So this is where I've come to; music buying and boundaries

Similar sales goals, but with different tech to achieve that goal.

Music albums are different than gaming cartridges, in that the hardware to play the music still exists in abundance today and they are cheap. Plus you have USB turntables where you can plug them right into your laptop so no receiver even required. So the $ in really in reissues....get a nice pristine copy of that old album you love.

Gaming is different in that I don't think anyone is looking for a cleaned up version of these games / their appeal is linked to the nostalgia of what they were versus the heavy 3D graphics of today. But the $ lies in the console and cartridges themselves which are not easy to come by anymore. And the difficulty, unlike TT's, on actually using the consoles on modern TV's. So thus we see consoles that have built-in games / USB ports and HDMI out to cater to that market.

 

It's good to recognize that instead of letting impulses drive the train -- one that the marketing world plays on, you're actively stepping into the engineer compartment.

 

I agree! My hearing is not acute enough to hear the differences in the "new and improved" over the old and proved. And there are others things to spend money on.

 

Off topic; I never understood what OP means.

 

"Original Poster"

 

excellent observations and insights.

for me, about 5 years ago (right around when all these deluxes and super-dupers and anniversary editions starting becoming popular i made a promise to myself:

i will not buy anything for third time (1st time - vinyl - 2nd time - CD) third time would be the above.

i despise the anniversary thing, especially when all they add is live material.

and the worst one of all is the "newly discovered" material that was in someone's cellar for 40 years miraculously it has been found just in time for the anniversary reissue. (townshend, the remaining doors and page have perfected this) and the second worst is when they re-re-release for third time on CD and add material that was NOT added the second time, the cars just pulled this stunt with their latest bevy of reissues, and even worse was bowie adding material for the second reissue and then taking it off for the third, i'll never figure that one out.

i have pretty much kept to it, although i do have some exceptions:

1 - the first time on CD it sounded just horrible, this really hasn't happened much, but if they ever remaster fleetwood mac's 'say you will' or springsteen's 'magic' i will buy them both.

2 - the bonus material ( a few songs) is beyond my expectations and i really and truly want what was added, or have wanted it for a long time. (CSN did this and i bit)

3 - it contains an entire second or even third disc of unreleased stuff.

 

Maybe this forum is not the right place to say it, but I never understood the need to purchase several copies of the same album. There's so much new music coming out every year, or older music which I don't have in my collection yet, why bother with buying multiple times the same damn record!

I know some people are completists, but frankly, I'm always wondering how often do they listen to those 15 different outtakes of the same song, or to those subpar bonus tracks which initially were left off the record for a good reason.

As for myself, well my wishlist is so long, I'd be an extremely happy person if I could only buy everything once!

 

2017 was the year of the deluxe boxset for me. I must've bought about 10 of them. At times I feel like its stupid to keep collecting, but it appeals to my OCD and materialistic nature.

 

I was doing something else and those words popped into my head. I guessed right.

 

I think a bunch of people buy the punk originals as investments, especially hardcore punks with their natural distrust of government currencies and investments.

IF I had a couple of 100K or millions, I would buy Beatles OGs and all the punk I could fit in a room

 

While it is understandable to pursue the very best product you can when it comes to your hard earned dollars, I have to say let's be grateful that not every final piece of music is going to sound like Taylor Swift sitting right next to you in a deserted building with fabulous acoustics. Some Rock, R&B, Country, & Jazz simply hits harder with a sense of "cheap reel to reel" atmosphere. Remember that good chunks of the most classic music ever was done on shoestring budgets in places that were less than spectacular. (One of many examples; "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen.) There's only so much that can be brought forth. And for that I say, "Hallelujah".

 

I was reading the OP and thinking, "wow what a shame. This person buys this music just to buy it, and then doesn't get that much joy from it after the purchase."

Then I realized, "wait, I do the same thing... just not with music."

For me, music collecting is all joy. I too enjoy learning the discography and the history of the artists that I like, and I love collecting. The cds that I collect are generally cheap, and once I find a decent mastering I usually stop looking. Then, music is a great thing to collect because it gives and gives: I can listen to the same album hundreds of times. What a bargain for $4!

But... I'm also a bluray movie collector. This is where I sympathize with the OP. I buy these stupid things and then buy them again when a newer, better bluray is released. They cost way more than cds... and then I watch them once or twice, or maybe not at all!

So I don't know what the answer is. Maybe we need a twelve step program or something?

 

There's your crux of the biscuit, right there. The endorphins jolting through your system, from giving in to your impulses to procure once more, a thing you are aware gave you great satisfaction the first time.

And of course, resulting in total failure, because you realize too late, there's nothing new here to "discover". The first time you bought it, there was. The next time you bought it, well, that's just like the second bowl of ice cream: it's just what you wanted, yes; but, why doesn't it satisfy completely...?

Years ago, my favorite band, The Guess Who, release their first comp, which went on naturally, to becoming their most successful album. But, absolutely no reason for me to own it, since I had every one of those tracks on other discs. But...there it was, right up there in the display position above the bin, where it would stare at me for months, as I dug hungrily again and again, for sign of another new album to assuage my thirst for this compilation, which I knew I didn't need, and would never own. So, why was the compulsion so strong? I'd seen the album, gone over the track list over and over; even had more than enough opportunity to hold unwrapped copies in my hands, so I could even see the pictures inside the garefuld sleeve. I know without a doubt, this is something I didn't want...so, why did I...?

Ya know, I never did give in to my compulsion to buy that album; not even after my collection started focusing on CD's. I did, however, knuckle-under and get two compilation sets. And, I even bought a couple of those Canadien two-fers with that bad remastering. I never really had a reason to buy The Best of The Guess Who, until the AF SACD with the quad mix came out. And so, I did. But, by now, the compulsion dragging me to this superflous purchase, is long dead.

 

I don't think consumerism has failed to find a home with people under 55. As it specifically applies to records, I think the "upgrade" mentality is way more common in Boomers than Millennials in large part because the audiophile component has not really translated. The collector behavior I've observed for younger record buyers seems mostly limited to diehard fans of a particular artist acquiring color variants.

 

I don't know. I guess I'm not an audiophile & I'm not a collector. I'm not interested in label colours, finding the first release, finding the best SQ, having multiple slightly different versions of the same thing, every single scribble, scratching & fart from a particular artist ec . I guess I'm just interested in the music which may make me odd (well one of the things) around here. I aslo like album/cd covers as I feel that the artwork/liner notes/ino is all part of the experience. Hence why I like the physical. I also enjoy the record shop experience, however, online shopping gives a more rewarding outcome in being able to hunt down what I want.

 

It's fun to be a sucker for a while, until the time/money/space equation jolts you to your senses. I'm a lover of fine things and like to buy well-done box sets that are of exceptional concept and quality -but not really from an audiophile standpoint. I've looked at my wall of CDs and think that I'm insane. I don't know that I necessarily care, but it does concern me a bit. I am definitely addicted to buying, and the lead-up to receiving a new purchase is usually the most exciting part of the cycle. Why did I buy that stupid 2017 Sgt. Pepper box? I had most of the outtakes already. It is because I am vulnerable to hype. That may be the hardest part to accept. I probably buy more new music than the average poster here, but my reissue/archival purchases have definitely increased. That's because there doesn't seem to be as much great new music as there used to be. I mean there doesn't seem to be much that is REALLY new. But maybe there is and I just don't know about it. Or maybe I am now like the many grumpy old farts on this forum forever stuck in the past. Maybe I've heard too much music to assimilate any more. I get that audiophile people want to have super great-sounding remasters. But I've always preferred to spend my money on music rather than gear. I'm with the OP: this remix thing has gone too far. But I still like getting mono reissues. This has become disjointed rambling. Good bye.

 

I only buy SACD-hybrid, audiophile remasters of things now, unless a new standard red-book CD pressing gets very high rating among residents on this forum. I don't allow myself to be brainwashed by the news-advert-social-media prattle and inculcation (on any topic) where they serve it hot, night and day. If a particular recording needs to be remastered or remixed, the fact is already self-evident. Every single audiophile (hybrid) remaster on CD that I have purchased has been noticeably improved SQ-wise (played on a regular CD player) , over it's red book counterpart where I was able to make the comparison. Many titles I would like to see on SACD probably never will get such a treatment, as much as I would like for them to be. But I am always looking to strike when the iron is hot, so to speak, as SACDs are most often times limited edition reissues.

 

I only buy them if I don't already own the album already. That's why when I see reissues of Sgt. Pepper (Beatles), OK Computer (Radiohead), A Farewell To Kings (Rush), Automatic For The People (REM), Candy-O (Cars), etc., I don't even consider buying them. Bonus tracks aren't enough for me to double dip, especially since 9 times out of 10 they're mastered louder than what I already have.

 

Once I get a copy I love I don’t buy anymore copies. If by chance I do buy another copy, I only keep the one I prefer. I learned after going through numerous copies of Megadeth’s Peace Sells album that there really is no point. I am only going to listen to one of them so all the others become a waste of space and money.

For me, deluxe editions and remasters tend to be more of an impulse buy that I end up regretting later. I remember getting Black Sabbath’s Paranoid box set on impulse. I soon realized that the 2cd version I already have was enough. The live CDs and the fold down mix only got listened to once and then put away.

Sometimes I am a sucker for new shiny objects even when it’s something I already have and don’t need.

 

...can also be interchangeable with 'Original Post'

 

Not true at all. I do enjoy it but if I don't use something enough I tend to think I don't want or need it. My habit with music is to come around years later and "rediscover" it because it's just like the same music being new again. It's like getting together with a close friend after a few years apart. Nothing went wrong with that relationship, it's just how it is now. You pick up right where you left off and remember how much you love that person. Hmm, I think I could use more friends rather than replace people with music.

 

Glad to hear it but did you stop your compulsion or just shift it to something else? The Best Of The Guess Who was the only album by them by brother had. Though I'd rather know the studio albums, which I have heard, The Best Of is my favorite.

 

I've felt this for quite a while especially being on this board. A lot of people love speculation but when the reality shows itself, people are disappointed. I've said what you've said here a couple of times and didn't feel people picked up on it but I'm highly aware this is what is happening for me and lots of others here. It's a high that ends when we can no longer speculate and indulge ourselves. Then it turns to bitching how the product didn't live up to our speculation and make us as happy as we feel we should be.

 

"In Search of the Lost Chord" is what always comes to mind.
There are an infinite number of musical flavors to find.
And the search continues,as cheaply as possible.

 

I'd love to jump in with specific examples of why/why not I buy/not buy reissues,remixes,extended sets,etc..but it'd take too much time. So, I'll just offer up two recent situations.

The new Ltd. Ed. 2 disc of Delaney & Bonnie's Motel Shot. When I learned about it..I was in,my buttons pushed. I reserved a copy and considered it a must have. A week later I was going thru my D&B albums and found that I had a real nice WLP copy a NR. Mint copy and 2 VG+ copies. It hit me that although I love this album,I haven't listened to it for over a year so I cancelled my pre-order of the new deluxe version. Felt like a good call as $36 just for a few new bonus tracks seemed whack. I'm reading good reviews though from purchasers of this set. Of course, I still want to hear those added tracks but for now....feels like a victory over needing the latest,greatest thing.

So, at a thrift a few weeks ago I found a 70 cent VG+ OG copy of Monk's Solo Monk. It's just slightly noisy in places and the cover has a chewed up corner and some stains so not perfect but certainly acceptable. I know that B&N has a new Ltd. Ed. color vinyl copy for around $25-28 and I do believe I'll cave and get it. I have a $25 gift card so that makes the decision easier but I have to ask myself..wouldn't it be better to get a different album that I don't already have?

And so it goes,the choices are overwhelming. So many more examples I could give but it'd turn into a tome.