Download habits

AntManBee · April-29th-2008, 03:42 AM

The poll is anonymous.

AntManBee · April-29th-2008, 03:53 AM

Actually, there should have been another option: "I only download music I can't find elsewhere".

lazarus · April-29th-2008, 04:08 AM

"I only download music I can't find elsewhere".

Tom Storer · April-29th-2008, 04:53 AM

You could also have had a choice that says "I sometimes purchase the music I download." There's a lot of leeway between "always" and "never or rarely."

Also, legally downloading music from a commercial service is also purchasing it.

AntManBee · April-29th-2008, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Storer

You could also have had a choice that says "I sometimes purchase the music I download." There's a lot of leeway between "always" and "never or rarely."

Also, legally downloading music from a commercial service is also purchasing it.

Yes, that's true. With buying I thought of physical records.

Sand · April-29th-2008, 05:13 AM

I've done my best to give a multifaceted answer to your poll question

AntManBee · April-29th-2008, 05:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sand

I've done my best to give a multifaceted answer to your poll question

So I see.

Sand · April-29th-2008, 05:49 AM

I should add that all the music I listen to over time is acquired legally according to local laws. This music would be on CDs and very occationally on an LP.

So far downloads of mp3s have been 90-99% from emusic. These things are constantly evolving. I find that I often waste too much time, when I download, and that the very few dollars I spend on emusic - dollars are cheap here - that those dollars are better spent on an extra CD each month and, even more so, that time is better spent listening to that CD and all the other music I have collected.

lazarus · April-29th-2008, 06:58 AM

I never download anything in so called lossy formats like mp3´s.
Good soundquality is important to me.

AntManBee · April-29th-2008, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazarus

I never download anything in so called lossy formats like mp3´s.
Good soundquality is important to me.

Can you really hear the difference between say flacs and mp3's at 320 or even 256 kbit/s?

Sand · April-29th-2008, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazarus

I never download anything in so called lossy formats like mp3´s.
Good soundquality is important to me.

Well, I think it is OK to listen to devices like this, when necessary:

You can download this from emusic or buy it from Amazon (among other online stores):

lazarus · April-29th-2008, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AntManBee

Can you really hear the difference between say flacs and mp3's at 320 or even 256 kbit/s?

Yes listening on a good soundsystem the difference is big if the original source is of good quality.

AntManBee · April-29th-2008, 08:09 AM

Sand's got a point. Is lossless formats necessary when the source material is way below average? I even found it a bit funny when Charley Patton and other scratchy blues recordings were first coming out on CD in the era when CD's were proclaimed the future of flawless sound...

AntManBee · April-29th-2008, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazarus

Yes listening on a good soundsystem the difference is big if the original source is of good quality.

What is the difference? I'm curious because not having a top notch equipment, I have personally never heard an important difference. Is it like low grade MP3's compared to 320s, or is the difference even bigger?

lazarus · April-29th-2008, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AntManBee

What is the difference? I'm curious because not having a top notch equipment, I have personally never heard an important difference. Is it like low grade MP3's compared to 320s, or is the difference even bigger?

I think the difference is even bigger.
I have not the technical knowledge to explain this in words. Especially not in a ,for me, foreign language like english. I´m actually surprised there are people who cannot hear the difference.
There are no "space" in the mp3 sound and for example cymbals sounds like "tsssss tssss". I hate it.
It´s ok in the computer-speakers but not in my big system.

Either you hear it. Or you don´t. I cannot tell why.

AntManBee · April-29th-2008, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazarus

I think the difference is even bigger.
I have not the technical knowledge to explain this in words. Especially not in a ,for me, foreign language like english. I´m actually surprised there are people who cannot hear the difference.
There are no "space" in the mp3 sound and for example cymbals sounds like "tsssss tssss". I hate it.
It´s ok in the computer-speakers but not in my big system.

Either you hear it. Or you don´t. I cannot tell why.

I wouldn't understand a technical explanation either, so it's OK! I understand what you mean by lack of space. Thanks for explaining!

tippy · April-29th-2008, 11:27 AM

How can you even download music illegally? Let me know. I was complaining to my brother about the boomed-outness and lack of contrast in the stuff I've been downloading from i*tunes and he told me that i*tunes is poor quality. Apparently he and his friends share files on another website.

Jon Abbey · April-29th-2008, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tippy

How can you even download music illegally? Let me know. I was complaining to my brother about the boomed-outness and lack of contrast in the stuff I've been downloading from i*tunes and he told me that i*tunes is poor quality. Apparently he and his friends share files on another website.

try searching for whatever you want on google's blog search to start.

walto · April-29th-2008, 12:11 PM

I paid $35 to let my daughter use a site called "mp3 Rocket" for downloading her pop tunes. Someone just told me today that those are likely all illegal downloads. I didn't realize it until today.

I figured since I paid what I took to be a subscription fee, the downloads were authorized--but I guess they aren't. How can one generally tell whether a download is legal or illegal?

Jon Abbey · April-29th-2008, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walto

How can one generally tell whether a download is legal or illegal?

it's pretty easy with a bit of research.

John L · April-29th-2008, 03:04 PM

It seems like we need two polls here. The questions about legal versus illegal and buy versus not buy are different and not mutually exclusive.

I download legally and avoid illegal sites. Have I ever downloaded illegally? I guess so. For example, when Tim Berne put Dogon A.D. up on his site, which was of questionable legality, I sure as hell downloaded.

I've downloaded live concerts in situations when I was unsure about the legality. I've downloaded Braxton's Arista recordings from a site of doubtful legality. But that was only because RCA has refused to make the recordings available for so long. When the Mosaic set comes out, I will be one of the first customers.

So I never download anything illegally that I can get legally, and I will always purchase a legitimate copy of something I got informally if it is released.

BFrank · April-29th-2008, 04:20 PM

Most of my DL-ing is from eMusic, so technically everytime I download, I'm also purchasing.

I purchased (DL) a few albums from Amazon - REM, Raconteurs, Plant/Krauss. They sound pretty good to me and are priced reasonably.

Nim Chimpsky · April-29th-2008, 05:01 PM

In the days before MP3 files, I used to go to the local library and borrow CDs, records and tapes right up to my limit. I'd tape the ones I liked and if I still liked them after a few weeks I'd go and buy them. The same thing applied to radio shows and albums friends had bought. There were certain artists I'd buy without having heard around the time of release. Sometimes I'd be happy with my purchase, other times not. Often I'd purchase things second-hand as it was the only way I could find certain albums at an affordable price.

Now I basically do the same thing only I don't use the library and my friends are scattered round the country (soon to be The World!!!). I use a P2P network. I rarely buy anything without having heard it first. I very, very rarely buy second-hand albums that are still in print and I buy a lot more music that I know I'm going to be happy with. I've also started listening to music that I know I probably never would have got to if it hadn't been so easy to get hold of (e.g. Meshuggah). So, from my perspective everyone should be happy this way. I spend more money on music but I buy fewer duds.

Sand · April-29th-2008, 05:32 PM

I spend more money on music than ever, way beyond my means, but they're not satisfied; they want my egg and bacon and the money I spend on firewoods through long, cold winter nights.

Soon someone else will find that the winter nights are cold.

Now, everybody can put up an online store for free within a couple of days.

This solution with secure payment via paypal is about to start a fire

Scott Dolan · April-29th-2008, 06:11 PM

It's a pretty rare occurance when I download a song. But usually when I do, I'm already 99% sure I'm going to buy the album in question anyway. And 99% of the time I end up doing just that.

So, even though I download them "illegally", it's not like I'm doing it to put together a huge catalog of songs for my MP3 player. Hell, they never even make it to my MP3 player.

john williams · April-30th-2008, 10:13 AM

I rarely download music. It's just not my thing. The only music I've downloaded and kept are live recordings not available anywhere else or that recent VU bootleg and 'lost' song. Jon once uploaded a then difficult to get Dirty Three album which I happily downloaded but bought the official release whan I saw it to complete the collection. I don't have a strong moral problem with the practice of downloading illegally, though I personally like to pay for what I listen to and have the artwork/cover etc but couldn't care less what others do. I do find the whole process messy and very boring to be honest. A major part of my job is research and many many internet searches a day so searching for music to download in my own time is the last thing I want to do. I get real pleasure from browsing bricks and mortars and get do do so fortnightly and I love buying CDs online and then have them arrive at home - it's like xmas every week at my place, though I'm sure my collection is quite modest really. I do go to artists sites on occasion and either downlaod the odd mp3 or stream a song or two but it is like Scott says above to see if I'd like to buy album ep or whatever.

relyles · April-30th-2008, 04:25 PM

The only downloading I do is on bit torrent sites of live performances that have not been commercially released. So does that factor into this poll? I suppose technically these regardings are contrary to copyright law, but there is no commercial release to purchase. Occassionally, I have seen a radio broadcast that I have acquired subsequently get commercially released and I know for at least one that i can think of I have purchased it when commercially available.

Al in NYC · April-30th-2008, 05:14 PM

I download a lot from e-music, but I also do the bit torrent thing and download recordings from other sources that are otherwise unavailable to me.

Of course the legal/illegal thing also pivots on the copyright law in one's jurisdiction and one's interpretation of and adherence to it. All kinds of older material is technically illegal to download or sell under U.S. copyright law, but not under European law. And a lot of it can be found here, everywhere from CD stores to download sites. Personally, I feel that our copyright laws are currently ridiculous, and were extended beyond all reason mostly at the behest of mega-corporations like Disney.

AntManBee · May-1st-2008, 01:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by relyles

The only downloading I do is on bit torrent sites of live performances that have not been commercially released. So does that factor into this poll?

Yes. That's what I thought of when I said that the "I only download music I can't find elsewhere" category should have been included too.

Ron Thorne · May-7th-2008, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John L

It seems like we need two polls here. The questions about legal versus illegal and buy versus not buy are different and not mutually exclusive.

I download legally and avoid illegal sites. Have I ever downloaded illegally? I guess so. For example, when Tim Berne put Dogon A.D. up on his site, which was of questionable legality, I sure as hell downloaded.

I've downloaded live concerts in situations when I was unsure about the legality. I've downloaded Braxton's Arista recordings from a site of doubtful legality. But that was only because RCA has refused to make the recordings available for so long. When the Mosaic set comes out, I will be one of the first customers.

So I never download anything illegally that I can get legally, and I will always purchase a legitimate copy of something I got informally if it is released.

I'm not into downloading music, but John's post pretty much sums up my philosophy, for what that's worth ... if anything.