How do we buy music these days?....

[cookiemonster]

I think it just suits older music that was intended to be played on a record, digitized versions are often harsher sounding and put me off.

Yup.

If you have a decent set up (I have Denon and Cambridge Audio) and get a hold of remastered, 180gm vinyl albums, the sound is superb and beats CDs in many cases. Which is one reason why vinyl is now outselling CDs for the first time since 1997.

For example, the Steve Wilson remastered Ultravox Vienna album is just astonishing.

Vinyl doesn't sound 'fake' like digital downloads do.

 

[Badger_Boom]

I’m still on CDs because I prefer to own my music outright and not rent it. I understand the appeal of vinyl, but have neither the space nor the patience for it these days.

 

[cookiemonster]

Speaking of vinyl, look at what's just been announced. On vinyl for the first time.

 

[raleighnut]

I think it just suits older music that was intended to be played on a record, digitized versions are often harsher sounding and put me off.

Agree 100%, luckily I use QUAD Pre-Amps which have a superb filter system that has 3 'start points' 10Khz, 7Khz and 5Khz then a rotary control that varies the amount of filtering applied so if things do sound a bit 'harsh then judicious use of that can take away that 'top-end' harshness (it also has a 4th position.............Off) no doubt Naim owners are throwing up their hands in disgust but the QUAD system is pretty much unique AFAIK.

 

[raleighnut]

"Nicer sound" is too subjective; could mean anything. Maybe the preference would be reversed if you had a different CD player or turntable, maybe it wouldn't. But ultimately it's down to preference and "better" includes other considerations like accessibility, cost, environment

I've owned several CD players over the years, started with a Philips CD160 (probably the best of the early machines after all they and Sony invented the format) then a Philips CD 610 followed by a Cambridge Audio (cheap tat) then a Teac, next was a Denon and now a Marantz CD 6007, they tend to last 5-7 years before dying and are uneconomic to repair. I've also had around 4 that friends owned hooked up to my system to audition (couple of Sony ones, a Technics and a Harmon Cardon)
As for Turntables I started with a Pioneer back in 1981 then bought a 2nd hand Thorens TD166 mk2 in 1987 then in 98-99 the tonearm was damaged so after a chat with a friend who owned a HiFi shop found there was an Armboard adaptor plate that allowed a Rega RB250 to be fitted.............still use that and I hope that'll 'see me out' unless I come into some money when I'd consider a Linn Sondek LP12

 

[MontyVeda]

Speaking of vinyl, look at what's just been announced. On vinyl for the first time.

View attachment 681894

IMO it's the greatest music video of all time.
question is... How much do i want it on vinyl?

 

[C R]

IMO it's the greatest music video of all time.
question is... How much do i want it on vinyl?

Didn't know you could get videos on vinyl, does that predate betamax?

 

[cookiemonster]

IMO it's the greatest music video of all time.
question is... How much do i want it on vinyl?

Lots.

I've placed a pre-order.

 

[Dadam]

Didn't know you could get videos on vinyl, does that predate betamax?

Yes and yes

View: https://youtu.be/UtNGVb94TFE

 

[dan_bo]

Speaking of vinyl, look at what's just been announced. On vinyl for the first time.

View attachment 681894

Fairly giddy about that.

 

[Alex321]

Are you kidding?

Spotify is too cheap which is why many artists get next to nothing for their work.

Of course they weren't kidding, and they were right.

It IS too expensive for a large portion of people. Most of us, before streaming music, might have bought as many as 2-3 CDs a year on average, so maybe £30-40 a year. While Spotify is £10 a month, so £120 a year.

You can argue that for what it provides, it is too cheap, but for what most people are willing to spend, it is too expensive.

 

[cookiemonster]

Of course they weren't kidding, and they were right.

It IS too expensive for a large portion of people. Most of us, before streaming music, might have bought as many as 2-3 CDs a year on average, so maybe £30-40 a year. While Spotify is £10 a month, so £120 a year.

You can argue that for what it provides, it is too cheap, but for what most people are willing to spend, it is too expensive.

So musicians should work for free just because some people cannot afford to, or, more than likely, too tight to pay artists properly for their work?

Not all of them are multi-millionaires.

 

[cookiemonster]

I’m still on CDs because I prefer to own my music outright and not rent it. I understand the appeal of vinyl, but have neither the space nor the patience for it these days.

I don't get this. What do you mean by no patience for vinyl?

I may be missing something here.

 

[winjim]

I don't get this. What do you mean by no patience for vinyl?

I may be missing something here.

Vinyl may sound great but it's a right pain in the arse. Listening to a record is ritualistic, which I get is part of the experience for some people but it's not exactly convenient.

I do kind of miss it though. As a kid there was something special about getting out an LP, cleaning it with the special velvet brush, putting the needle down with the weird little lever and counterweight on a piece of thread, getting the speed right and then settling down with the gatefold and lyric sheet. The way a record player works is a thing of wonder and mystery to a small child in the way that a phone perhaps isn't. It's a physical process which gives you a connection to the medium.

However as I posted before, things have changed and there is still excitement in new music and the media in which it's presented, just in a different sort of way.

 

[Alex321]

So musicians should work for free just because some people cannot afford to, or, more than likely, too tight to pay artists properly for their work?

Not all of them are multi-millionaires.

If you can find anywhere that I might have said anything that could conceivably be interpreted as hinting in that direction, please point it out to me.

I can't see anything I wrote which could be interpreted that way by any reasonable person.