There is nothing better than listening to a good song that really gets you going. One of my favorite things to do on a Friday afternoon is putting on a rocking tune, rolling the windows down and driving home way above the speed limit.
That’s right, I’m a WILD MAN!
You may yourself do the same thing, or at least you love to listen to music. Be it in your car, at home, on the radio, on your iPod, on the internet (hi Jango buddies!) and who knows where else.
There is one interesting change though going on and obviously most of you are likely aware of it, but it’s the way we buy music.
And that’s the big question of the week:
Do you still buy CDs or are you an online music shopper only?
I have to admit, I still love driving down to Best Buy and buying a real CD and listening to it on my way home. First off, there is no denying that a true CD sounds a heck of a lot better than listening to your iPod, especially if you use an FM transmitter.
But the truth is that CDs are uncompressed and represent the pure, intended sound that people used to relish. Music downloaded off the internet is compressed and loses a bit of its power I think.
Now with MP3’s and iTunes, you can preview and download any song you want, and even whole albums. You download them, toss in a burnable CD and make your own album right there. It takes like 5 minutes maybe.
So the answer for me is that yes, I DO buy music online, but that’s usually a hunt and peck kind of purchase. I still hit the stores for my favorite artists, like my recent purchases of Tegan and Sara and The Silversun Pickups.
What about you guys?
So weird… I was just thinking about this same thing on the way to work this morning. I was trying to listen to a CD in my car but it kept messing up. I haven’t used my CD player in a loooooong time, and I was getting frustrated, and the funny thing was I kept thinking “who buys CDs anymore anyway?!” I’m a digital kinda guy, I guess.
Adam’s last blog post..My Most Anticipated Film of the Year…
We are mostly online music shoppers. Occasionally we buy a cd if it’s not available from iTunes. I am a little happier now that iTunes is pushing more of the iTunes Plus format so we can get higher quality downloads. Besides, depending on the store, CDs can cost a few more bucks than online albums.
I buy both, but I do buy more CDs. I’m like you Mike, if its an artist I really like, I buy the whole CD. I tend to buy songs online rather than whole CDs and when I do its because its a particular song that I have always liked but don’t want the whole album.
Steven’s last blog post..Heath Ledger Passes Away
I do both. But sometimes it’s still nice to hold the CD in my little hands (flip through the insert, etc). I know it’s better for the environment if I go solely to online… but for now I’m taking baby steps.
@ Adrian, I didn’t know there was an iTunes Plus format, I guess I haven’t been on there much lately.
That’s great though, after we buy all this music, they offer upgraded versions
It’s like Apple wasn’t satisfied with always having a new iPod every year, now they have new MUSIC technology every year…
I buy about 90% of our music off of itunes simply due to the fact that it is so user-friendly to download. having the options of downloading a song or two or deciding to go with the entire album is nice.
hi Kory! Nice to see ya stop by
Yeah, we buy most of ours on iTunes too, but like Jina said, it’s still nice to just hold that CD in your hands, read the lyrics, etc.
Almost 100% online using either Napster or Rhapsody subscription services. I don’t buy, I rent. Back in the late 90’s I’d buy between 5-10 CD’s a week.
Today I’ll occasionally buy a CD of something rare, such as an obscure 50’s rockabilly collection, CD’s from local bands I know or CD’s of artists I really like but other than that I just download via subscription.
Frank C’s last blog post..Blog Review: My MD Journey
We rarely buy CD’s anymore, usually it’s something obscure or a local band, etc. I don’t miss CD’s at all, I love having everything on my laptop and iPod. Mike since you’re such a web 2.0 guy I figured you to be on board.
I’m all for having everything online, no discs, tapes, or other clutter. Chad and I were watching a review of the new Apple laptop on the Today show yesterday and we noticed it has no DVD drive. Why? Clearly with Apple offering movie rentals online, they’re pushing the industry away from DVD’s. I say bring it on. Smaller, faster, lighter baby!
Scott’s last blog post..Casual Dress Friday: I’m starting my own cult
@ Frank: What is this renting thing? I don’t use those services, so how exactly do they work?
@ Scott – I’m on board, but my truck has a 6-disc CD changer in it and I love the better sound that you get from a CD.
I mean, if I turn my iPod on in the truck, I have to crank it really high and the sound just isn’t as good as what my CD would do.
Now, that’s likely because of the FM transmitter deal, but soon I’ll have that AUX jack in there and maybe I’ll change my mind.
But regardless, I still love buying the CD and ripping it anyways, just to have.
Mike – I think your issue of sound quality is definitely tied to the FM transmitter.
I had an AUX jack in the element and now use a peripheral ipod adapter in the avalanche. I have had great success with both of them. I also have a 6-disc deck in the avalanche and do switch back and forth every now and then. However, I cannot tell a difference in sound quality when i do.
That’s gotta be it Kory.
I got XM radio for Christmas, so I’m going to be getting this new deck that will have an AUX jack and actually an iPod adapter supposedly.
I guess the deck can also take any disk with copied iTunes songs on them and play it like it was a disk full of normal MP3’s…
It’s amazing what these things can do now.
Well the plus format mostly includes ringtones for your phone is really the only plus…and who cares for that so much?
On Subscription Music services like those I mentioned you pay $15 a month to have access to their music library. You can download as many songs as you want to your PC or to your compatible player. Their libraries are about the same size as iTunes but there are some recordings that are exclusive to one or the other.
The songs are WMA DRM’ed files or Rhapsody’s similar DRM and will only play during the subscription period. If the subscription lapses, the files can’t be played any more.
It works out best for someone like me who’s always looking for new stuff to listen to and who likes to try out new artists but who doesn’t want to spend $100’s every month. For people with rather narrow musical tastes it probably wouldn’t be as good of a value.
Frank C’s last blog post..Blog Review: My MD Journey
On the FM transmitter thing I agree that the quality is poor from these things. I use a cassette adapter and that does OK but my van is older than dirt and I’ll have to replace it soon. When I do, I’m going to have to have a stereo with an AUX jack.
Frank C’s last blog post..Blog Review: My MD Journey
@ Cap’n: Are you talking about the Itunes plus? I know the deal with that is it gets rid of the whole DRM free thing and the quality is improved to 256 kbps.
Like Adrian said we mostly buy albums and songs off Itunes. It’s convenient, cheaper and we get tons of gift cards for there all the time so it saves even more money.
nicky’s last blog post..Beauty Review: Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes
I just download everything illegally. It’s the wave of the future!
Awww, nice to see you Hay!
Rarely do you find entire good albums anymore, so it makes sense to download only the good stuff (about 1-3 songs off of an album), so I’m a downlaod kind fo guy, and its also more conveinient, which for me is the name of the game.
I am a bit of a hybrid in my music buying anymore. I really like to shop via iTunes and then burn to CD for the car ride. However, I still like to have the CD, case and art-work as well.
For me though, nothing can beat a vinyl record though. I still miss the warmth and softness that is lost in both the CD and digital-download format. Everything is so sterile and pristine and sharp – more like a razor blade, less like a pillow.
That’s cool Ape…
I do that all the time, burning CDs. I usually have a mix CD that I change every few months, and I burn a new one each time and put it in the truck.