Buying music nowadays

[Uncle 80]

Still buying CDs, new and second hand. I occasionally use the streaming services as a means of checking out a band or an artist to see if I like them or not. If I end up listening to the same artist/album repeatedly, I usually buy any album(s) I want, rip the CD to MP3 so I can listen to it at work, and enjoy the CD and the cover/booklet at home. Buying digital just isn't the same, but I do that sometimes when physical media is not an option.

[Redneckerz]

7 hours ago, hybridial said:

To me streaming seems to be more for people who aren't entirely sure what they are looking for, but for people who do, it's questionable of it having any use at all.

Perhaps my idea of streaming/Spotify is to find new and obscure artists in unique or weird genres, on top of having a steady stream of more standard beats and tricks.

 

I don't conform to one genre, i like all music. So my variety is rather large.

 

[Grimosaur]

I wonder what the best way would be to sell your own music in this day and age now that everyone is so used to streaming.

 

I'd assume if you're just getting started and you sell your album digitally on bandcamp for $7 or something, you might not get many sales because not many people know who you are. But if you put your stuff on spotify you're still going to be making barely anything, even if you're getting a decent amount of streams.

 

I wonder if the best option would be to make your album free to download, but keep the option to let people pay what they want for it. So that way you get the best of both worlds where people can still download and listen to it, recommending your music to others, while the people who are willing to buy it can still do so. That could maybe make you even more money compared to a set price because the people who really like your stuff would donate more than what you would sell it for anyway.

 

I guess that would only be the best option for when you're first starting out though, because when you start getting popular people might just always download for free because they assume you're already well enough off.

 

I'm just thinking about this stuff because I'm planning on recording an album and figuring out how I could make money off it when absolutely no one knows who I am.

[Mayomancer]

I do not use spotify or apple music, mostly buy albums on Bandcamp and, for some not easily acquirable stuff, Soulseek.

[Sonikkumania]

I just came to think that buying physical records have that special memory regarded to them, like you remember what you were doing at the time you bought it. Not to say that digital records don't have memories related, but you know.

[volleyvalley]

I'll start collecting albums once my CD player gets here, so I could listen to them.

[Rudolph]

I listen to mostly playlists on YouTube, although I did take advantage of an used record store opening near where I live to purchase some CDs so I could gift them to relatives who are not keen to listening to music on the Internet.

Edited January 12, 2023 by Rudolph

[Reisal]

I still have a good number (50?) on my shelf but have been discovering a lot of new material on Bandcamp through similar artists I already listen to or straight-up advanced search on metal-archives.com

[Sneezy McGlassFace]

Bandcamp is my go-to because it has tons of great indie artists, and from what I heard it treats musicians well.

On that note, fuck Spotify. Fuck stReaMinG sErviCeS in general but Spotify especially. I think more people should be aware of how awful the company is in multiple ways.

[leejacksonaudio]

I got tired of listening to most music and decided to start writing my own. <evil grin>

[Ed]

https://bandcamp.com/edfive0

My Bandcamp profile - some 213 albums. 

 

I tend to buy albums on Bandcamp Friday, where all of the profits go to the artists. I buy up a lot of vinyl from 'legacy' bands, but as far as physical releases, I prefer cassettes. I don't listen to them often, but they're more like band trading cards that don't take up a lot of space. 

 

Bandcamp is great, but for artists, it's not an evergreen source of revenue or attention. Attention is the real currency for musicians, because it drives show attendance, merch sales, Twitch subscribers and Patreon supporters. In that sense, Spotify serves a purpose. A Bandcamp release has a life-cycle of about two to four weeks and it's dust in the wind. Once a song gets into the algorithmic stream on Spotify, it can pop up on feeds indefinitely. I don't like it. I don't use it. However, many artists would prefer you find them through there as it drives listeners to their bigger sources of revenue. 

[lazygecko]

Supporting artists directly through Bandcamp, Patreon and/or merchandise is basically the way to go. Spotify doesn't provide shit for the average musician and it's just yet another facet of unsustainable big tech propped up by venture capital hoping for some big long term payoff that's never gonna happen.

Bandcamp being acquired by Epic doesn't bode well either, though.

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

Spotify, kill me. I don't have $7.99 to spend on individual albums from Bandcamp by artists I listen to that aren't even on Bandcamp, and I'm not going to go without music, so it's either Spotify or back to The Pegleg Lagoon.

Edited January 13, 2023 by TheMagicMushroomMan

[Mr. Freeze]

I only listen on YouTube nowadays. 

[Votterbin]

I mostly use Spotify for convenience's sake, but last year/2022 I started buying music (buying CDs, buying digital downloads from Bandcamp) to support my favorite bands. For me it's especially important if it's a small band. I don't even think Tidal pays a whole lot to artists, and part of your Tidal subscription is paid directly to artists.

[leejacksonaudio]

14 hours ago, Votterbin said:

but last year/2022 I started buying music (buying CDs, buying digital downloads from Bandcamp) to support my favorite bands.

You are a gentleperson and a scholar. Thank you. (https://leejackson1.bandcamp.com) ^_^

[WSADKO]

i buy internet access so i can torrent whatever i like

[BassSlapper89]

I collected CDs in my early 20s.

 

Unfortunately, I stopped cause I was basically homeless and sold my stuff at the time.

Last year I picked the hobby of collecting CDs again. I mostly collected back the albums I did have.

 

Then, Amazon Music came into play around Christmas of 2022. I am now addicted cause now I get to listen to unlimited amount of music.

 

I tried Spotify but never got into it.

[Martin Howe]

I buy CDs; there's nothing quite like having the physical item, with cover artwork and other bonus features such as a booklet or lyric sheet, on the shelf to admire, or to read. Of course for convenience, they get ripped to the computer to play at home and most are on YouTube if I want to listen at work. In fact, I spend a lot of time on YT and discover many new bands there. The only time I buy digital, usually BandCamp, is when a physical CD doesn't exist or is really expensive to get in the UK. I have a solid backup policy on my computer with weekly off-site storage, just in case a house fire trashes the CDs (or indeed, the computer).

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

On 1/15/2023 at 2:44 PM, WSADKO said:

i buy internet access so i can torrent whatever i like

Hi, TheMagicMushroomMan here today to offer you an exclusive deal on behalf of NordVPN!

[BigBoy91]

I don't really have much of an attachment to physical copies when it comes to music. I like Soulseek, Bandcamp, and YouTube Premium.

[ChaseC7527]

mostly on youtube, but ive got cd's of my all time favorite shit.