Downloading Music

[Kilrov]

Basically, do you download MP3's or are you against it?

Personally, I download the odd MP3 but only as a way to sample an artists/groups work. I would say that around 50% of the songs I have downloaded (around 80, though some are my brothers) I now own legitimately on album. Of the rest I dont listen to some and others I listen to but have decided not to buy the album as Im either not a big fan or consider it to be a brilliant song on an otherwise unremarkable album.

Downloading is an excellent way of sampling material, BUT imo nothing beats having the actual LP in your collection. Its very well saying "look at my MP3 collection", but I can show people my CD collection and the artwork and will be able to keep it indefinately.

(Having said this I have a load of MP3's on my computer as I burn all my CD's to put onto my MP3 player )

[Dr. X]

I'm in a similar boat as you. I can't even download much to sample it these days though, being behind the uni firewall and a league of irritable network tech bods behind me. All the CD's I borrow I rip, so can listen to at my leisure, and I end up buying anything that I listen to alot.

Can only afford to buy so much music though, if CD's cost half as much I'd buy twice as many (probably more).

[Slick]

I download loadsa music. A few years ago when I started getting mp3s etc I downloaded them and then put them on cd, now its the other way round.

If I get a cd, I convert the tracks to mp3s straight away because its more accessable, and doesn't get scratched. I also use my comp as a jukebox as I've got some decent speakers hooked up to them and I use an ipod to listen to music when not at my pc.

Allthough I realise that its damaging to the industry just to download music, when faced with the choice of paying £15 for a cd then turning it into mp3s or just downloading an albums worth of mp3s for free in half an hour, the choice is easy, especially when you're as broke as I am. Instead, I like to support my fav artists by paying to go to their concerts and occasionally buying merchandise.

[Jcb33]

Each to there own i say tho Tiscali have given me 600 Free song downloads so way hay im gonna give it a go

[Jonny M]

There's a more in-depth thread about this in Question Time

[Tin Soldier]

I download about two thirds of my music collectionj.

I buy what i like or i know is good.

[Bindibadgi]

Originally posted by Kilrov
Downloading is an excellent way of sampling material, BUT imo nothing beats having the actual LP in your collection. Its very well saying "look at my MP3 collection", but I can show people my CD collection and the artwork and will be able to keep it indefinately.

Im starting to buy CDs now cause i actually have the money to. Albums are sooo damn expensive tbh i couldnt afford them before but im gonna go buy a few CDs when im next in town and then a couple more in sept. Its an excelent way of sampling music, cause the crap that comes out these days. If you listen to 1 song does that mean youll like the whole album? Im not paying £20 for some crap cause i only like 1 song on it.

[Gristy]

Tommy Lee got naked today to stop people downloading music

[Slick]

lol, and threatened to get naked again if people keep downloading music?

[TiG]

I've got no mp3's any more. I only listen to music when i'm doing work on my computer whether it be at home or at work. So it plays on my stereo or headphones when i'm at work.

Don't believe in mp3's any more as tesco's albumn costs of under a tenner and the amount of sales that HMV has on means i have a huge collection and don't need to rip off cd's.

Picked up Streets - Original pirate material for £5.99 on saturday, Tho i am 24 and get paid a good wage so i can afford it.

I understand people who don't have the money doing it and i have to say i do have a small amount of illegal software but then again that is expensive...

I think its all about personal views on things like this..

TiG

[petrefax]

i used to d/l a bit, back when napster was active - mostly only hard to find punk stuff that i'd be hard pushed to find anywhere on cd

just like slick, i currently do the reverse & upload any cds i buy as mp3s cos my pc has better speakers than anything else in the house, and i like to be able to stick it on random

[steve threlfall]

I cant afford to be paying for music so yes i download it. I find that it gives me more flexibility anyway eg loading song on my mp3 player

[Stylez]

I tend to download many mp3's but the ones i really like depending on if i like the rest of the songs on the album or not ill go and buy it. I mean i wouldn't buy an album for one song only, i would buy a album if i downloaded a few mp3's and really liked them.

[LoopyJuice]

I havn't used mp3s in a while, I started a decent quality organised collection for my pc, borrowed all my mates' proper retail albums and ripped them to OGG format at 256kbit VBR, oh and ripped all my own, now i've got a decent quality collection.

I am pretty much decided that when i have the money I will spend it on cd/dvds, i've got a fair few retail cds of my favourite bands, just to support them and i will be getting into buying them more often soon...

[bertie]

I personally hate CDs, they would be scattered all over the floor and scratched if I had any left