Do you still buy music or do you only stream?

I only buy...the 12" variety

 

Well said. I guess the moral is, if you’re going to steal, steal BIG! ;-)

 

I voted only stream. I'm assuming that includes stuff that I have bought and ripped to my hard drive. The only new stuff I buy are the Dylan bootleg releases. I mostly listen to DylanRadio.com or beatlesarama.com, going back to ripped stuff when I don't like what they have on.

 

I only buy CDs.
I don't own a computer, and cellphone is no way to enjoy music. I will check out tunes & artists on youtube, bandcamp or or radio station webcasts to see if it is something I am interested in buying but that is the extent of my use for online music ~ essentially low bit-rate sound samples. I dislike the quality of mp3 audio.

 

I gave streaming a try for a few months and decided to stop. I only purchase music now. Usually I will purchase the flac download unless one is not available for which I will get the cd instead.

 

...good questions. As far as value is concerned, that's a tricky one. But over time my physical and download sales have gone down and my streaming has gone way up. But the way streaming is priced, this transition represents a substantial loss of income for me. Streaming is replacing physical sales and download sales in transaction volume, but monetarily the pittance I receive does not come close to compensating for the lost sales.

The second point, about the "positive spin," is harder for me. Whenever I ask industry professionals why I should even bother to put my music on streaming services, I get one of two responses:

- It's like free promotion, and it will alert more people to your music.
- The money you get from streaming may be small, but it's better than nothing.

Both of these are pretty pathetic answers. Having my music among the millions of songs now streaming just means that there may be some small, needle-in-a-haystack chance that someone will discover it. It doesn't seem to be happening or, rather, it doesn't seem to lead to discovery any more than reviews in magazines and blogs, radio airplay, etc. As far as "better than nothing," I suppose it is, but it is also "worse than something" -- "something" being the income I used to make on physical product.

Streaming is fun and convenient, but consumers need to be made aware of the detrimental impact it is having on music creators.

 

...good questions. As far as value is concerned, that's a tricky one. But over time my physical and download sales have gone down and my streaming has gone way up. But the way streaming is priced, this transition represents a substantial loss of income for me. Streaming is replacing physical sales and download sales in transaction volume, but monetarily the pittance I receive does not come close to compensating for the lost sales.

The second point, about the "positive spin," is harder for me. Whenever I ask industry professionals why I should even bother to put my music on streaming services, I get one of two responses:

- It's like free promotion, and it will alert more people to your music.
- The money you get from streaming may be small, but it's better than nothing.

Both of these are pretty pathetic answers. Having my music among the millions of songs now streaming just means that there may be some small, needle-in-a-haystack chance that someone will discover it. It doesn't seem to be happening or, rather, it doesn't seem to lead to discovery any more than reviews in magazines and blogs, radio airplay, etc. As far as "better than nothing," I suppose it is, but it is also "worse than something" -- "something" being the income I used to make on physical product.

Streaming is fun and convenient, but consumers need to be made aware of the detrimental impact it is having on music creators.

Yep. It's a sh-t deal. I get about .004-.006 cents per stream. 10k streams = $60, or 6 $10 CDs sold. One $10 CD makes me as much as 1600 or so streams. I mean, I love music, but have you ever listened to the same song 1600 times? Streaming just doesn't compensate for lost album sales. Period.

I don't really see how anyone who has ever tried to make a living, or even break even, can advocate for streaming as a primary means of music consumption.

 

If the artists are writing and recording, or if a label reissues Expanded/Super Deluxe then yes I buy music.

 

Sorry but I find it hard to believe that over 50% of this forum doesn't stream at all. If you listen to any music on the internet (like YouTube) you are streaming.

I'm all for people buying physical media, but most people who buy physical media also stream.

 

For those that don't stream. Do you buy used media? If so the artist doesn't get a penny.

Relying on the radio for purchases? How many artists actually get played these days? Not many. And most that do (classic rock faves here or current popular artists) are not the ones hurting for money.

 

I buy physical media that streamers are unloading.
For pennies on the dollar.

 

It's a great way to discover new music (especially considering that I gave up on radio a couple of years ago when Cumulus bought the San Francisco FM station I listened to and programmed it to boredom).

 

I buy music (mostly vinyl) and I stream on Tidal HiFi. It works really well for me.

 

I only buy my music because I like knowing I own a physical copy. I also load mp3’s Of my favorites for the week into my “One Drive” cloud storage on my PC. From there I stream onto my phone. This also helps to keep my phone’s storage clear.

 

Buy CDs and occasionally buy FLAC. No streaming.

 

I buy vinyl.

I like to think I contribute to the artists bank balance more than streaming for next to nothing.

 

I went through a period of about 3 years where I would blindly buy an album on vinyl because it seemed like I should like it. Digital was the devil. The first listen would always be an anxious one, because not only would I be listening to see if I would like the music, but I was also listening for pressing flaws, or imperfections from the previous owner. I really choked my music exploration during a critical time in my life and I will always regret my stupidity during that period. Opening my eyes to the quality of digital music and streaming through Tidal has been the best musical decision I have ever made. I've never listened to so much new music in my life. Classical, rap, jazz, folk rock, electronic, pop; it's all there.

Of course, if I like it, I'll buy it. I love seeing a nice little collection of CDs on my shelf, and liner notes are so much easier to read when they're printed on a piece of paper. Never again will I go back to LPs.

 

Youtube...haven't bought music in years.

 

glad you asked - I forgot to mention this point; I never buy used CDs. I like to support the continuing production of new CDs and support the artists to the extent that new CD sales do support them.

 

I don't stream...well hardly ever. Im not sure artists are making that much from streams from what ive read on posts here. I have a kajillion records / cds / downloads etc... but ill buy records when I find something i like, used from old thrift stores, etc . And ill buy new cd's of reissues or new artists I like.
ps Dylan could buy an island for what ive paid for his (new) stuff over the years so I don't feel that bad if I buy a used Desire album

 

It is far less common than it used to be, but there was a time when artists held back from streaming services access to a substantial chunk of an album. I think 4-5 songs (for "free") basically presents a sufficient experience s for a listener to make a "buy or dump" decision. One song is not.

If you're not willing to allow people to stream 4-5 songs off your album, well...

You're free to get into a time machine, and take your chances with radio.

 

I only stream free stuff. I would guess it's somewhere between 5 & 10 % of my listening.

 

I stream music to see if I want the album.

If I do, good chance I'll get it digitally, but I wouldn't stream to listen to my music library ever.

 

I only buy now. I was streaming through Spotify (which was an excellent way to listen to the rare tracks on box sets or b-sides)....however I had Spotify through my Roku and they took it off right before Christmas. I had my Roku directly connected to my receiver, so the sound was quite good

 

I both buy and stream. Why limit myself to one or the other?