Do you still buy music or do you only stream?

Put only buy. Streaming only to sample tracks occasionally - not serious listening. Listen mainly to vinyl with CD second.

 

No streaming for me. Don't like what it's done to an artists capacity to earn a living in the music business. Work with a computer (making music) during the day and want nothing to do with a computer when listening to music.

 

Even if that means excluding yourself from literally hundreds of thousands of albums for only ten bucks a month? I'm a hardcore music lover and I don't care what medium its on as long as its good music.

 

Not as far as cab fare is concerned!

 

My data allowance on my phone isn't great and my sound system has a cd player and turntable. I use an Naim Nait 5 which is fairly old now.

My Ford car connects to my phone and USB but the interface is cumbersome and doesn't like my playlists as they're from a Mac not Windows. I either listen to 6music or throw a cd in.

If i had the money to invest in a high quality DAC converter for home then I'd consider it but then my iTunes collection is mostly mp3 which really does sound a bit crappy once it's away from cheap headphones. Yes i used to put my tape deck upside-down over the radio to record the charts every Sunday when i was 10 but I'm 47 now and my ears can't put up with poor sound.

Also if I'm out with the dog then I'm in the woods or down by the river. I've either got no reception or would rather listen to the song nature provides.

Ultimately the perfect way to listen to music is live by real musicians playing real music. Everything else is a compromise of convenience or practicality.

 

Ok i want to own, feel, touch & smell my music stuff.

 

I like to own the physical media but I do like listening to Radio Swiss Jazz online. I really like the music they play and there are no commercials!

 

...don't forget that if you only stream you are a prisoner of your streaming service of choice: Your options are limited to the rights they negotiate, and items can disappear overnight. I love it when people act like purchasing physical music is somehow limiting, when it's often the only way to hear certain things. I mean, think of how many classic movies you CAN'T stream on NetFlix...

 

Buy only; no streaming.

 

I love vinyl, have a good sized collection, I have lord knows how many thousands of cds and cassettes and even 8 tracks. But streaming has it's place especially when on the go or busy around the house at 6am and cannot crank up the speakers..stream it wireless to headphones and most of the time it sounds not bad at all. And of course things can disappear over night. Since joining Apple Music (not terribly long ago, far less than a year) I've downloaded/stored in my cloud just under 1,000 full albums and countless songs and only 1 album was pulled from Apple Music but I still have complete access to it bc I downloaded it before it was pulled!

 

Yes, amazingly. The commerce of it does bother me, and music is often my refuge from an increasingly alienating world. Music centres me and like most here a very personal thing. Streaming for me is kind of the antithesis of this. Kind of dumb, I know but that's where I'm at.

 

Not dumb! We all have our own way of enjoying music including how we prefer to listen to it!

 

Well there's me (dedicated two ch room) and the kids. I have spotify prem account which of course they all use and I use as well (car and discovery). However, I voted buy only since I research and when I like something I buy it.

 

for those 9 people who voted: "Neither - I have enough music already"

Yeah Right

 

I stream and buy, I mostly buy original pressings but I sometimes will buy something new reissued. I like to stream for connivance and checking out new albums to see if I like them enough to buy.

 

stream and buy. Try to buy CDs when I can (mostly at gigs from the bands themselves). Vinyl -- for old records usually only buy 45s, sometimes buy new LP releases if there is no CD. But done buying old LPs, and whittling down the collection because it's too hard to move. For whole albums I do find myself reaching for the CD version or streaming these days.

 

Futzing
Will be using this word when my wife wonders what I’m doing
Previously known as listening

 

BUY! .. I support my favorite artists.

 

Ya, "Futzing" covers a lot of territory.

 

Don't forget taste.

 

I don’t mind some Rory G!

 

Thanks...I just really want people to be aware that musicians, songwriters, and labels see a lot less revenue from streaming. Consumers should be aware of how their choices affect the people they think they are supporting.

I don't want to get too into the weeds, but we usually charge between $10 and $15 per CD to consumers. Of course, our profit depends on what we put into it. If it was a release we made at home engineering ourselves and pressing up ourselves, our initial outlay is greater but our profit margin is larger. We don't share the revenue (from streaming or physical) with anyone. For the label titles, we got an advance to make the record, and we buy copies from the label at about $2.50 each. That money -- along with other revenue associated with the album -- goes to recouping that advance. We keep the profit from selling the physical copies at shows.

For streaming, each stream rakes in a sweet .004 - .006 cents. The label takes 100% of that until the record is recouped, then we split it. Both of our label-funded releases have recouped, so we see some money from streaming, but nowhere near what we see from physical sales (the proceeds of which we also split 50/50 after recouping). Sometimes instead of taking a cash payout, we take the money owed to us in the form of CDs/LPs that we can then sell on the road and make more cash.

I'm sure someone who has never had to make a living from making music will pipe up and tell us we are idiots and signed a bad deal, but it's actually quite beneficial: We get an advance to make records (not much -- we record very cheaply), we get publicity and promotional support, we get the cachet of being on a cool label, and, honestly, a lot of labels aren't nearly as generous as a to offer a 50/50 split.

 

The cover of "Let It Bleed" has always looked tempting to my taste buds. And full of calories, I assume.

 

As I once joked in the "You Know You Have Too Many Records" thread...

I assumed streaming was something fish did.

 

I'd love to do both but no one has shown me the art of streaming, plus I'm used to having an actual stereo system. I realize there are ways to interface this stuff, but I really haven't enough disposable income to start playing around with new gear and expense.
Funny thing is, I have around $30 credit at the local CD store, and I'm baffled as how to spend it.
It's not enough to get crazy with, and I can't decide how best to use it. I'd like to get some of my old beloved Monkees, but that's a lot of pop, not sure how much I would enjoy it after the first few listens, (mostly for the Nez tunes, but I'll bet there is some later stuff I was never exposed to).
Once inquired about the Coltrane/Hartman album, but it seemed expensive for something that's been around for a long time. I'd like to get more early Who (only recently acquired Sell Out, what a gas !).
Wish I hadn't bought Echoes. There are full Floyd albums that are likely more satisfying, but I wanted to hear some early stuff I wasn't familiar with and have a few songs w/o investing in their catalog. So hard to make decisions on a budget.