Downloading cds?

[NEV3RMORE]

What is your opinion on it? I think it is fine as long as you buy them eventually, or buy a couple of them, Ex: In Flames, bought STYE, dl'ed Lunar Strain and Whoracle. I am going to best buy today to buy a cd I downloaded, not sure which one though, depends on what they have(Nevermore, In Flames, Children Of Bodom[seeing as I dl'ed every CoB cd, I mean EVERY one live, pre CoB band Inearthed, etc.], or Arsis[didn't download, but I want to buy it before I am forced to download it]).

[artist088]

i burn cds but i also buy many times. i couldn't afford all the cds i want though and the only option then is to burn them. i actually prefer having the real cd.

[Gospel]

I prefer real CDs, if only for the audio quality.

[Slim]

If I download something and like it, then I buy it. Exactly what everyone should do. I understand some people may not have the money to do so, but there's no need to be excessive, if this is the case.

Real CD's are way better anyway, my collection takes up heaps of space, and just makes my room look a lot cooler...

[Soeru]

I have no intention of filling the wallets of all those corparate desk jockies over at the RIAA. In case you don't know, the RIAA owns hundreds of record labels(just about any you can think of), so all the sales go directly through to the RIAA. The bands receive only 4% of the sales, and that's not even deducting the tax. All in all, bands get paid squat compared to all the cash the recording companies rake in. I'd rather send the band the cash directly.

I've only bought 4 or 5 albums in my lifetime, and I don't plan to increase my 'legal' collection anytime soon. Even if all the money went to the band, don't you think 15-25 bucks is too much for less than 70 minutes of music? As much as I'd love to support my favorite bands/artists, that is simply too expensive(however, reasonable bands would never charge so much for an album if it was up to them).

All this is true, if you don't believe me, go take a look here. Sign up, join the activists, do something. Just don't feed the greedy bastards working for recording companies.

[Gospel]

Bullshit.

CDs are coming out at around 10 dollars.

I remember back when you were lucky to get anything for under $20.

I was gladly willing to pay it then, and I still am.

And, if all the money went to artist, I'd still say that $20 is a fair asking price.

[youthquake]

since i'm in a band, eh.....maybe not. unless it's a really big band who only cares about money. then screw the bastards.

[Soeru]

Bullshit.

I was gladly willing to pay it then, and I still am.

Sadly, you are another one of the millions of people being ripped off without noticing it. Hopefully some big-ass lawsuit or something similar will make people see just what's going on.

[Slim]

Without the record companies, you wouldn't hear any of this music. Do they not deserve payment? Not to mention all the money spent on this CD that they wont be getting back if they aren't supported. Recording, mixing, publishing, printing, promoting. Buying CD's also supports the band on more than a fiscal level. The more sales, the more exposure the band gets.

CD's do not cost 15-25 bucks US either. 15-25 Australian dollars maybe...

[Jimmy Onestroke]

Soeru, I have a question. When you say that you'd prefer to send money to the bands, do you actually do so or are you simply spouting bullshit?

I don't download full cds, with the exception of Muse's Absolution, which I downloaded months in advance of release while also pre-ordering a copy from a local store. When you get right down to it, do you want your music collection to be a bunch of CD-Rs or do you want to feel like you own the genuine articles? I feel the urge to punch people who rave about their favourite bands when it turns out they haven't bought a single one of their albums.

[Chaos]

I'm mostly downloading and burn cd's, like said before when I really like the cd I buy it cos of the great qaulity

[Drageuth]

If I download something and like it, then I buy it. Exactly what everyone should do. I understand some people may not have the money to do so, but there's no need to be excessive, if this is the case.

Real CD's are way better anyway, my collection takes up heaps of space, and just makes my room look a lot cooler...

That's what I usually do. Minus the sexiness of my room.
And I think that someone who doesn't support record companies but loves listening to music should be shot, honestly. I'm with everyone else on this one, Soeru. I've got it really good; I can buy a CD for about $10.99CAD for the newer, popular stuff, which translates to about $7US. I love it. This is why I go around and buy CDs whenever I can, although at the moment I'm going to pick up some records and a record player first.


Oh yes. And up until recently, the only mp3s I had on my computer were the ones I had ripped from my CDs or CDs I have borrowed from friends. I have only just recently started downloading again, but I still buy CDs. I plan on picking up all of the <b>Nirvana</b> CDs I don't have - which is pretty well everything - as soon as I pay off my friend Graham.

[Soeru]

I have never sent money directly to a band, but if I was able to I sure as hell would. Buying concert tickets(depending on the ticket company) is a better way to support the band.

I did not lie within my last thread, as trying to prove my point with something untruthful would be useless. So before you go about accusing people of posting bullshit, think a little wether as their reply is reasonable or not.

Do as you please, I was merely informing you of why I(and millions of others) think paying so much for a CD is ridiculous. If bands ever get paid what the deserve or record labels actually sell CD's at reasonable prices, I will probably buy CDs more often. In the meantime, I refuse to be ripped off any longer.

I only own 1 CD from my favorite band, so punch me if you will.

[Hangman]

Nothing beats the real thing. The audio quality, the booklet, the whole feel of it is better than just having a blank CD with a band named scrawled on it in marker pen.

If I do download a CD, I will either decide I don't like it and deleate it (Maroon 5 album) or buy the real thing. Downloading helped me discover Weezer and pre-Nothing Left to Lose Foo Fighters, which is plain awesomeness. It also led to me purchasing albums from Korn, Smashing Pumpkins and a numerous other bands I discovered through mp3 too. Next on my purchasing list has to be The Downward Spiral by NIN. One of my favorite albums for two years now, yet I still haven't purchased it. Euch.

Also, if you look at the bands whos sales are supposedly being affected by downloading it is mostly pop-crap music like Britney Spears, because their core audience is 12-year old girls with Kazaa. Real musicians however still have the same sales as ever, if not better - Franz Ferdinands album went platinum over here in the space of about a month. If you respect the artist, you should respect them enough to pay for what they're doing.

[Soeru]

Perhaps you should read a few articles from the site I mentioned earlier. Those of you who think you get what you're paying for might have your ideas changed if you approach the articles with an open mind.

By the way, if you have a huge CD collection, do you like to swim about through an assload of cases to find the album you want to listen to? I know it's rather ridiculous, but I very much prefer having my albums only a few clicks or button presses away.

Edit: Btw, I do buy/consider buying CD's from record labels not owned by the RIAA considering the price is reasonable(ie: Willowtip, Nuclear Blast, etc.). The only CD's I plan to buy are the early In Flames CD's, Pandemonium's albums(off their site, since they're quite obscure), Arsis' album, and the next album from In Flames, Children of Bodom, or DT if I can spot them in a store.