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Some people say that a preacher won't steal. But he will do more stealin' then I get regular meals - Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe, Preacher's Blues

Author Topic: Records, CDs, Downloads  (Read 1711 times)

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Offline Devils Son Inlaw

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Records, CDs, Downloads
« on: September 05, 2021, 04:58:05 AM »
I was wondering how everyone collects their music. Years ago I traded in almost all of my records, nothing rare or highly sought after in the blues, and started collecting CDs, it seemed logical at the time.

Since then my son showed me how to download songs from the internet legally so I can then have those songs from artists that only recorded a few tunes without having to buy yet another compilation for 2 obscure songs.

Now when I bust out my mp3 player at work to get my blues fix, I get chuckles because it is now old technology.  Most of my blues are on CDs these days because I'm not content to have a virtual jukebox, I still want a hard copy of my favorites. How about everyone else?   jake

Offline Forgetful Jones

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Re: Records, CDs, Downloads
« Reply #1 on: September 06, 2021, 03:14:22 PM »
I am mostly digital. I've got my collection on hard drives, but I am also an Apple Music subscriber, so I listen through that most often.

My old iPod classic is on its last legs, and Apple did away with iPods years ago.

I've got a couple dozen records that get played occasionally and still have a bunch of CD's, most of which haven't seen the light of day in several years. My Blues Images (Tefteller) CD's are still readily available.

Offline Blues Vintage

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Re: Records, CDs, Downloads
« Reply #2 on: September 06, 2021, 04:09:02 PM »
My Ipod Classic is on it's last legs too. I even had the thing repaired a few months ago.
I use spotify but still download mp3. These days I sporadically buy an LP or CD.
I prefer LPs or CD's (I have quite an CD/LP blues collection). You can hold the actual product, read the liner notes, look at photos and stuff but compared to downloading mp3 it's outrageously expensive.



Offline eric

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Re: Records, CDs, Downloads
« Reply #3 on: September 06, 2021, 05:45:29 PM »
I began buying LPs nearly 60 years ago and still have quite a few, maybe 250 Blues , Oldtime and other similar stuff, and about 150 rock and jazz albums. (And about 200 45s !). I kept the good ones, got rid of a lot of the others.  For a long time, I had a pretty good collection of rare blues 78s, but they've gone to a good home.  I still have a turntable to play all that stuff and still do.  Maybe about 300 CDs of similar stuff.  I love playing them and LPs in particular, I think, are very cool in that the good ones have have decent liner notes, art work and are often thematic in the selection of cuts.

But it's kind of too much in a way.  I travel quite a bit so I've transferred a lot of stuff to my Mac, using one of the better formats, and can sync that with other devices.

Funny, my kids used to kid me about the old technology, but now one of them is really into it. 
--
Eric

Offline MarkC

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Re: Records, CDs, Downloads
« Reply #4 on: September 06, 2021, 06:07:29 PM »
I still have most of my old LPs and a lot of CDs. I do also use Apple for streaming, but surprisingly often Apple doesn’t have songs I’m looking for, or they show up when searching, but I get a message that the song is no longer available (for example I didn’t find “Do it right" by Pigmeat Pete and Catjuice Charlie that was in a recent thread in Apple Music). It looks to me like Spotify has the widest selection.

(Looks like that one’s not on Spotify either.)
« Last Edit: September 06, 2021, 06:32:08 PM by MarkC »

Offline Thomas8

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Re: Records, CDs, Downloads
« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2021, 04:59:04 AM »
I still buy Document Cd's and listen to LP's as well, I stay away from streaming services. Though more convenient and cheaper I don't think I would enjoy the experience as much. Too much of a good thing can be overwhelming.

Offline Johnm

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Re: Records, CDs, Downloads
« Reply #6 on: September 07, 2021, 06:31:08 AM »
Hi all,
Like Thomas, I don't subscribe to any streaming services, and I don't download .mp3s either. I still buy CDs, LPs very rarely. I bought more CDs during the Covid lock-down than I had probably bought in the ten or fifteen years prior to that. Except for music I can't get any other way, I probably buy CDs the most made by friends who are musicians. Incidentally, I don't know if it makes a difference to anybody, but Spotify is an unbelievably bad deal for living, working musicians who have music on it--hundreds of plays to get a couple of pennies. Youtube has saved me a lot of money--there's so much stuff up there now.
All best,
Johnm

Offline eric

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Re: Records, CDs, Downloads
« Reply #7 on: September 07, 2021, 08:31:53 AM »
Expanding on what John said, I feel obliged to compensate musicians for their work.  It's not news that musicians are ripped off by the business, but it's at a ridiculous level these days.
-
"Everything is free now
That's what they say
Everything I ever done
Gonna give it away"

-Gillian Welch
--
Eric

Offline banjochris

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Re: Records, CDs, Downloads
« Reply #8 on: September 07, 2021, 10:21:50 AM »
I buy CDs (and occasionally LPs, though not so often these days), but I import them to iTunes and tend to listen from my phone. Works like Spotify but my music and I don't need an internet connection. I still have an iPod classic but haven't used it in a long time. My phone holds a ton of stuff and I rotate some things in and out; other stuff always stays.

Offline dj

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Re: Records, CDs, Downloads
« Reply #9 on: September 07, 2021, 10:51:04 AM »
I'm amazingly like banjochris, except I haven't bought an LP in 30 years.  I do buy an mp3 from various sources, mostly iTunes, when the song I want isn't available in another format.  And for some truly obscure blues songs that just aren't available commercially in any form, I'll rip a song from YouTube.  I always feel a bit guilty doing that, but I figure most of the original artists are dead and if the rights owner doesn't want to make something available for purchase, what else can one do?

I do listen to stuff occasionally on Spotify, mostly just to see if I like it.  But for anything I'll ever want to listen to again, I want to own a copy, since stuff is available on streaming services only as long as the service and the rights owners want to make it available.  Stuff does disappear from the streamers.

By the way, the reason I never buy LPs is that virtually every LP issued in the last 30 years was originally mastered digitally, then converted to analog.  So the sound is, at best, no better than the digital master.  And for older stuff that was originally recorded on wax disk or on tape, the source is almost invariably converted to digital, then back to analog, so why not just listen to the digital. 

Offline MarkC

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Re: Records, CDs, Downloads
« Reply #10 on: September 07, 2021, 12:42:25 PM »
I just want to add - one other thing I miss by not having the Port Townsend Blues Week at Fort Worden (aside from missing the get-together itself) is the interesting selection of CDs they always have there.

Offline Stuart

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Re: Records, CDs, Downloads
« Reply #11 on: September 07, 2021, 03:06:30 PM »
No streaming services or mp3s for me either. I started playing the guitar at nine and probably saved up to buy my first record around that time, although I can't recall what it was. I simply love most all music, so although there was somewhat of a focus on guitar, if it sounded good, I was all over it like a cheap suit. Over the years, buying habits changed, mostly dictated by what I was aware of and what room I had in the budget. Once the door opened for me regarding what was available as reissues in the late 60s--and "Roots Music" in general, that's the direction I headed in.

I haven't bought a LP in probably 30 years. CDs are my preferred method of listening to music, with iTunes used as an organizational system. The audio outputs of my computers are connected to my stereo system, so I can listen through it if I want. At 71 my hearing is shot, so I have a hard time telling the difference between a CD and a M4A/AAC file.

I like to buy CDs at the live shows I attend (--If there's anything left by the usual suspects that I don't already have), not just to support the working musicians I enjoy see performing live, but because it's almost always great music that I want to have to enjoy at home.

During the pandemic with live venues shut down, some of the artists I follow have released albums on Bandcamp in various formats--but not on a physical CD. In that case, I purchase the album, download the WAV or FLAC files and burn them to a CD-R.

Several years ago I was talking to Jeff Peterson at the Seattle Slack Key Fest and he remarked that back in the day we saved our money for something we  truly valued and cherished it. Now with an "everything should be free" mindset prevailing, the younger crowd acquires music like duplicate baseball cards were traded back in the day. It seems the worthless is deemed priceless and the priceless, worthless--at least not worth paying for.

When I work, I expect to get paid and when other people work, they should get paid as well--And that includes musicians. So if a CD--or an album at Bandcamp--I like is available, if I can afford it, I buy it.

How's that for an exercise in extended gasbaggery?  ;)
« Last Edit: September 07, 2021, 03:11:41 PM by Stuart »

Offline dj

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Re: Records, CDs, Downloads
« Reply #12 on: September 07, 2021, 03:13:54 PM »
Quote
At 71 my hearing is shot, so I have a hard time telling the difference between a CD and a M4A/AAC file.

I'm 2 years younger, but right there with you hearing-wise.  Do you have hearing aids?  When I got my steam-driven mechanical ears (they're SO much cooler than mere hearing aids) I suddenly realized how inferior the mp3s are.  But still, 50 % of my listening is on my phone via my bluetooth enabled mechanical ears, just because it's so convenient.

Offline David Kaatz

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Re: Records, CDs, Downloads
« Reply #13 on: September 07, 2021, 04:11:22 PM »
On the subject of iPod Classics, my brother said that he got his updated with a solid state drive. Not by Apple, of course.  I expect that would give a lot more life to it. I have not yet explored doing this myself.
I actually have several iPod mini's and an iPod Touch that I have music on. These I connect to my stereo, or occasionally my car. I don't take long drives very often, so I don't usually cue up music in the car.
But most of my listening is streaming radio shows on my phone to Bluetooth earbuds or speakers. I occasionally follow up on tunes that catch my ear particularly, and buy from the artist via their web page.
Also do a lot of listening via YouTube.

Dave

Offline Stuart

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Re: Records, CDs, Downloads
« Reply #14 on: September 07, 2021, 04:25:29 PM »
Hi dj: Thanks for the response and the suggestion. My problem isn't the inability to hear--at least not according to the audiologist I saw several years ago, but tinnitus which can be severe at times. It's always there and it's a high pitched whine that sounds like a tablesaw that's been left on in some DIYer's garage--only higher pitched. I've walked by them on occasion and I always hope the guy left his blade guard on.

It's puzzling since I always used hearing protection when using power tools and never cranked up the volume when listening to music. Supposedly, only several exposures to very loud noise like sirens, etc., early in life can cause a person to develop it later on, but who knows for sure in my case? My physician friends tell me that since it's relatively constant, my brain compensates with some filtering. But as always, there's no real control for comparison, that is, a non-tinnitus me to listen to CDs vs. M4As to see if that person can hear the difference.

Yeah, WTF are we going to do? I was just back in NJ for an old friend's memorial. I hadn't been there since 2010. When people asked me how I was doing, I rattled off my list of minor complaints and said that other than those, I've never been better. Life doesn't get any easier if we lose our sense of humor. ;D

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