Deleted 12,000+ Digital Files

Hah. I did the exact opposite thing about 10 years ago. Different strokes, I guess.

 

How do we achieve format equality in a world with so many preferences and opinions?

 

Please describe.

 

These releases will be available via streaming. There's a reason download sales are falling fast.

 

Although we have to realize that "us diehards" is a very diverse group of music listeners and nobody has the authority to say what anyone else "should do" in order to to "own the music for real". It is like a musical True Scottsman's fallacy right there, "well us REAL music fans only use physical media"

And I am not sure of the relevance of "digital files are worthless monetarily", can you elaborate on that please? Personally I listen to music like I drink my bourbon - wanting to enjoy it for my own reasons, not for a price other people put on it for resale

"Proven to be less enjoyable than having physical media". Again, proven by who? Music is such an individual experience, we cannot make such blanket statements and be logically sound at the same time

 

I drove to work in my mobile people container/transportation device this morning, listening to rhythmic digital noise simulated to a human-pleasing analog through its digital noise transfer interface. I thought I’d miss the days when it used to have a slot for disc-shaped digital musical containers, but the convenience of not having a unnecessary obsolete container with limited frequency range makes it all...sufficient.

 

The only digital music I own (FLAC) are two similar harddiscs with all the content I own on CD, cassette and vinyl. It's just a backup of my personal physical collection.

 

Yet in a paradoxical twist of fate the download sales have become a lifesaver for many independent artists and labels struggling with the impact of the file sharing/streaming bane:

Leonardo Pavkovic: Nothing is Ordinary

 

The labels never really wanted to allow youtube to stream like they do. Under 'Safe harbor' youtube can get away with using music to sell their adverts. I can't find the article but one of the label heads said something along the lines of it was like having gun held to his head regarding signing a deal with youtube. Don't sign and they get nothing, sign and they get a token amount.

Here's why the music labels are furious at YouTube. Again.

 

Not at all...Pandora requires no storing and managing of files or metadata. Totally different scenario.

 

This thread reminded me that I was overdue to update my backup drive.
I can't see ever feeling the need to delete stuff just because I haven't played them in awhile. Even stuff in Mp3 that I collected/ripped to up until 10 years ago still has a place.
I can see the validity of purging stuff you tried & don't like or have a better version of. Otherwise just keep 'em.
This would be like me tossing out hundreds of records simply because I've DL a better transfer than I can do myself. Do I need to play those LP's anymore? Not really, but I still do.

I suspect the OP will regret the mass deletion one day.

 

I wonder how prince kept his stuff off youtube for so long (for the most part)

 

Downloads and streaming. And downloads are probably on a downward spiral as well. The ability to buy music to own it will disappear; you’ll only be able to rent it.

 

Being proactive. I wouldn't be surprised if Prince was the number one artist with take down notices (by a large margain).

 

I can only assume he had a legal team on it full time and was picking up the tab.

For a label the size of Warner or Sony trying to send individual take down requests for each infringement for each artist they have signed would be a herculean task that would be the equivalent on 'whack a mole' and the legal costs would spiral and spiral out of control.

Whatever the wrongs and rights of streaming services, Youtube is out there in a league of there own regarding abuse of 'safe harbour' and monetising it.

 

You don't need a large legal team. Simply filing a notice will get the video taken down in the vast majority of cases. You just need a team to search and find videos. The major labels won't do it.

 

I could never afford to own either the the vinyl or cd version of albums I love. Just way too expensive given the amount of music I love.

I started buying occasional FLAC downloads about 5 years ago, and burn a copy and print artwork for each and every one that I like, and store as I would a cd.

I would never have deleted 12000+ files without doing the above.

A hard copy on a CD-R is to me the same as owning the cd.

 

I know, in the end it was a fools errand. but reality is if its not yt it would be just torrent / download, every thing on yt is and has been available there long before, youtube just made it easier and saves 20 seconds of time. I liked the prince stuck to his guns, if he had figured out his website he might've been the new standard. "u want prince? come here" I think neil y is trying

 

“Momentarily worthless” meaning you can’t re sell a music stream or a music file. I mean you can but for what? 99 cents? I don’t see how that was a hard sentence to understand.

I would also argue that owning the music physically and holding the artwork and reading the linear notes does also make the music itself more enjoyable but I’m not trying to project this one anyone. To each their own. But in terms of “monetarily worthless” I don’t think anyone can argue that a digital file is worth any sort of money. That’s why it’s only 99 cents to download a song and once you buy it, it immediately loses that 99 cents worth

 

I don’t have the link on me but I read a while ago that it was scientifically proven? Or something. I withdraw that statement since I’m sure the casual music fans could care less about album artwork or album linear notes.

 

CDs are much more than a support tool. It does not matter if kids would rather stream, some of us still prefer physical media.

 

I can't say owning a CDr would be anything like owning the CD. I would even place different values on different CDs, even if they are the same album.

 

True. The 2013 Fleetwood Mac "Extended Play" was a digital only release. Unfortunately, this seems to be the inevitable future.

I have to say dumping 12,000+ files was a pretty gutsy move. Best wishes.

 

So you think a CD-R sounds inferior? I can live with that....but personally don’t hear any difference. Between a CD I have heard and a burnt copy from same files.

I do agree though that different cd releases of an album can vary considerably in sound quality, just like vinyl.

 

Right, but with all due respect, I just don't really agree that resale value has any relevance to any of this though - like when I buy a CD, or an LP, or a digital file, I don't think I have ever considered the element of how much money I could make from them. Because with all of them the intent is merely to consume and enjoy. Unless a person is really into the music collector / ebay aspect of it but I would consider that a different thing than consuming music for music listening's sake

I don't think that digital downloads having monetary worth after purchase affects enjoyment one way or another, or at least I don't think it should