork, lyrics, et cetera et cetera is just not the same. It’s simply not as special. Not only is it not as special, but when your buds come over to hang out, they gawk at your racks of CD’s.
A note: This only applied to particular types of music that I listen to: Metal, Classical…you know, good shit. If I want to listen to Lady GaGa (which I will be man enough to admit enjoying at times and know other metalheads who do as well), I will go to a banner-plagued website called playlist.com and stream it.
I haven’t bought a physical CD in years. The format is dead/only in use because I’m too goddamn poor to have a radio in my car that can play anything more advanced.
I’d like to support the musicians… but in a more helpful way. They make their music to be heard… fuck.. I’d be more than happy to offer a joint and a meal to somebody who makes something so meaningful to my life.
I still buy CDs and never download stuff. It is a shame about the artwork which is one of the main reasons I buy Cds as I am an artist myself. But the music I want is usually hard to get so I’m without new music until by some miracle some one else has it. It’s usually really convienent when a band has CDs for sale at a show. Also, it’s really nice to have them if my computer ever decideds to mess up and delete all my music again.
Exactly, I remember when a bug itunes caused my entire library to become unplayable (they fixed the problem) but for a couple days I had to rely on my CDs. It made me realise just how fleeting and immaterial digital files can be.
I like buying CD’s, but I’m broke all the damn time, so downloading has been a main source for me…
The Concealers was great btw. ^_^
I buy selected cd’s for different reasons.
1. My ipod dosent connect to my car speaker
2. Downloading dosent have the same quality as the actual cd.
3. It’s never the same as a buying the cd’s then listening to a selected songs you downloaded. I got the thy will be done album and I listened from start to finish and it was awesome. If I have downloaded I would have listened to 2 songs and been like “meh”.
4. SUPPORT METAL!
5. Some songs arent available for download.
Course I don’t buy all cd’s, but if I really liked the band I’ll get it. Slayer is coming out with a new one, def buying that. I habe yet to buy the faceless planetary duality…
I buy the CD or I download it for free. Don’t think i’ll ever, at least for a while, pay to download the album. I’ll either get it for free or buy the album, which I end up copying onto my harddrive anyways.
I still like to buy CDs because-
1.Their quality is unmatched
2. Love the look of tons of CDs in living room
3. If you loose,break,or get your ipod stolen you still have all your music
I buy CDs and vinyl all the time. I either go to a local store (like Newbury Comics in MA) or order from Amazon, Relapse e-store, CMDistro, or Omega Order most of the time. I buy at shows occasionally for from band merchant sites of there are good package deals. But I need the physical copies…downloading just doesn’t do it for me. Sure, I use an iPod, but I like the whole package and I use my CDs in my car.
I don’t steal music (er, anymore) but I do usually go for iTunes rather than CDs, because unless it’s an older album the iTunes version is usually cheaper. They’ve started including digital artwork recently too, so that’s the main sticking-point out of the way.
And yes, I would prefer T-shirts, but do you have any idea how hard it is to find them in XXL? Do bands not realize large people like metal too?
I never buy something without downloading it first. When I have ash, I like to buy stuff that I actually like and listen to frequently. Local-ish bands get priority. It’s usually on CD, but I can afford to buy a record player now, so I might go down that route.
This is quite topical given i have just made my first cd purchase in a very long time about half an hour ago.
I never buy CDs Illegal downloads all the way. Thanks for relieving my conscience in regards to ripping of the artist by informing me that you make no money anyway. “Full price” cds are too expensive and growing up when i was getting into music like when i was 13-18 I had no cash flow.
I wanted to buy the new Converge album because it is rocking my world so much right now but I can’t find a single converge CD in a store that isn’t a ridiculously overcharging “underground” punk shop or something like that. There aren’t any CD stores anymore. Cause and Effect.
So I just bought Master Of Puppets, Burn My Eyes and Peace Sells …But Who’s Buying because they were there on the shelf for like $10 each and it was an impulse buy and it’s not like I haven’t listened to each of them 1,000 times before. The former two being my all time favourite albums of all time I figured I should own them.
I love artwork, but it just doesn’t have the same impact as a CD as vinyl does/did. My Dad has a huge record collectiuon (not metal) and there is something intrinsically awesome about vinyl. Holding Goodbye Yellow Brick Road or Led Zeppelin IV in your hands is quite an experience. Artwork is a huge part of an album, i feel. It’s not going to make or break an album, that would be music quality, but it might push it over the edge into icon territory. Jane Doe is an amazing album, in my top 10, and while that is soley based on its content the experience and the way i relate to it is heavily informed and represented by the cover. Where as Carpathian’s Isolation has either a blank cover or a shitty indecipherable one. How am I meant to relate to that as a visual iconic representation of the music. And just for fun the cover of my Peace Sells that I just bought is all pixelated and shitty so fuck them.
And yes I love band shirts and I am addicted to them. I will always try and buy a shirt of a band I am seeing. But Slayer can fuck right off. $90 for a hoodie!? get fucked. especially when Tom isn’t even singing. At least their shirts were awesome. Megadeth didn’t even try they just had standard Megadeth shirts that have been around for ever with tour dates slapped on them. Still $90.
I’d like to point out that almost every CD supporter claims they do it because they’re “supporting metal”, yet the experienced musicians who blog on this site have all said that you’re not actually supporting metal by buying CDs. You’re supporting label greed. Don’t fool yourselves. Plus if sound quality is what you’re after vinyl whoops the fuck out of CDs, although that’s not very economical.
I download a lot of stuff, but for bands I really care about I make sure I get their cd. Part of it is because I love to check out the artwork, and I’m one of those nerds that reads all the thanks and shit inside. Another thing is that with a lot of these underground bands you can never find the lyrics online so its nice to have them to check out too.
I was always one to buy all my Cds but over the past few years ive stopped. I usually buy the physical CD of bands that I REALLY like, and would feel like im cheating if I didnt go out and buy it. Thats just me anyway. So basically if I LOVE the band I will usually buy the actual CD.
I still buy cds. I love to have the physical copy in my hand. Of course, I think that’s the graphic design stuff in me coming out. But I have downloaded an entire album first and then bought the physical copy of it later. If I feel like the band deserves my money, then I’ll buy it.
I download, but I also buy. Actually, after my class tomorrow, I’m heading to the closest music store to pick up Axe To Fall.
The way I do it, though, is that I only buy from bands who I feel deserve it, whether they made really incredible music, or I know from experience (mine or my friend’s) that they’re awesome people.
Vinyl is something I look at a lot, but I only get vinyl when I KNOW I’d be missing out when I’m not buying it. Case in point, when I was at the Rasputin Music in Berkeley about a year ago, I saw United Abominations on vinyl and I got it because I didn’t even know it had been printed on vinyl.
In any case, if a band had vinyl for sale at their shows, I’d buy the living FUCK out of it
I can’t remember the last time I bought a CD, I think it was in 2001. When labels stop litigating against filesharers are start spending all that lawyer cash on either subsidizing costs of sales or developing a decent fucking 21st century business model that benefits artists instead of lining the pockets of executives then I will start giving them my money again.
I do, however, want to support the bands I like so I attend as many shows as come to my city and often have merch shipped from overseas to my country. I now have a pretty extensive t-shirt and hoodie collection which I’m proud to wear constantly. If there is a donation option (for example the poor dudes in Decapitated) then I have no problem sending some cash directly to the band as well.
no illegal downloads. to many virus on my computer during the kazaa days. i buy about 60 percent. mostly stuff i really am crazy about. the other fortyish i burn from friends when they buy something funky. or download it off itunes. but that is only because i now live in a town with no music store, just a wal-mart.
i buy maybe one CD a year, and i feel like a sucker every time. its a small step to buying a CD on impulse in a starbucks, which is obviously for losers.
piracy all the way! that way i can afford to go to twice as many shows, and pick up merch from the bands i really want to support.
if a band doesnt have a torrent of their album available, im 100x less likely to check out their show. getting a healthy torrent up is the second thing a marketing firm should be doing for a band– after paying vince and axl to insult them, of course. the only problem ive found with my system is certain foreign bands, like australias alchemist, whose stuff i cant find to download, and im on the verge of ordering a CD. why is this? do australians not use torrents? or does nobody else actually like alchemist?
I have that problem with Burst, Seven and a few other bands whose names escape me, i want to listen to the albums before i buy them [one of my stigmas] plus finding an actual copy of any of their albums isnt gunna happen [i cant bring myself to order online, it just bugs me for some reason] but i could only find Lazarus Bird, only torrented at that, and after six months of searching Prey on life and Origo online as well but with only two seeds respectively. but their first two albums keep escaping me, and i even had a chance to talk to the singer and drummer at their Orlando date with Gojira, but i was too busy kissing their feet begging them not to break up to remember to ask if they had any albums there for me to buy, plus i only had enough on me for one album.
FYI – you can buy Origo and Prey on Life through the Relapse web store for $6 each right now. When I saw Burst in Brooklyn, I bought the last copy of Prey on Life they had with their merch…
I download legally for my iPod and buy vinyls for when I’m actually planning to seriously listen to music. I don’t buy CDs.
Believe it or not…I still buy every single one of my CDs to this day. I’m pretty much opposite. It’s been so long that I can’t remember when the last time I downloaded a song was. I hate downloading because of the quality for one and also, some idiots don’t even know how to put shit together so you often get songs that aren’t from the artist it says.
I don’t get why they are so expensive though. Best Buy is the name of the place and they’re charging $14 and $15 for CDs! I’ve actually found shit cheaper at FYE before!
Another one of the main reasons I buy ALL my music is because I definitely like to have something for the bands to sign when I meet them. There’s been a few times where I’ll take a booklet with me to get it signed and get comments saying how much they appreciate me buying it.
It also makes me feel better to have them when my friends are like “Damn, I don’t even have anything for them to sign. I guess they can sign my ticket stub.” All fucking gay! lol. That’s a “real” fan with his ticket stub autograph.
Newfoundland is a tricky place when it comes to this. We have major record stores but they don’t always stock a lot of metal. HMV’s around here have pretty much turned into DVD sellers, and small record shops are non existent. I know you’re all thinking “just fucking order it online”, but I can’t bring myself to do it, seeing CD’s as a dead, depressing technology. So here’s what I do, I download the albums, depending whether or not I like the album i’ll either keep it or just delete it. If I like the band/album I’ll hit up their website and purchase some merch, hoping that by ordering more directly from them, they’re getting more of the profit. I WOULD support bands by going to every single show I could, but, fuck, who the hell comes to Newfoundland? No one, that’s who. No one wants to go to a fucking Silverstein show…
Also, I’m not usually a person that calls out to people to make me look better, but I want to thank Eyal and Arthur for actually responding to us and speaking to us on a more personal level.
I have downloaded maybe 5 albums in total and ALWAYS bought them if they were half decent…. Im one of the ones with 600+ cds, clooectors shit etc… To me an mp3 player is just something that plays music…. I will never stop buying cds….
i have to buy CDs. i just dont feel like a fan unless i buy them. i use to get songs off of itunes then delete them because i bought an album that had the song on it. (i pretty much wasted about 30$ from doing that). i prefer the acctual CD over any other substitute.
steve vai makes 7.50 an album,
thats not my fault.
I live in Florida which to my knowledge has pretty much no home owned CD stores and basically says fuck you to everyone who likes vinyl [meaning i pretty much always have to order them and i pretty much had to stop because of the cost] so its fucking ridiculous to try and by albums because they are charging 20 bucks for just the fucking CD. but, when i come across that album that i have been looking for for months and its not a complete rip off, i get so excited and it basically makes my week. I don’t get to buy many albums because i am constantly spending my money paying bills, but when i happen to have the money, i love buying CDs, and yes, the artwork is very important to me, even on my ipod i have the album artwork on there for every album and it drives me crazy if i cant find it, sometimes so much so i make my own artwork for it and i cant draw for shit. But since i don’t have alot of money i have to download to keep of with the constant stream of albums coming out. But yes, if i like an album i try to buy the physical copy because i love listening to music from the disc or vinyl, i think ipod’s [even with 320kps] sound like shit compared to listening to a CD or vinyl on a good player.
tl;dr – keep making CDs or make vinyls more affordable like CDs and i will keep buying them.
I still buy cd’s whenever I can afford it. I have a list of cd’s that I intend to buy once I get the cash necessary.
I’m not exactly sure what my last purchase was but I’m guessing…. Lamb of God’s “Wrath” or something.
i buy it off of itunes. if i can’t find it on itunes and i want it right away, i’ll buy the cd. i’ll only download illegally if i’d like to hear a song to see if i want to buy it later.
I don’t download songs illegally, I wish cd’s weren’t dying out cause i will miss all the cover art and all the shit bands stuck in with their cd’s to entice us…but now most everything is all about fucking itunes and blah blah it just isn’t the same to me anymore.
cd’s are too much money in australia ($30 Aus) why buy a cd when i can buy a shirt or a ticket to a gig that is going to give more money to the band anyways?
I’m still buying CDs, but not for long I think, it’s just a habit. I’m already buying most of my games from digital distribution stores like Steam, so I guess switching to mp3s is a logical next step (buying them, not leeching off torrents – I know artist gets fuck all from selling music, but still think obtaining collection of pirated music then considering yourself a fan is a bit assholey and disrespectful). I could live without all fancy artwork and ton of place occupied by physical records (which I usually don’t even touch after ripping to mp3). Of course I have quite a collection of shirts as well.
And yeah, I pirate from time to time, but it usually ends up with buying the record if it’s cool, as I said, I don’t want to feel like an asshole :]
Hi guys,
I still buy CDs.. n dont download illegal mp3’s. The reason for that is the respect for the artists’ work and the fact that i love having the REAL thing in my hands n make a music collection.
I buy both CDs and Vinyl. I occasionally download both legally and illegally too. Bought Down’s ‘Over the Under’ just today in fact and buying the new Baroness on Monday. CDs aren’t dead for people who really love their music.
The last CD I bought was Intronaut’s newest album last year. I would much rather buy vinyl than spend my money on CDs. I am one of the old heads with four booklets full of CDs, which I don’t even pull out any more. They just gather dust in a cabinet somewhere. About six or seven years ago I would buy about 10CDs a month. That just isn’t the case any more. With home/car stereos that are compatible with the Ipod it doesn’t make any sense to buy CDs anymore. RIP
I buy most of my music off I-tunes now, but i do make the trip to Ameoba to pick up some CDs every week or two. It’s definitely a dying breed and that sucks becuz I love browsing through music in a REAL store!
I don’t download shit.
Hey Eyal,
I still buy cd’s. Saw you guys play in Fargo back in April the day “The Concealers” was released, but was piss poor at the time and had no money to buy a cd from you guys. thank god I found The Concealers at Best Buy though.
The main reason is I like to run on cash and not credit cards when buying things other than cars. I fucking hate having to make sure that I have enough money in my account so i can buy an album on itunes. A CD to me is like a hard copy… I can buy it from a store and then rip the music to my computer to put on my ipod which takes less time than downloading stuff from Itunes. When my computer crashes I dont lose all my fucking music… It’s a great scene: the many metal albums I have sitting unevenly around my messy as shit dorm desk by my laptop. What the fuck is the fun in just having an ipod sitting on your desk? and most of the cd booklets have lyrics. Granted most music on i tunes is cheaper than buying it in the store, but when i actually have the cd it makes me feel like i really own the album…
I buy the cd. Most cds are only $10. Shit, that’s the price of a shot of Jager in LA. Anyone who complains about paying $10 for a cd that will last the rest of your life is a bitch.
Also, bands that aren’t signed aren’t shit. They can’t tour, magazines and webzines ignore most of them, and they aren’t taken seriously in general. If you support a band and want them to be a real band and not some fucking hobby then you gotta support their label. That mean’s buying the cd.
Hell, if you’re a broke ass cheap skate, then buy the cd, rip it onto your computer, then re-sell it on ebay.
I don’t wanna buy a $20 t shirt, i want the cd.
I download illegally, yes, but then i will buy any album worth buying. I like having the physical item, with artwork, liner notes (as mentioned many times here), and possibly some bonus tracks or DVD. I always try to get my hands on the limited edition CD’s, just for that extra stuff and gatefolds and whatnot. Also, you’ve got to appreciate the thought put into some the packaging and artwork (Tool, Mastodon, etc.).
Surely, many here would consider me positively ancient, at 34, and you could say i’m pretty old school, but i experienced the same excitement and anticipation when i was a kid (yea, there was no internet) as i do now, when i get my grubby hands on a new CD (vinyl back then).
I have spent WAY too much money on CD’s, but i reckon i support the bands by buying their stuff.
Last two bought was:
Nifelheim – Envoy of Lucifer
Legion of the Damned – Feel the Blade
if i wanna try new bands?, i’ll download their discography.. if i wanna try a new album from a band i’m not really so fanatical about?, i’ll download it too.. and check it all out.. i always have my list planned out on which album titles i’m looking foward to grab whenever i visit a record store, order packs from labels, or take a look at the distro booth at a gig. i get least 5 to 10 albums every month, i visit local record stores weekly.. i love collection albums, and just stacking them up on my cd racks..
aaand i also pay alot of attention to graphics and art directions/ artists/ styles/ concepts..of the album and i spend alot of time checking out the song writings too.. naturally i show more interest to the album that i paid for “because i’m spending my hard earnt money on it..” so that way i appreciate my favourite bands & good metal more then most people do.. i used to buy alot of mercandise.. i still do now.. but i’ve slown down..
so yeah..
i’ll lay down my money for good music, something that i’m always looking for in a band.. anything unique and fresh that will inspire me as a musician.. good songwritings, interesting concepts, bands/albums involvement with great artists & art directions, good production.. all of that which comes in a sweet package.. like slipcases & digi-packs!! with posters, stickers and so on..
ABOUT shirts.. i Personally find many bands have dull ideas these days….. they get a slab of fancy, brutal, colourful, heavy graphic or coverart on the front with the band logo on the top and shove some metal words of wisdom or br00tality behind.. and that is it, you have a very metal shirt.. my suggestion would be get some talented artists, invest more money on quality merchandise to make full-prints! or make workshop tees.. or windbreakers instead of hoods only… don’t just make black coloured shirtsss if you’re not a grim band. :(
-S.
Most of my music I download, but occasionally when there’s a new album coming out or an album I already but really enjoyed I’ll buy the CD. Sometimes I’ll but them just out of impulse too, I just like having them!
I hear ya dude, I haven’t bought a CD since 2001. I have no use for them. My giant cd-booklet is sitting in my f*cking attic. Music is huge in my life, I listen to it in my car, at work, at home, road trips, etc… I don’t play CDs in my car, because I have a smart phone that stores all my MP3s and can plug it into the stereo. Not to mention streaming websites like Last.FM, Pandora, etc… Hell I have a streaming music server of my OWN that I set up just so I can stream my music collection over the web to listen to while I’m at work. CD’s have LONG since died a miserable death, I don’t know why anyone bothers with them anymore when the same data can be stored on a number of different types of devices now, and listened to from anywhere. Put all that stuff in “the cloud” now so that everyone can benefit! Record companies have been incredibly BAD at keeping up with digital music trends, so I choose to download all my music from sources the record companies have no control over. I use private torrent trackers and don’t pay a dime for music… as it should be. The way I see it, CD’s are more or less a band’s advertisement to come to see a live show. Why would anyone pay to hear someone’s advertisement? I have NO problem paying good money for concert tickets (as long as the band is seeing a good chunk of it), and love buying shirts, hoodies, etc… from bands to help support them because I KNOW bands don’t incur as much overhead on those. More or less I like to know that the money I’m throwing at bands definitely goes straight to the band so they can continue making music. If it’s going elsewhere (record company exec profits, overhead, etc….) I’m much less inclined to pay for those sorts of ventures.
I buy CD’s about 50% of the time, the rest of my music I buy through ITunes or Amazon.com.
I don’t buy into this whole “physical = dead” bullshit at all. Mp3s are convenient. That’s it! They sound like ass. If you’re working a shitty job somewhere and you have an iPod, then sure, it’s fucking awesome. Gets you through the day, and sounds better than your Sony Walkman did. But when I want to experience a new record I sit down in front of my stereo, with the artwork/liner notes in hand, and the journey begins. Nothing can match that for me. It breaks my heart that most people don’t do it this way anymore. T-shirts are cool. But has metal become a fucking fashion show instead of a multi-cultural gang of headbangers who are moved by the music? T-shirts should be an afterthought…the decal on the window of the bad ass car you just bought. What’s more important? That your favorite band puts out their latest release out on 180 gram double exquisite fucking vinyl, or that they’ve printed their new designs on American Apparel? What gets you more excited? I’m so sad knowing that I’m in the minority on this. Let me just say if your records and CDs are taking up too much room in what was once your prized music collection, send them to me please. I will treasure them as you spin your little clicker wheel to hear riffs that were meant to stomp fissures into concrete coming out sounding like rice crispies in milk.
i buy about 20 cds a month
I’m a critic/reviewer/journalist, so I get CDs for free in the mail, and the labels that aren’t sending out physical promos anymore have secure websites from which critics can download upcoming releases. I also download a fucking ton of music, mostly out of print jazz or early 70s hard rock albums. I don’t buy that many CDs but I do buy some; I think I bought four CDs in October (Body Hammer, the double disc deluxe edition of the new Baroness, and two compilations of 70s salsa).
Oh, and I buy MP3s from Amazon sometimes, too.
I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot, trying to figure out exactly when and why I stopped giving a shit about CDs, and I think I figured it out. I’ve heard a lot of people mention “holding something tangible in their hands” or “wanting to have the physical product”. But the thing is, music isn’t a physical product. Music is not something you can hold in your hands, it’s only tangible to the ear. All you can hold is packaging. That’s really all your paying for: a plastic box, a booklet that will look much bigger and better on your computer screen, and a plastic vessel with some mp3s burned onto it (Yes they’re mp3s on a CD. Literally the exact same files you download from the internet at 320kbps). The music should speak for itself, the intangibility of music is one of the things that makes music so cool. You DON’T have to actually have anything, you can just click a button and immediately be immersed in sound.
I’m definitely in the minority here, but I’m still a fan of the physical CD. Also, I’m 20, so not some old dude. See, part of the fun that downloading kills is the anticipation. Waiting for a CD is so great because once you finally have it and throw it in, it has to match up to the expectation you gave it. This also helps to weed out the good CDs because they’ll exceed expectations. And another thing, it’s better for exercise. My buddy told me about Baroness’s Blue Album being $15 at the HMV downtown here in Halifax and I ran hard for that shit. I don’t know why I ran, but it felt right. By CD store prices that was a pretty good deal btw.
I’m one of those “older” people Eyal refers to. I buy an average of 3 or 4 CD’s a week. I like the physical copy in my hands. I often buy really obscure stuff that none of my circle of friends have ever heard just to “enlighten” them. I pre-order alot as well. I think I like going to my mailbox to get a present. I have well over 800 CD’s at the moment and probably around 200 vinyl copies as well. I like to get them autographed and it’s really hard to have a “virtual” copy of anything signed.
I still buy the odd CD. But there isn’t a CD store in my town I have to go to Winnipeg to find anything.
You’re right about t-shirts though. I desperately wanted to see your set when you guys came through Winnipeg last, but my band was playing at another place that night, so scheduling conflict prevented me from going. I would have killed to get a t-shirt with The Concealers album art on it.
I don’t feel too bad about downloading music. If something is really good I’ll go out and buy it (I still like to have a physical copy for the sake of having artwork, you know, having something tangible in my hands), but since I know most if not all metal bands don’t make anything off of store sales, I’d much rather download the album, save my money, and then buy something they’ll actually see a few bucks on at their next show, like a shirt or hoodie.
I collect music. I download a bit as a way of sampling an album that I’m thinking of buying. If I like what I hear, I’ll order the CD. If music downloading didn’t exist, I wouldn’t have even discovered the music I listen to.
But yeah, I’ll always buy the physical CD
I’m actually very suprised to see a lot of support for buying physical releases. Maybe it’s something to do with the fans of this type of music.
Well to be hontest I was a downloading fiend back a couple of years ago, I would download three four CDs a day but for some reason those albums werent very special to me, It was just something to listen to. I pretty much purged myself of downloading not because its wrong but it doesnt have the same spark going out and buying the album does. I now buy three four albums every week in CD form just for that special feeling.
Call me a Purist but I dont see the sense in buying a download either I want a physicial copy of it if im gonna spend my hard earned dollar on it. Mine as well download it at that point.
Oh and Eyal I love album artwork part of why I buy CDs is the art, Like just as an example I bought Black Dahlia Murders new Album partially for the Art
I used to by lots of CDs. When I had the money to do it. Now I don’t. I still buy some though. If it’s really, really cheap, or I have all their other cds. (ie Megadeth, Metaliica etc)
At shows, I generally buy a shirt. For 2 reasons. yes, you can’t download a shirt. and I know the bands make more money on the shirts. I try and buy a shirt every show.
What I miss most about not having the money to buy all the cds I want is the lyrics. However, I am very seriously considering starting collecting vinyl.
The record I just finished working on with Eyal (http://www.fromexile.com) was put online for digital release Friday.
By Monday, it was pirated in 8 different countries’. If you google search “from exile monolith”, 10 of the 20 results on the first two pages are pirated copies of the record….
Nothing we can do about it… Best thing to do is embrace what its advantages are and move forward from there. It’s almost a dead discussion to me, time to move on.
I can attest, the From Exile album is awesome. Posted a review over here:
http://atanamar.blogspot.com/2009/10/from-exile-monolith-self-released-2009.html
And I actually paid for it! These guys are definitely worth supporting.
How come Metalsucks isn’t all over this album co-produced with Eyal?
I personally only buy the physical cd if I really like the band or if the album is a really good one, y’know? I feel like I ought to be supporting this band if they’re coming out with some great shit.
All the other bands though, download! lol
And I care about album artwork. Hell, I’d like to see more album artwork posters with the cds… Those are always cool, but I don’t see people doing that so much anymore. :/
But yeah, bitchin’ artwork is hella cool. lol And I’m not an older chap.
I totally agree with CDs being superior to MP3s….I guess I haven’t gotten to get a hold of the proper tools to make a good MP3, but to me they all sound thin. Hell, cassette tapes sound better than some MP3s I have heard. I just don’t buy everything. I feel like if you download 10000 songs, how many of them do you listen to more than once? A few..that’s it. If people don’t buy CD’s then record companies won’t sign the artists. True, the artists never make money anymore on the CD sales, but it is the best way to get music out there. If the record companies wanted to save themselves, they would concentrate on HD audio formats.
I buy all my music on CDs (except the few free tracks I find on band websites, MetalSucks, etc). I enjoy the feeling of having a new CD, with the artwork, sometimes with a bonus live DVD, the lyrics… I also like having a backup of the music I’ve purchased. Fortunately, I can find most of my CDs for $10-12 these days, at used or lower-cost stores. I do wish they were cheaper, though – there are so many albums I want to buy.
I download on the most part, whether to check new bands out, or to listen to new records… I generally try to buy the albums that I particularly enjoy.
And regarding the artwork, I personally really enjoy that aspect of a record, it adds to the overal piece, it doesn’t exactly make the difference between listening to it or not for me, but it’s still an important of the whole thing for me…
To be honest, just a decent, strong album is enough for me to spend money on it, although a bonus ‘making of’ DVD is always a cool insight into things…. Personal taste I guess..
I still buy CDs, but less and less frequently lately. I just can’t hardly play them! I had some in my car for a while which was sweet until my CD player crapped out. Now I’ve resorted to an FM transmitter and my iPod :S which is alright for the variety of music, not so much for the quality of listening to said music.
The great thing about free downloads is the discovery of new music, I can decide what I like so much easier now. Everything I download that I really dig I will usually purchase, but not everything, I’m not friggin’ rich y’know! :P I’d also buy high quality digital audio if it was affordable and reasonably store-able. They need a format to be able to fit the volume of music I have on my iPod and maintain the CD quality sound. Maybe eventually.
Other than CD’s and Merch, do bands make much money off their actual gigs? I figure they must make something for the draw? I feel like I must be giving something back by buying a ticket and attending a show, but sometimes I can’t always afford to purchase a shirt or a CD or something like that. It’s only fair I think that bands should make a percentage of the gate at each show. It’s their time that they’re giving away and their skill on display after all. Seems like the Economic model for musicians and bands is a little out of balance with the labels no?
I am actually writing a paper (I’m a Junior in college) about this right now! I still like CDs and enjoy looking at the stacks of metal I have on my shelf, but now-a-days I mostly buy a CD only if it comes with a deluxe dvd of concerts, behind the scenes footage, etc. I is also comforting knowing that if your computer crashes or your ipod spazzes out, the music is sitting safe and sound on your shelf for later use. Yes, I can get a friend to download it for free but I guarantee you that I will come to your concert and buy a shirt if I like the music. I take pride in the fact that girls yell at me for having a 75% black shirted wardrobe!
I like what Trivium is doing: burn an album of their music and hand it off to a friend, OR even better is allowing you to digitally download the live audio set from the show that you actually went to! You’re already paying for a ticket and outrageous “convenience charge” so might as well give us something else to go home with incase we can’t afford a shirt because parking is $15 or you need to save your money for the bus or train home. Touring is where the money is at now, so I’m seeing the music industry leading towards a profitable tour after a band releases (for a cheap or free price) some decent music. If the music ain’t good you won’t get the tour. Make it or break it, folks!
when i was a young kid, like 11-14, i remember going and buying a cd, taking it home, unrapping it, looking at the awesome artwork inside and out of the cd booklet, popping in the cd, and reading the lyrics and thanks while hearing every track. it used to be an experience. When i 1st brought Chaos AD, when i first brought vulgur display of power, when i was fuckin 11 years old and i brought korn take a look in the mirror [im 17 now] it was the coolest thing., i owned it. id put the album art up on the walls of my room with tape or nails and look at it every day. IT MEANT SOMETHING. id place all my nile behemoth pantera slayer meshuggah etcetc cds on my shelves and make sure they werent scratched. i had ALL the booklets and id look at them constantly……..its a shame. its a fuckin shame.now, cds are polished up, and put into mp3 format, makin them sound thin and weak. music is so expendable and pointless….now. i mean, i wasnt even alive during the tape trading of the 80s. but today, me, a 17 almost 18 year old fan, can sense the HOLLOWNESS in todays music culture. yes, i have an ipod, yes i admit to downloading illegally, BUT- when way of all flesh by gojira came out, i grabbed 14 bucks and brought it, took it home, unwrpped it, and read the lyrics, looked at the art, and listened to the whole thing….its ad that the next wave of kids wnt have that, evne more sad is that they wont appriciate that….
places like sams club and exclusive company and best buy have helped in the ruining of cds buy charging 16 17 dollars plus for a cd.
Eyal, i remember you writing about smaller bands, in that they should just give their debut EP or CD out for free when they are smaller. i totally agree, because i go to these local shows, and no name bands are trying to sell their cds for 15 dollars……just rediculous.
Well, I certainly haven’t read every response on here, and after however may hundred responses, I wonder if it is even worth adding my two cents but here I am anyway.
I still buy CD’s and rarely download anything. As many others here have said, I like the physical copy even though the collection becomes cumbersome and takes up space that I am running out of. I like the sound on a real stereo and the artwork. I have downloaded some stuff through eMusic through some of their promotions when you get 50 or 75 songs for free, etc. I’ve never used iTunes. Just within the last few weeks I’ve bought Alice in Chains, Baroness, and Russian Circles, usually on the release date because they are on sale.
I still enjoy going to shows and seeing bands live as well but rarely buy merch anymore. Sorry if that is where you guys all make more $, but I’m just not interested in buying a band shirt for $30 or so. I saw Tool at the Staples center a few years back and wanted to get a shirt because I had never bought a Tool shirt after being a fan of theirs for so many years. Get to the merch booth and the shirts were anywhere from $30 to $50 depending on the style. Nope, sorry guys, not throwing down another $30 on a shirt that I don’t really even have room for anymore, on top of the ticket price, etc. That’s the other thing about going to live shows is the ever increasing expense involved. I know you guys all tour to make money but on top of the ticket price are usually Ticketmaster “convenience/service fees” which have been running about 1/3 of the ticket price, usually around $10-$20 to park anywhere, and another $10 or so if you want a beer at the show. It can all add up to a pricey evening.
So, uh, yeah. CD’s, rarely download, live shows, rarely buy merch.
I BUY from iTunes.
I look to see if an album’s on eMusic first. If it’s not, it might be because it’s more mainstream (like the new Megadeth) and in that case I can usually buy it at Target for about as much as downloading it on iTunes. If it’s not available for around $10.99 or so as a physical CD, I’ll either get it from iTunes or just go without. I have a whole mess of kids now so my music budget is not what it once was.
CD’s
I still have a “cd book”. I buy CDs either from shows, Century Media online or best buy. Everyplace else is close to $20 for a cd, waaaay too expensive. Bittorrent is the main way I get stuff. Though if I really like it, I do buy the CD, plus tshirts and whatever else strikes my fancy.
I still buy cd’s. I work at a record store but I prefer to buy cd’s at shows. Many local bands that are not with a label can make their own cd’s for less money and make a bit more profit. I don’t think cd’s are the problem but the labels and distributors.
I only buy the cd when I can’t get the music off the zune marketplace or can’t find the download elsewhere which is like four per cent of the time.
I think its interesting how many people say they buy t shirts at shows. At 99% of shows I go to, there is no one in front of the merch booth.
i like physical cds
as i like having the aytwork and packaging ect.
I still buy CDs. I like the booklets, the lyrics but mostly the special editions of a CD. The making of an album is what I find very interesting and inspiring. I have only listened to Dååth with my non-premium Spotify account, but I am promising myself and Eyal that I’m going to get my Spotify premium and when I find it, I’m going to buy “The Concealers”.
I have never downloaded a single tune/track illegally. If an album is good, I go through fire and flames in order to own it. I don’t buy to many t-shirts, and because I live in the middle of nowhere (nowhere=places where metal bands don’t travel) I don’t go to that many shows.
I support my band(s)!
I always buy a hoodie and t-shirt at shows.
I buy C.D’s occasionally at stores, mind you the selection here sucks.
So normally I always order those pre-order packages that normally have a limited edition t-shirt with them, fucking LOVE that shit. I don’t own a single shirt or hoodie that isn’t a metal band. Most of the time people are like: “Is Textures a label?” or whatever band, I respond with “Metal band I’m into…”
Don’t buy CD’s that much anymore, mainly downloading. The one thing I miss about CD’s is sitting down and listening to the whole thing while reading the lyrics. I guess you can do that now by going to darklyrics or other such sites but it just doesn’t feel the same. Growing old fucking sucks, i’m 28 and I feel that way. Stuff that was around when you were young is now obsolete or gone. Everyone from generation y needs to get ready to be that crabby old person complaining about everything cause it’s coming!
I still buy CDs – I’m 35 – and will continue to buy as I can. FYI, I have seen multiple copies of the new Daath in the local Best Buy (Florida panhandle).
I like what you guys offered with the pre-orders for The Concealers: a signed booklet, the CD, and a shirt for something like $20. That, to me, was a no-brainer. A little underpriced, but that’s my opinion. This kind of package is something Century Media has down pat, and they’re only getting better.
I’d love to see future albums pressed on vinyl too. Perhaps licensing a couple songs to a small vinyl label with exclusive artwork to press limited 7″s could open more doors. This would help put your name in smaller shops and establish a presence on a level currently barely-tapped, in my opinion. There’s no real big expense or risk to the recording label… the small vinyl label either buys the license or not and even if they bomb, the recording label is unaffected because the license for X amount of pressings was paid.
So for the LOVE OF MONKEYS, PLEASE DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!!
It seems to me that some companies are doing deluxe versions or vinyl to recoup lost sales. This is fine by me… it allows rabid fans to get something that was unthinkable a few years back. The past few In Flames uber-super-hyper-mega deluxe editions have been nothing short of mind blowing even though I didn’t fork over the dough for any of them (great albums anyway). The price doesn’t really matter… it simply filters the rabid from the whocares, and it’s not like anyone is putting a gun to anyone’s head.
Vinyl is something else that THANKFULLY is making a comeback though it never disappeared. I’ve bought a single album multiple times (depending on my love for the band) if it was issued on varying formats or pressings such as different colors of vinyl, etc. If a fan is willing to fork out the dough several times over, why should the label stop them? Isn’t the idea for them to make money?
I also think that the whole cycle is lost on fans. Sure, it’s not news that bands make nothing from album sales. HOWEVER, the labels (are supposed to) provide tour support, which allows bands to promote the album, make merch sales and on good nights, a part of the tickets. To tour without support must be extremely difficult. So if the label makes nothing, the bands do not get sent out on the road and are consequently in a tighter spot. I know this blog was about CDs, but people need to know the importance of BUYING music and not stealing it.
I prefer to get my music in CD format. I like owning the actual CD. But to be honest I download a lot more than I buy. If I really love an album I have to buy it. I’d like to buy all the albums I like but I don’t have ~12-20 bucks to constantly spend on music. Especially on in a year like this year and in 2007 where endless good music was constantly being released all year. I buy T-shirts a lot and would like to support the bands but for me it basically comes down to me having a shitty job and not enough money to always buy music. A lot of times though it’s because an album is rare and hard to come by and I’m not going to just not listen to it because I can’t find it. I’m going to download that shit.
OK so most times I buy from Zune marketplace. I do not illegally download at all. I copy from friends sometimes but in the case of metal where musicians are struggling, producing amazing stuff that I love and really in need of cash I put down the ten bucks. It’s so worth it anyways.
So I only buy physical CD’s when there is an album I have been stoked about for weeks. Do I really give a rats ass if I can plug my guitar into the case and play music? No. It’s just when there is something that really has me amped I want some kind of physical manifestation to keep. I dunno liner notes or something.
I’m one of those “guys who collect CDs” you mention in your article. I’ll buy (or at least try to buy) stuff I download and like. I’ll also hold out on listening to a new album by a favorite band or a classic (still haven’t heard to stuff like “The Wall”, “Close to the Edge”, etc. because of this) until I can secure a physical copy. Albums are like fucking worlds to me man. Just light up a spliff, turn the lights out, put on some headphones, give them my undivided attention…I love that shit. I love it when labels put care into the packaging and artwork. It makes stuff more immersive. Besides, the sound quality is better in physical formats (if I’m not mistaken). The way it is around here (Honduras), though, CDs are ridiculously overpriced ($ 16 and upwards…) and vinyl is flat-out unavailable (if it was available i’d probably buy that instead of CDs). Oh well. It’s gotta be that way though…it’d be ridiculous to have cheap import goods available in a country where some serious shit goes on (poverty, coup d’ etats, etc.).
I still collect physical CDs… actually, I only started three years ago, but I’m still a teenager, and I dunno. I like having the authentic, physical copy with the album artwork. The visual display can lend a lot of insight to what the album was like for the artist themselves. It’s a neat thing for me to try and get into the artists’ heads. Even if I don’t always like or agree with the meaning of the song. The thanks section is also cool, because if you look at other bands they list as inspirations or similar acts, it can open up the world of metal a little more to you.
First of all, thank you, Eyal, for covering a question of mine.
Is anyone still reading? Or are you all as overwhelmed as I am? The response to this blog has brought me to brain failure; in this instance, I mean that in a good way. I tried to read all the way through the comments, but I just couldn’t get there. The few thoughts that float to the surface of the muddied pool of my brain:
groverXIII: “As Lord Gold so eloquently stated, ‘I think I would describe the state of music today as “clowns who sell clothing to people.”‘
That struck me, as well. Another musician (whose name escapes me at the moment) once made another observation that has stuck with me, which is that the current state of the music industry is this: the only reason to write and record albums is to have a product to promote in order to go on the road and sell concert tickets and T-shirts. I was floored at that perspective. Has it really come to that?
Viking-Shredder says: “I still buy CDs.
1. The artwork is part of metal’s history
2. CDs sound a ton better than an MP3 in a stereo. The quality of the CD is better on a stereo than hooking up an iPod.
3. Support the fucking bands you love!
4. If you’re a big fan of the band like me, you like to read the ENTIRE booklet. Not once, but multiple times.
5. Because it’s a lot cooler to have the CD than to have an MP3.”
Indeed.
groverXIII says: “If you can truly hear the difference between a CD and a high-quality mp3 (VBR or 320 CBR… I usually can’t) then maybe you need to check out FLAC.”
Aside from Eyal’s original post, this comment and the whole exchange and explanation that followed has actually been the worthiest part of the blog for me so far, and in a very BIG way. I’m not particularly tech-savvy, and while I’d read about FLAC in passing, I didn’t understand what it was or how I could use it. If this is easy to use, it could actually serve to wipe out one of my biggest hang-ups about digital downloading, which is shitty audio quality. And yes, I can hear the difference – especially if it’s a copy of a copy.
Icebeast says: “After you get done buying new external hard drives to store all that lossless flac goodness, you probably just spent more than you would’ve on the actual cd.”
Not necessarily. The economy such as it is, the NEW economy is on craiglist. All of my music – whether I originally bought it as a CD or as a digital download – is backed up to my 500 GB external hard drive, which I found on craigslist nearly brand-new and never used for $60. My entire music collection is readily available to me at any and all times via my 120GB iPod and the memory on my computer isn’t bogged down from it. I’m also working on backing it all up to online storage, so that if a house fire or theft wipes out all of my physical copies, the music will still be available to me virtually.
Everybody who says they like to have a physical copy and the artwork in their hands: Me, too, with the caveat that it’s expensive and I have to either be more selective or wait until I can find it used. I’ll get to that.
Bicro: Miss talking to you, friend. That is all.
Arthur von Nagel says: “Sometimes I’ll read a user review of our album and the dude will say ‘I can’t hear the bass’ (the bass is actually fucking loud for a metal album). Then I cross-reference Last FM plays to my sales inventory and discover, surprise surprise, that the person writing the review was listening to a pirated digital copy of the album on his crappy no-subwoofer computer speakers…Well now.”
I’ve enjoyed your contributions to this site enormously and regret that time is increasingly a limited resource for me; otherwise, I would post more to your blogs. I read them, I enjoy them, I have a million more questions to ask you in follow up and I never seem to get around to any of them…
Having said that, what you just wrote creeps me the fuck out and I really hate it that you can do that. Seriously, now I’m glad I’m not more active on those sites…
I absolutely DO still buy CD’s; in fact, I’ve harped on the subject quite a bit around here. I’m not married to the CD format, nor do I miss vinyl, and you will NEVER hear me lament the death of cassette tapes or 8-tracks. (One of my earliest memories is of trying to figure out how to get a Peanuts 8-track to play and getting confused when it would switch over, and the 8-track was in its death throes even then.) Regardless of the format, I suspect I will always prefer physical media for all, or a combination of, the following reasons:
(1) I have a ritual for processing new music and I’ve done pretty much the same thing since I was a kid. Tree-hugging, environmental conservation leanings aside, I love the tactile experience of having the packaging in hand, so I can visually process the artwork and liner notes as I listen to new music for the first few times. Very few artists bother to offer a free download of their album artwork with digital downloads, but even if they did, I still don’t think it would satify my ritual. This is also why I don’t get into Kindles and their ilk, although those devices do have their uses. There’s plenty to be said for the convenience of being able to transport libraries of data and media, as well as of being able to access them at will. Nevertheless, I will always want a physical copy in my home archives. All of my music is stored to my computer and backed up to an external hard drive.
(2) And when I say “home archives,” I am just dork enough to use the term literally. I have a home library of music, books, and movies. I don’t get rid of any of those things, ever – the music I listen to is not disposable and I don’t treat it as such. And I’m no older than you, Eyal, so raspberries to you on that one.
(3) Originally, I was going to say that CD’s just sound better, so I normally only download only when I can’t find a physical copy around town or can’t buy the CD online, usually because it’s rare or I don’t speak a foreign language. (The trials and travails of being a Gojira fan, or so it would seem.) With the FLAC recommendation, GroverXIII just handed me a tool of empowerment. Thanks, dude!
Several people posted comments to the effect that buying CD’s is a stupid amount of money going to no one worth receiving it. This is true, but only so far as you assume my entire motivation for buying physical media or downloading digitally is to support the band. I DO want to do that, ALWAYS, but I also buy music FOR ME and I want it HOW I want it. I can’t help the shitty state of the business end of the music industry OR all the Faustian contracts record labels persist in trapping artists with OR all the artists who in effect sell themselves into white slavery by signing those deals because they figure it’s still the best way possible to proliferate their work. (Remember how people made fun of Prince for performing with “SLAVE” painted on his face when he was embroiled in a dispute with his former label and couldn’t even record and perform under his own name? The general public thought he was bizarre, but no one in the industry worth their salt was laughing.) I don’t expect people to work for free, so I don’t steal their stuff regardless of who gets the money – whether it’s the artist or the label or the middleman in between. I have to budget carefully in order to pursue my interests (of which music is only one, albeit an important one), and I carefully weigh my decisions whether to buy music, a concert ticket and/or a T-shirt/hoodie at a show. I’m well aware that my favorite artists make more money off of merchandising and ticket sales than they do off of the music I buy, but it’s often more than I can afford to go to a show, let alone also buy a T-shirt while I’m there. In these matters, I ultimately serve ME.
I sort of got off topic on my last point, but my overall message is….Yes, I still buy physical CD’s. Almost exclusively, in fact.
for a number, about seven a month
I prefer physical cds, the complete package. Call me old school.
The extensive artwork, booklet, liner notes, etc – it makes for a complete immersion and experience into the music and the band. Of course, I download stuff as well, but most of it I end up buying in physical form.
I used to own one of those big ass CD cases…had over 200 CD’s in that bad boy. Took me over 10 years to collect all of them (It got stolen on a coast to coast trip).Obviously I have bought more than 200 Cd’s in 10 year time, but those plastic bustards sure have a way of falling into other people hands! I just couldn’t ,and still cant, refuse to chance to SHARE great music. also i rather spend 50 bucks for a years worth of rapidsahre downloads then on a bunch of plastic cartridge.
(Holy hell that’s a lot of comments… guess it’s time to add my two cents!)
First off, FUCK ITUNES AND FUCK PAYING FOR MP3’s. If I’m paying for music I want a physical product, not just a bunch of 1s and 0s on a damned mp3 (and yes I know CDs are technically digital 1s and 0s too but like many people said you get the whole package with artwork and whatnot as well)! I’ve only “paid” ($5 Amazon mp3 download credit from a prior order) for mp3s one time, otherwise I buy my music on CDs and just recently started adding to my small but hopefully-going-to-get-bigger-soon vinyl collection. I do use torrents as well but if I really enjoy the music I try to buy the real thing; it’s just that there’s so much killer stuff that I can’t possibly get every single thing I really want.
I do attend quite a few shows as well and buy merch when I really enjoy the band and the price is right ($30+ for a t-shirt!? no thanks… although I guess I have bought two or three shirts at that price, if I really think the band is worth it)!
Reading this topic and a bunch of the comments even inspired me to place an order at CM Distro today, picked up 3 vinyls, 4 CDs and the new Hypocrisy CD/t-shirt pre-order!
I’ll buy your shirts if I like your music. Point blank, I have like 60,000 mp3’s on my computer. I’m in the air force. I’m stationed over seas. I know 1 other person that listens to actual metal and he doesnt know much about metal. Nobody in Guam sells metal music. None of my friends will ride with me because I blast music in my car at ear bleed level. But how many people do I know that listen to SHIT and buy those CDs? Everyone who listens to commercial shit buys the CD’s. People who make real music dont sell SHIT! How many fucking records did you sell? How many did Linkin Park? How many people downloaded Linkin Park? Its just an example, but if I wanted to listen to there last CD I know fifty people I could ask to borrow that CD. If I need to borrow the new skeletonwitch CD from someone I first need to ask around to see if anyones ever heard of them. Which would be no. I cant buy every band I listen too’s CD. I dont make that much money. So I download them. If my wife permits I buy your shit and wear it around and NEVER have anyone say something like, HEY DOOD I fucking LOOOOVE DAATH SWEET ZOMBIE JESUS! Chances are no one will ask me about my shirt, unless its really violent. 99% of americans would rather listen to some mentally retarded skank sing into a computer.
I only buy cds if it’s of a band I really like. I.E. Mastodon, Down, Daath, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, or if it comes with something really special like an extra cd or dvd. I can’t wait for the new Slayer cd next week, there’s a special edition with expanded artwork that has all 5 continents covered in blood, hence the title World Painted Blood but most of all it comes with some movie of the album with an extra song that’s not on the cd. Over the years though I’ve spent way too much money buying cds, dvds, etc when most of them I don’t even listen to or watch that much so I think whenever there’s an album I want that I don’t want to spend money on, I’ll just download it. I’ll probably get an external hard drive so I can download more shit.
BTW Eyal you ever thought about releasing dvds with your albums? That might up the sales a bit. Plus it’d be cool to have a DAATH dvd.Is there going to be one later on?
I believe alot of people, young and old, are aware that one of the most interesting things that they are losing with the death of the compact disc is “the packaging” and the sometime amazing artwork. Sometimes artwork on the cd and cd booklet can help put the the music on the cd into perspective (Circa survive – On Letting Go, Korn – Issues, Meshuggah – Nothing, Misfits – anything). I remember my friends and I being so excited every time we bought a Nuclear Blast cd to window shop through the little merch booklet the came along with it.
The reality is that for the average touring band, cds’ are not a very reliable income on the road. Thats not to say that music fans do not want to still take a piece of the band home with them. That is why this generations bands have take merchandising to levels that can only be outdone by Gene Simmon. Festivals come with what basically is a band mall that you can shop through as Attack Attack plays in the backround. Yet in all of this, in my experience merchandising the easiest way i found to push a physical album was to sell in some sort of t-shirt combination.
Dont worry about selling a cd, just get kids to come to a well played show.
I still buy CD’s – regularly. Probably 2-5 if not more every paycheck. I like having my collection on display for one, and two, it’s nice to have a physical back up in case my hard drive or mp3 player crashes. And lastly, I do enjoy the artwork. Sometimes, killer artwork on a so-so album might be just enough to push it over into “buy” territory.
I download too, as a means to decide what I’m going to buy. There’s alot of metal out there these days, and the only way to find out if an albums is worth owning to listen to the whole thing.
I saw valient thorr last night and they wanted $30 for a t shirt. My buddy is a die hard fan, but that’s way too much to ask for a shirt.
$30 shirts = rip off
$10 cds = deal
You wanna hear a real deal? When I saw Kylesa open up for Mastodon back in April I bought their shirt that came with a cd for only $20.
and yes $30 is too much to ask for a shirt. I remember Unholy Alliance 06, I bought my first Mastodon shirt for $35 and one of those homemade Slayer shirts for $10 that turned out really shitty. Every other Mastodon shirt I’ve bought since had better quality/designs and were only $20-25.
Deadset fuck cds. That time is gone. Im getting lazier when it comes to blog downloads also, nowadays I just goto the myspace & if its decent then its probably a download.
Still waiting for the future of music, where one be all end all mobile phone-style device is built into a chip in your head that has the intarweb beam bands albums, myspace style page & even their twitter like musings directly into your skull with info displayed inside the lid of your eyes, with the music played directly into your ears & the direct biochemical result of said music is beamed back to the band with out filtering out the truth. If you want your friend next to you to hear it also, you just open your mouth wide & it plays like a fuckin stereo. Bands wouldnt have to even play instruments, they just think the music, which auto posts on the mother page, with dudes being able to instantly hear & respond to it. People wear one shirt which is full digital & can display any image band related or otherwise.
Everyone could fuck anyone like in Demolition man & it would be awesome. Man the future is awesome.
Its all about CD’s…the sound quality is amazing and having the physical medium is great! I know it doesn’t support the bands that much but it does a little! I like having something tangible to hold on to and look at! I’m a dying breed I guess…
I’ll be honest, I download a majority of my music. It depends on the band whether or not I will buy the CD. There are some bands that I would like to collect a discography. Others, I just don’t care; I just want to listen.
This whole physical vs download media thing is all over the place to me. I still collect them, going on about 1000 CDs now. This may sound incredibly contradictory (to LP), but the mp3 scene is a scattered wreck of horrible quality and little collector value. Let me explain myself in literal diarrhea form – all mp3 players except very few have horrible sound quality, song download quality is always questionable, with CD I can choose my portable format and quality, I have collector value, If I get over your band I can sell it to the right people and get good cash back, I sometimes get liner notes and bonuses such as songs and DVDs with physical purchases, I can identify your album with an actual picture and I get to listen to it without fucking around on a computer all day looking up lyrics and shit. I take care of my collection and I have some great pieces, and I know this is a completely selfish fascination and hobby. Hopefully the record labels will change CD sales or allow you to take care of that portion yourself in the near future. A CD you sell at your show should cost you maybe two bucks, a CD a store buys from a major label right now only costs them a few bucks anyways. To print your own CD it only costs about a dollar per disc if you buy it in packs.
I don’t know how to break this to you, but I will be continuing to buy DAATH
This whole physical vs download media thing is all over the place to me. I still collect them, going on about 1000 CDs now. This may sound incredibly contradictory (to LP), but the mp3 scene is a scattered wreck of horrible quality and little collector value. Let me explain myself in literal diarrhea form – all mp3 players except very few have horrible sound quality, song download quality is always questionable, with CD I can choose my portable format and quality, I have collector value, If I get over your band I can sell it to the right people and get good cash back, I sometimes get liner notes and bonuses such as songs and DVDs with physical purchases, I can identify your album with an actual picture and I get to listen to it without fucking around on a computer all day looking up lyrics and shit. I take care of my collection and I have some great pieces, and I know this is a completely selfish fascination and hobby. Hopefully the record labels will change CD sales or allow you to take care of that portion yourself in the near future. A CD you sell at your show should cost you maybe two bucks, a CD a store buys from a major label right now only costs them a few bucks anyways. To print your own CD it only costs about a dollar per disc if you buy it in packs.
I don’t know how to break this to you, but I will be continuing to buy DAATH CDs and I rarely make it to shows.
Double comment? Yeah, this is why computers suck.
I didn’t feel like reading 234563 comments, so maybe someone’s said this already. You should just put out pre-order packages that have sweet shit that you’re not gonna get anywhere else and bump the price a bit. Make an exclusive run of 250 or 500 shirts (possibly individually number them…increased costs there) and bump the price up just a bit. Or maybe different artwork, a poster, DAATH branded something random (lighters?), whatever…just as long as it’s something different and limited that people want.
Prime example: I’m into sneakers, and it works like this with Nike Skateboarding/Jordans – they usually release one style ONCE, and once that run is gone, it’s GONE. People will dump $500 or more on some shoes.
Get some sick art that’s totally different from your usual art, pack it in with a pre-order, keep it limited, and there you have it. I’m sure the real fans wouldn’t care if you guys charged an extra $10 bucks if they know they’re one of the few people getting their hands on it.
I’m sure that could have been explained better, but I think I got my point across?
How about the independent music artistes who DO depend on CD sales (not only merch) to make a living? Eyal’s only stating the fact that his band under Roadrunner doesn’t really earn from CD sales. There are other bands who earn from royalties from their own labels, be it a distribution or licensing deal and not signing away your music to a record company. I still buy CDs/Vinyl as a way of showing that I do support the hardworking artiste, and I find that it’s better to own a physical item than mp3s which can very well disappear if your motherboard burns or your comp has a fatal error and needs to be re-formatted. No backups? Too bad.
Speaking about downloading, I play in a band, and I see MP3 companies selling MY music illegally, with no royalties coming back to my band. If you download it for free, fine, doesn’t really bother me. But if you are making a profit with my music, then that’s just plain wrong. Sometimes it’s better to buy the actual product from the band itself if you really like their music.
I still buy CDs. I like the physicality of it. I don’t really trust downloads, but I think thats just because all the computers Ive had are shit, & files go missing & corrupt at the drop of a hat. I wouldnt want to pay for a download (or even not pay) when theres no guarantee it’ll still be there in a week or two. If I have the music on a CD, I can always say ‘thats where that album is’, & if I havent moved it, its still there.
I always buy the CD of an album I like, so I can play it in my car or when Im not on the computer, but to be honest, a lot of my actual listening comes from streaming services like spotify & youtube.
I buy CDs sometimes, DL music sometimes, and DL new bands to check them out, and sometimes buy their CD if I get into ‘em.
First thing I do when I get the CD is rip it using EAC and encode it as FLAC and/or mp3 for reasons of portability. I simply can’t tolerate having to lug physical media around anymore. So the music I’m currently listening to on my phone, laptop, whatever, gets copied to the playback devices, or played via a file share from the server. I don’t upload or spread what I rip/encode though.
I’m not worried about losing my digital library ’cause all my music is on RAID arrays which would require a simultaneous multiple-drive failure to lose the data. A lot of people also use USB drives and such to back up their library.
Well, I definitely still buy the album because I do like to enjoy the artwork and I like to listen to it the real way first…if I buy a CD. I generally download it, and you just won a shitton of respect from me since you prefer that we get a chance to listen to the CD above buying it. Thats what music is about; getting it to peoples ears. And well, I know you guys make jack shit off of it so I buy shirts and go to the shows. But I like to have a physical copy if possible of some of the CDs that I love (Btw, the Concealers is fucking amazing, I definitely going to buy it) just because I want to give you guys the 2-5 bucks from it because I enjoyed it so much and it makes me feel good to have an actual copy. But beyond that, I have a digital library, one on my computer and I have it backed up on two diff harddrives. Ya, I don’t want to lose that shit, I have tons and tons and tons of songs. but, incase both fail; I still have physical copies.
if i dig the band and need to see all the effort put forth. absolutley. then again i’m not nineteen anymore. and jus give it to me on the computer for 10 bucks. although the autographed cd’s are really cool and you could never get those yrs back.
Hm. No updates in a while. Hope he’s OK.
maybe im old school but i still buy cds, unfortunately they are going the way of the dinosaur and that really sucks. i finally cracked and bought an ipod, and as nice as it is to have my entire cd collection on a little piece of machinery it just isn’t the same. maybe once i have the time to set up utorrent or some sort of equivilant to what napster was then ill start downloading stuff. by now you’d think cds would go down in price but it is just the opposite.
my band Obvious Complete Destruction is soon to be recording an album, id certainly hope people buy our cds, but if not then im sure you’ll be able to download it in some form off the net
http://www.myspace.com/ocdtheband