Why buy cds?

I will give you one example... Anathema is a band that I really love and I would like to have their cds. However something has happened with the record company they had a contract and even if you buy their cds the members of the band won't get anything. Moreover anathema's members are in a really bad financial condition. Buying their discography would cost me around 70 euros. What would you do? Give 70 euro to people that don't have anything to do with the reason you like anathema, for just to have the cds in your collection and not in your hard drive, or try to donate a few money through their site to them?

i've no beef w anyone who downloads music simply bec she/he just cannot afford the stoopid prices at rip-off chains like HMV (who stock mainly crap nowadays anyway) and who may not have means to purchase cheaper cds online.

    Anathema is an isolated case. For the majority, you are supporting the artist. With Zappa, you are supporting his legacy. I like having a hard copy too. I have bought quite a few album downloads, but I always immediately rip them to a disc. Besides, what happens if your computer crashes? You lose everything.

 

Certif1ed wrote: When you listen to a physical medium, such as a CD, you benefit from the superior sound that CD has over mp3 (although I agree that the lossless formats almost invalidate the sound quality argument).

Not really. The average music listener won't use lossless formats for a variety of reasons. The most common reason is complete ignorance. Do you really think that the majority of people know about audio formats? They won't know the difference between a 128kps bit rate mp3 file and a lossless files unless you tell them. Even if you do tell them they're not likely to understand. And I highly doubt they'd be able to figure out how to rip the files from a CD to a lossless file type 

Lossless files also take up a huge amount of memory. Windows Media Player says it's an average of about 600 MB for an album ripped into a lossless WAV format. I wouldn't have any room left on my hard drive if I ripped all my albums to my computer in a lossless format.

The last reason is simply the inability to do it. When you download music from Napster you get a 128kps WMA file (correct me if I'm wrong). You can't decompress a compressed music file. You'll always be stuck with a low quality.

Just my two cents...

CDs all the way but I don't begrudge anyone from an alternative. I just like CDs- I like the quality, notes and packaging, all of it. Plus I like supporting music in general rather than reducing it to some quik-fix like cup 'o soup or something.

sularetal wrote: First of all mp3 are really in our lifes. You can download (illegally) almost every cd in just a few minutes (even rare ones). I’m not going to lie here… I have one it many times but only cause I can’t afford buying the cds at all. The best I can do is buy 1 cd every week and I do it by saving money from other stuff that I do (for example I go out with my friends and try not to spend anything, eat home etc).   ___________________________________________________________ IN FIRST PLACE: PROG ARCHIVES DOESN'T ALLOW, ENCOURAGES OR PERMITS ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES IN THEIR FORUM, IF YOU WANT TO ILLEGALLY DOWNLOAD CD'S, DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK WITHOUT INVOLVING OUR SITE. ___________________________________________________________   Now to the point, you said the magic word ILEGALLY, what differences us from criminals is that we respect the laws, the law may be absurd or even stupid, but it's the law.   I want a Ferrari, I honestly deserve one after working hard for decades but can't afford it, this doesn't allow me to steal one or go to a mechanic with stolen plans and create a copy in fiber glass.   I can afford a Mazda and an old Volvo then I have a Mazda and a 1993 Volvo.  I know it’s really nice to have the cd. You have the booklet, the lyrics, good quality (not like the crappy mp3s) and it’s really nice to have the cd somewhere in your house. Especially in prog (as well as other genres), having the cds is really nice since you never listen to tracks but always to albums.   I believe it's better to have new music, the big bands can afford to self-produce a great quality album, but kids who play in their garages won't survive without the greedy labels.   Rick Wakeman made a crappy contract for his first albums and those were the best ones, he had to wait 25 to release Criminal Record and No Earthly Connection because the label didn't allowed him to do so and you want people to download this music for free when he's receiving a smal potion of what he wrote more than two decades ago?   On the other hand, I really don’t like the fact that from the 15 euro that I give, the musicians take only a very little part. I know, the owners of the music store have to be paid, the record companies have to earn money but the musicians? If there is one reason to buy a cd that would be to financially help the artist.   If you illegally download they don't even get the little part.   That's the world we live in, people with AIDS die in USA because they can't afford US$ 14,000 a year in a cocktail when you can get a generic Indian cocktail for US$ 400.00 a year.   But laboratories won't research if their product is not profitable for them, that's how things work in planet Earth, and believe me, LIFE is much more important than music, you can live without Yes, Genesis or Banco but you can't live without your heart disease medicine.   If you stop buying CD's the labels won't support new artists, sadly that's the consequence.   The guys that organized the Isle of Leeds Festival with musicians as The Who and ELP among others lost all they had because a bunch of hippies destroyed the fences arguing that music should be for free and refused to pay 20 pounds, what was the consequence?...it was the last Great Festival for years because they had accepted credit to pay artists, seccurity, taxes, hostage for the artists, crew, roadies, lights, stages, etc.   The didn't went to the bank and said "I won't pay you because music is not a product" the banks don't care, they just collect the warranties, that's all.   Your alternative is worst, the artists receive a buck or two for a CD, if you illegally download the get NOTHING, there are legal download places wher you get a song for 50 or 90 cents and an album for 3 bucks in 254 KBPS quality.   If you can't afford music then live without it until you can. Artists in general know that it’s tough to live from their work (IMO it shouldn’t even be called work).   What are you talking about? Not work??? What do you call it fun? Or maybe it's their duty to entertain you for free?   Please pal while you study, receive tips from your daddy or work (Don't know what you do for living), this guys create music and perform it, they eat, live and support a family with the money they receive for giving you music, yes it's little but your proposition is taking them even that little percentage they get.   Or should they get a day job to support your God given right to music?   It's a work, must be see it as a work, if you don't see it as that, then do it by yorself and give it for free.   Not saying we aren’t supporting them by buying cds but there could be better ways. I don’t know… It’s just that to me music is not a product… Where do you live? In Utopia or in Fantasy Island?   The sad thing is that you know what you say is not truth, this musicians have to: Buy instruments (Not cheap) Spend a year or more writting music while you and me work. Take the risk, if their music is not popular they get NOTHING. Pay a producer Pay an artist to design their cover. Print the beautiful booklet Pay taxes for every issue numbered before and for each album released (The Government don't cares if you sell them or not, they charge you anyway) Eat. Feed a family Pay schools, medicines, dooctors, dress and buy special clothes for concerts (Independent musicians can't afford insurance). Pay lights, special effects, publicity (If they want to be competitive) If they are successful, the Government comes again and charges income tax. And you want to give them the product of their work for free because you believe music is not a product???????????????? I have a book about Constitutional Law ready for two years, my target public are University students, but the editor (Very interested) has told me to wait because the Peruvian Government allows Universities to copy your books for educational purpose without paying the author.   So, if they don't pay me, I won't give the product of my research for free and the editors won't publish it if they have no profit, so who in hell will write books with this stupid laws?   The same goes for musicians.   Admins: feel free to move this thread. I wasn’t sure were to put it since it doesn’t really fit in the non-prog music.   You're right, this belongs in Sci-Fi section. That's the reason why I'm not cool  I live in real world not in Wonderland.   Iván

What I love about the net is the direct contact I have with an artist or small label, but I still purchase their product and am usually happy that I did-- they paid for it so why shouldn't *I* ?

...and the suggestion that music is not work is folly
    
    

Edited by Atavachron - October 17 2006 at 03:24

Not sure what you mean by 'manufactured'. If you mean 'pre-fabricated' and foisted on a gullible public like Zep was accused of, that's still work, hard work at that. If you mean 'artificial music' that is composed by someone on a machine, there are some brilliant artists doing just that and working their butts off.

But to say that these people dont *work* - and work hard - at what they do is misled. I don't like any of the artist you mention but that's not the point. I could say the same about Kurt Rongey, Thomas Metcaff, David Bagsby, but they are all superb progressive musicians and deserve every penny of what they earn.

That's not the issue I'm addressing-- music is work, period. It's like thinking that gardening isn't really work because you're outside with all the lovely flowers, or that data processing isn't work cause you're just sitting there. Are there musicians who've been hurt by downloads? I don't know, but you're making an assumption.
    
    
    

Edited by Atavachron - October 17 2006 at 03:27