do you feel like you're missing something when you download a cd instead of buying it

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U2Man

U2Man

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i mean, do you miss the cover art, the lyrics, the credits, etc?

do you sometimes feel that you can easier dismiss an album as 'crap' if you just downloaded it as opposed to buying the cd?

:hmm:
 
U2Man said:
i mean, do you miss the cover art, the lyrics, the credits, etc?
Click to expand...

Yes.

U2Man said:
do you sometimes feel that you can easier dismiss an album as 'crap' if you just downloaded it as opposed to buying the cd?

:hmm:
Click to expand...

I don't buy or download that often. When I do I kinda make sure that it is pretty good at least by listening to samples and such online. But whenever I download or "burn" a copy, I end up getting the original at some point anyway for the liner notes. :drool:
 
Yeah, I downloaded a bunch of albums and wish I had the actual copies now. I like going to the store and looking and sampling new stuff. I only download lately when it's something I've got to hear, right this instant, or it's something old from some band I don't want to go out and buy a whole album of.

It's almost kind of pointless, since you have to back them up anyway. For that you might as well buy the CD and upload it into your computer.
 
This is a great post, actually. I've found it hard to buy full albums on iTunes. I don't mind buying songs here and there, but when I buy an album I like to get the whole thing. I consider the liner notes/lyrics, photos and cover art to be a part of the experience.

That said, I don't think it affects how I rate the music necessarily, just how I experience it. Does that make sense? If it does at all, it doesn't affect it nearly as much as a music video.
 
To give an example think of Achtung Baby. The first time I heard it I didn't have the book to look through. It blew me away. Life-changing. Once I got the album myself, I started opening up the booklet each time I listened to it. Still do sometimes. It just all works together so well.
 
Chizip said:
nope
Click to expand...

downloading a few tracks or an album usually makes me more convinced to go buy it rather than dismissing it as crap. i only download things that i am interested in buying.
 
to me, music isn't about what i can hold in my hand, its about how the music makes me feel when i listen to it. thus downloading album or songs from itunes or whatever is perfectly fine for me, even preferrable as its much more convenient. some people display their cd cases as if they are trophys or something, and its like, ok youre cool. i prefer not having to find a place to put them all.
 
I feel like im missing the money when i buy a CD. I cant even remember the last time a bought one. Buying cds is for suckers.
 
I do miss the little booklets they come with but I do not miss getting pissed when I try to take off that sticker and it comes off in 80 tiny pieces :madspit:
 
thetitans2k said:
I feel like im missing the money when i buy a CD. I cant even remember the last time a bought one. Buying cds is for suckers.
Click to expand...

please dont call zootlesque a sucker.
 
its doesnt have much to do with the price. i like being able to buy any cd from the comfort of my home, and not having to deal with all the packaging/cases and physical cds themselves.

digital :love:
 
I definitely prefer to have the physical cd. It seems as though iTunes suspects that many people feel this way, which is why they often offer bonus tracks for full album downloads. Many of my favorite bands seem to present the album packaging as a complement to the album itself (Pink Floyd and Radiohead are examples), so that having only the music somehow detracts from the complete experience.
 
yep, radiohead is a good example of fine album artwork that somehow complements the music.
 
I rarely download whole albums because for the most part I do like to have the whole package. Although I don't often read the lyrics (if included), I do like to check out the liner notes and credits once in a while so it's nice to have. I don't really listen to my music much on an mp3 player or ipod, so I often have to burn any music purchased through itunes to cd anyway. Might as well just buy the cd in the first place.

I also don't have a huge collection of cds, so storage is not an issue for me.

And music on a cd just sounds better. Downloading is ok for a song I like, but not for music I love.
 
What I miss
  • The sensation of tearing open the plastic
  • The smell of the album booklet
  • The printed lyrics
  • The layout/cover art/booklet design
  • Any cool stuff printed on the CD

What I DON'T miss
  • Broken shitty plastic CD cases
  • Paying for packaging
  • Having CDs all over the damn place, or having a collection occupying several shelves
  • Having to keep CDs organized to find what I want
  • Scratches!
  • Skips
  • Having to clean the laser head
  • Carting CDs around when moving
  • Having to waste blank CDs everytime I make a mix CD (now I bring an iPod over to the friends' house
 
i still buy cds from time to time but you have to like or love the artist if you're willing to pay the money. like u2 i will buy there cds cause i want to support them but someone like my chemical romance i will never buy a cd nor download a song cause they suck. i downloaded the whole abbeyroad cd, i might buy i some day when i really feel like paying 18$ for it but for now i think I'll stick to downloading. but i do miss the smell...but it's like buying records why do we buy them if we don't use them? i buy them cause i like how old they are and someday they might be worth a lot of money, that might be true for cds as well...never know...
 
If there is an album or CD or DVD that I want I can't download any of it. I have to have the proper thing. I just SPLHCB and could have downloaded it all for nothing. Instead I paid $26 and could not be happier. An album to me is not just music, you have to have the full experience, the booklet, the cover, the lyrics...
 
I prefer owning the actual copies

downloading can be annoying because it can be problematic for the computers + the computer probably won't last forever and all that stuff with longevity
 
I may download individual songs but downloading an album just doesn't appeal to me. It may sound weird, but I feel that having albums as anonymous-looking files in anonymous-looking folders on your machine strips them of individuality somehow. No, I want my music collection lavishly displayed on my shelf, with properly printed booklets, lyrics etc. I'm a graphic designer by profession and there's an extra pleasure in owning a nicely designed CD artwork.

Yeah, it's music what counts but for me listening to a downloaded album is like drinking champagne from a tin mug. Taste may be the same but it just doesn't feel the same.
 
I like the whole package - but then again a lot of bands don't even do lyrics these days - thus CD packaging is a mixed bag. I tend to check out the packaging instore if it's not a urgent MUST HAVE FIRST SECOND kind of CD.

A better question would be - do you prefer to pay for your downloads or buy CDs!!
 
thatsnotmypuppy said:
A better question would be - do you prefer to pay for your downloads or buy CDs!!
Click to expand...

I was assuming the downloads were purchased.
 
Personally, it doesn't make much of a difference. When I buy CDs, I just rip them straight to my computer anyway, so all the packaging and artwork is completely superfluous and unnecessary. If ever I want any information on the lyrics or anything else in the booklet, odds are I can find it online. Plus, I'm sick of woefully inaccurate booklets (the lyrics in U2's booklets being a prime example).
 
I LOVE the fact I hear a song for three seconds on some show, go 'oooh i like that song!' google the show, find out the name of the song (or google the lyrics) and download it in 5 secs and i have it! Its great :)

But for bands/artists I love i buy their CD's as im a completist in some sense. But then i'm very much a mix bag person, I only like MOSt songs of a few bands, and then rest, i'll take a few here and there, but i dont want the whole album, so downloading is perfect for me, cause I don't get them all.
 
If I like an album, I'll buy the CD in some way (iTunes, CD...), but if I like an individual song, I'll download it.

It's purely a monetary thing.

The songs all end up on my iPod anyways.
 
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