Ambition

With all the music sharing programs out today, you can get any artist music without ever spending a dime. Now do you use this music as what you listen to in burned CDs? Or do you use these programs to preview what that artist has compilated, and then go to the store and buy his/her CD. In other words do you support your artist?

I personally do a 1/2 and 1/2. Usually depends on my monetary situation at the moment, and how many songs on the album I like. For a song or two I won't usually bother to buy an album. But I deem the album worthy, I usually go out and buy it. Support my artist a bit.

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meanSpleen

If its an artist I like, I automatically go out and buy their album. No reason not to if I already own their previous albums and I trust them for putting out good music.

Artists I don't know, I download. If I like their stuff, then I buy the album. Because of this, I have bought in the past:
Blumchen
Lamya
Tatu
Frou-Frou
And many others.

Artists that I download, and don't terribly care too much for the music - I finish the album, burn it to cd and forget about it. If I wasn't going to buy it in the first place, its really not hurting the artist.

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Spungfoo

If I had money, which I don't, I would buy the CDs. Stupid things like rent and bills come first...

Silverbrain

I too like to sample music before I buy it, and thats primarily due to budget concerns. When I go to buy 4 cd's I wanna know that I will enjoy them and not put them in some binder ill never use again and have wasted money that i shouldnt be spending in the first place. Any artist I like though, I buy the album day it comes out i.e. Tool, Godsmack, Linkin Park, and soon the new Staind. If you dont support the bands you like, they wont have reason to put out a next album.

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wrestlerdiva

Too many albums these days have one or two good songs you hear on the radio, then you buy the album and the rest of it sucks. :P If it's a really good album and I have the cash, I prefer to buy the CD. It supports the artist, it's better quality than most d/loads and Cover art is fun.

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Jeff

I download most of my CDs, unless it is one of my favorite artists or the CD completely blows me out of the water. If I think it's awesome, I'll run out and buy it right away.

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For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can't readily accept the God formula, the big answers don't remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command or faith a dictum. I am my own God. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.
--Charles Bukowski

maximusveritas

I download songs when I'm trying to check out new artists. When its a band I know and love, I'll buy the CD.

rock_bottom

CDs are clunky and outdated... first think I do when I buy one is rip to mp3, since that's the only format I'll be listening to it in, anyway.
I do download plenty of stuff off Kazaa too, but if more stuff was offered in mp3 format online, I'd buy a lot more of the music I listen to.
Also, the internet presents artists with a chance to break away from a system where they get like $2-3 for that $20 CD. Not many are embracing it yet, but I think it's promising for the future.

zf0enix

yes

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vermin

I only download stuff I can't find 'cause it's old, rare, out-of-print, or I've already got it on vinyl or cassette but not cd. If I've already bought it, I've paid my share of the royalties and see no reason to buy it again in a different format.

Edit: And I don't download new stuff 'cause all new stuff sucks.

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Silverbrain

Vermin!! new stuff sucks, please express more on your thoughts

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qpid

his answer is mine also

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darksparkles

i pretty much do what ambition does ... and what meanspleen does, to some extent - when i can afford to buy 'em. haha.

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Atomic Pinkie

i buy...if i don't know the group, i'll either listen to a friends CD, find it on the radio, or dl a song or two then buy it if i like it

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Ganguro

I download pop music you hear on the radio/ mtv.. then play it until i get numb and then delete..
That way when i hear it on the radio next it doesnt annoy me. I mosty download tracks by artists that are related to groups i already know. Say for example.. i like The Roots. Well.. they are on tour with Amil Leruix, little brother, and some others.. I'll download some of the other band's songs to see if i like them so i can buy their cd's. It also helps when you are planning on going to see a group headline a concert, but you don't know the other gands playing. All in all I pay for my music at some point, just not until I know what im getting myself into. Though.. if more bands offered direct D/L from their website at 50cents- $1.00 a song.. i'd buy a shitload of songs in some god awfully high format and burn the cd's myself. That way..they know who to market towards, and you can pick what songs you want to own. I think Chuck D of Public Enemy had this idea a few years ago.

vermin

originally posted by Silverbrain
Whenever I hear top 40 music I think to myself, 'Gee, that sucked'. Which is why I don't listen to it. Five years from now I will probably hear something from 2003 and think 'Hey, that's pretty jammin' and I'll buy the cd or download the tune or whatever. Also, when's the last time anyone's recorded a song as kick-ass as "They call me the breeze" or "Jesus Christ pose"?

Since the time of writing that last post, however, I have had the chance to see the White Stripes on Conan O'Brian. For a two piece band they have a suprisingly full sound and the tunes aren't too bad. And the drummer chick (Meg) was pretty cute.

Also, this being Wisconsin, the radio nazis are fairly particular about what our frail ears get exposed to. So I'd guess there's good music out there, it'll just take a while to filter down to me. My appy-polly-loggys if I have offended.

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apetaster

I use the D/L as a preview - Is this CD worth owning? If yes, then I'll make a trip to the record store, if not, I've saved $13.

Funny, my recent music purchases have yielded a lot less 'I bought it and the only good song is the one on the radio' dust collectors in my collection.

methodtim

I kind of made it a decision somewhere along the course of living my life that kazaa and naptser (and for the old geezers, xnews, ws_ftp, and gopher) just aren't for me; although I have absolutely no problem with other people doing it. Let me make this clear before I go on: I'm not some kind of ultra straight-edge type that thinks dl'ing music, movies, game hacks, etc. is akin to stealing. There are a million and ten reasons that people dl media from the Internet rather than buying it; and for the most part, I'm philosophically in agreement with about a million of those reasons. If it isn't overly apparent, I'm trying real hard to convey that even though I have chosen not to dl "stuff," I don't view those that do with any self-righteousness or any value judgement for that matter. It might seem a bit contradictory, but I've always been a believer that the only thing that sets humans apart from animals is our ability to recognize and cope with the many dualities which life presents.

I grew up during the years before Al Gore blessed us by creating the Internet, and music was a very big part of my life - through high school and college especially. Many of my friends during that time were aspiring rockers, jumping from band to band, playing three gigs a week at the Whiskey a Go-Go with three different groups, etc. I can guess that from those experiences came a belief that when I spend buy a CD, the money I spend not only directly benefits and supports the artist(s); moreover, it's a fair and equittable trade for the enjoyment I get from the music.

(The obvious flip-side to this is the anonymity and big record-company backed products, and the ostentatiousness of the famous. I AGREE with both of these points wholeheartedly, which is why I don't begrudge anyone for dl'ing everything they can get their cable modem on).

So the (very) long-winded answer to the posted question is no, I don't dl music. I'm sure many people will think I'm a fool (hell I know I'm a fool), but all the mp3's I have are ripped from CD's which I've bought - 45 GB worth last time I bothered to check. Does this make me a better person than someone who's built a musical library throug kazaa, or merely the proverbial idiot easily parted with his dough?

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Leave the real one far behind
and we can dance.

KillerYoda

I like to download shit ahead of time, but I'll usually buy the CD if I'm an avid fan of the band. Or if I actually have money at the time.

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JumpinJesus

Like most of the others here, I d/l rare, out-of-print music that can't be bought or found at a used record store. I'll also d/l a band that is new to me to make sure it's worth the money.

Interpol, for instance. A lot of people are saying how great they are, but before I spend the money, I want to know what their sound is like, not just their radio-friendly tune. So I'll d/l 4 or 5 songs; if I like them, I'll buy the cd.

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Shade

If its really good, I'll buy it, otherwise i just download it and go to the concerts, thats where they make the most of their money anyways.

Johnny Rotten

I download songs from albums who's CDs I've lost. I download a song when I know the whole album is not worth purchasing. I buy the album when I can afford it.

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Lovely

Someone said to me at a bar: I just downloaded your album, an I really love it! I thought to myself: So, he tells me happily he just stole my salary.. But he's not the only one. So I can't afford to buy too many albums, either. I keep my conscience quiet by thinking: Me asking for free albums from record companies is not really stealing.. Anyway, I do think the record companies have paid the music writer's compensation when having copies made. I hope I'm right.

BulletBob

If I think I'll like the majority of the songs on the album I buy it. If it's a rap song or some other form of crap, I just download it.

bphillips

I support my favorite artists by attending their shows. Most artists make only pennies off album sales anyway or they have guaranteed contracts. Downloading albums is my way of rebeling against the music industry not the artists. The record labels are price gouging us with their insane prices and that is not the artists fault, it's the industrys.

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dirtytony

i personally refuse to buy cds. there is no reason that they should be 15 dollars. if i'm going to buy an album it's on vinyl, much cheaper, much more fun. but otherwise i'm too poor to buy music. besides most of the things i listen to i can't find in a record shop, and the artists are so small that it doesn't really matter if i buy the cd or not because i'll see them when they come through town.

IC3

If there is an artist that I am interested in, But Have only heard there singles...I will download whatever I can find from them...And if I like what i hear then i will go out and buy the CD.

I rather have th real CD, The Quality..And the booklet that comes with the CD.

I very rarely D/L Music and burn it onto CD.

When Audio Galaxy was alive, I downloaded mass amounts of Drum & Bass/Jungle...Just because alot of it you couldn't get on CD.

Krycheck

Right now I test drive albums before I buy them. I downloaded Chevelles new album and ended up buying it cause I liked it so much. Even bought their first album too.
On the other hand I have so many "one hit wonders" downloaded and I'm glad I did.
I will always buy cd's from my favorite bands like NIN, Manson, Tool etc cause I know it will be good or I have to have it in my collection.

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Loki

until most artists stop releasing CD's that have one or two good tracks and 10 filler tracks, i'm not going to buy any CD's except for compilation/soundtrack cd's.

there are notable exceptions, such as pearl jam, prodigy, etc.

Dorkums642

if it were not for the internet and MP3s I would never have discovered Porcupine Tree or Hooverphonic. For this I am greatful. I now own serveral of their albums.
I think the reason RIAA is afraid of music swapping is because they know 95% of the albums they sell are utter crap (minus maybe 1 or 2 songs) and people want just the good songs and won't pay $15 for 1 or 2 songs. Also, it gives independent labels more exposure thereby detracting from the big Record Companies.

bastards...

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I've never come across this in real life, but then I went to a small liberal arts college so that probably didn't help.

Dr.Who

Young and Underground artist; Download music and buy the CD if i like it

One hit wonder and rich stars that I don't care for (Madonna, Metallica, etc); download my friend and burn big time.

spectre

Both actually. If someone tells me there's a band or song I have to listen to, then I download them. If I like the song, I buy the CD. If not, I delete the songs.

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Nhanced1

The major labels rip off the good artists anyway, why shouldnt the major labels get ripped off? I'd only support my favorite artist if i bought his or her cd directly, as in, handed him or her the money and I got a cd back. God I hate obsessing over grammar.
I digress, anyway, we are in a new age of information and art, the technology exists so that now, as long as you can still hear it, see it, or read it, It will be available on the internet for free. Someday in the future the arts will be returned to just that instead of the machine that it is now.

Uh, yeah, </rant>

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meanSpleen

Hooverphonic - Woo!!!

The Hooverphonic/Jackie Cane album was in my cd player for a few weeks, playing over and over. I branched out and got Blue Wonder Power Milk and was pretty happy as well.

Thats one of the better points of downloading new music, you may stumble onto artists that you have not heard of before, or you may even be suprised by artists that you previously avoided.

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Pyrate

I buy Redman's music. Everone else is gotta be joking if they think I'm gonna spend dosh on their music...

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Conclamo Ludus

I download to find things that I want to buy, then I go buy them. I run into too many shitty copies of songs are misnamed songs. Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places, but over-all I prefer to buy, rip, & burn.

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txd

I will typically use the P2P networks to see if an album is worth buying, if so I'll buy the cd if not I'll usually remove the mp3s (or eventually get around to buying the album)

Mr Scorcex

I download the mainstream music I listen to, but I'm pretty muched forced to buy albums from Moon Ska Records. No body puts the stuff up, but I'm glad to be supporting an small label anyway.

Krycheck

What I have noticed lately is that now you're getting more extras when you buy the CD's. A few that I have bought have come with a bonus DVD cd which is cool. I'm sure that has something to do with all that's going on.

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His pants are tight...but his morals are loose!!

WhoaitsZ

a lot of cds i buy are conciouse related due to downloading..

if it is some group I am a huge fan of, i buy it imediatly...

i don't like people who leach 100%. then again, I may feel that way to feel better myself.