Is there any point in buying CDs these days. Have been using Spotify for the past year or so and three months ago upgraded to the premium service. Virtually all the music anyone could want for a very modest subscription. Truly amazing when you start to explore what is available. Buying music now seems distinctly old fashioned when you can listen to whatever you want.
I use my i ipad and play through my sound system via Apple TV or my iPod touch when I am travelling .
I know the purists will say I am missing out on sound quality but to be honest CD or streamed it all sounds the same to me. Music collection already consigned to the loft. Heading for the charity shop soon!
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Well I'm sure I'm in a minority but I find CDs & records far more rewarding. It's not just me though because I sell a bit of old hi-fi from time to time and there is a resurgence in interest for 78s, vinyl and CDs demonstrated by the enthusiasm of my callers looking through these old formats.
You should see the high prices for tidy old Dansettes to play the discs on.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sun 8 Jun 14 at 17:01
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I'm in an even smaller minority - I very, very, rarely listen to music!
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Conversely, I'm not sure I could live without music in the house although I often drive long distances without it. Certainly in heavy traffic on on a challenging or spirited cross country dash I'll turn the ICE off and zone in to the drive.
We rarely have the TV on much before 9.00 PM and even then it's not on every day ( except Eggheads of course, or Springwatch naturally ) but there is usually music on throughout the day, either our own choices or just a radio station.
Also, I like to sing in the shower. I think I'm rather good but my family tell me it needs work.
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"But the vinyl/Dansette thing is all about nostalgia rather than music isn't it?"
And you can find anything you want on Spotify. I find it quite liberating getting rid of piles of CD's in their horrible plastic cases. The days of buying music let alone CDs must surely be numbered for mainstream consumers of music. I guess there will always be a nostalgia market and those who want the purest quality of sound but for price, sheer choice and availability streaming services like Spotify are surely the future.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Sun 8 Jun 14 at 17:55
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I can't remember the last time I bought any music at all. I tried some torrent download site, couldn't make head nor tale of it so never bothered again. I just listen to what ever is on the radio in the car on the way to work and sometimes at the gym, never bother outside listening to much outside that.
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For me music has to be in ' hardcopy'. When you download or stream music you are essentially renting it for your lifetime. I want to leave something behind to be remembered by - not that I am going anywhere soon.
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You could leave them the downloaded songs?
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If you have ever had the job of sorting out someone's house when they die you will know that the worst things to get rid of are books, record collections and photo albums. No one ever want them and they end up in landfill. Sad but true.
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>>>"But the vinyl/Dansette thing is all about nostalgia rather than music isn't it?"
No not always. A 60s/70s single is reproduced to perfection on a decent mono valve Dansette or similar.
>>>ever had the job of sorting out someone's house when they die you will know that the worst things to get rid of are books, record collections and photo albums. No one ever want them and they end up in landfill.
Well yes and no. What I do now gets me in front of up to 1000 lots a week mostly from probate clearance.
Old books it's true are rarely valued but its spotting that £150 book in a box of hundreds you buy for £5 the lot that makes it worthwhile. Old photo collections from say pre 1930 will sell. Slides in particular from the 70s and before plus old cine film have a decent value. I was the underbidder on a load of personal 60s/70s travel slides this week... they made £70+ for about 750 slides.
60s and 70s records are keenly sought but older or later than that are unloved. Cassettes unwanted.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sun 8 Jun 14 at 19:26
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A 60s/70s single is reproduced to perfection on a decent mono valve Dansette or similar.
Possibly but that's an awful lot of faffing about to play 3 minutes of music. Can't put a Dansette in my pocket when I'm gardening!
I take your point about probate sales but the point I was making was that the relatives don't want that sort of stuff - that's why you are seeing a 1000 lots a week.
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>> I was the underbidder on a load of personal 60s/70s travel slides this week... they made
>> £70+ for about 750 slides.
Seriously?!
What do people do with them?
I haven't bought music for ages, but have Spotify. I like CDs as you have something tangible. I'm inclined not to be very organised. Which is why I've never bought digital music as really I'd lose it. What annoys me on Spotify is that you don't get programme notes. You don't even get good indexing, if the name of the track is too long then you might not manage to know which one is which - particularly annoying if there's the same long title for several tracks, differentiated by the final word/number. And often some of the tracks on a disc will be missing.
I'm sure it's fine for listening to pop music. But it's not up to scratch. But I don't see any point in buying CDs as they're ancient technology. So I'm in limbo.
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>> I was the underbidder on a load of personal 60s/70s travel slides this week... they made
>> £70+ for about 750 slides.
Seriously?! What do people do with them?
Yep twas true... I never deceive about such stuff on here. I would have sorted, split then sold for a profit, that was my motivation.
The 50/60/70s slides are often documenting modern history... not what the photographer meant when he pushed the shutter button all those years ago of course.
As an example see this sold listing of just 120 slides showing Portugal in 1972... made £73!
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PORTUGAL-1972-VINTAGE-35MM-FILM-COLOUR-SLIDES-120-IMAGES-/141256196967?pt=UK_Collectables_Photographs_MJ&hash=item20e3868367
>>>don't see any point in buying CDs as they're ancient technology.
Actually I reckon time will show they were the pinnacle of commercial music storage when judged across physical size, quality, convenience, longevity etc.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Mon 9 Jun 14 at 11:31
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And just one more slide example... 12 slides of an old scrambles meet from the 60s sold for £37.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-35mm-SLIDES-MOTOR-CYCLE-SCRAMBLING-IN-KENT-1960s-LAYHAMS-FARM-/301197384833?pt=UK_Collectables_Photographs_MJ&hash=item4620c35c81
They truly are worth sorting through for the gems hidden in the "new baby" dross.
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Just as matter of interest, Fenlander, how much would one actually bank, on a sale like that £37 via eBay these days?
I ask because I used to to sell but found that too many times I'd go through all the effort of it, including post office shenanigans, wrapping, labelling, concern that I might get a negative and so on and realise that after eBay fees, Paypal fees, p&p sourcing and costs (and I understand eBay now charge you a fee on the p&p as well), I'd made a pound if I was lucky. And I thought it not worth it.
That was on tiddly sales of about a tenner or so. Assuming the fees can only have gone up, I'd reckon perhaps £20 per sale to make it even remotely worthwhile? Or has some miracle happened in the last five years?
Last edited by: Crankcase on Mon 9 Jun 14 at 11:55
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Sadly things haven't improved regarding fees. For me there is a cutoff which I'll not drop below. I won't sell anything for less profit than £10 that's a collection item as it's not worth staying in. For posted items I don't sell unless the clear profit is £5.... but I don't get into those lower regions much anyway.
Two fees examples from past couple of weeks as you ask.
Sold a collectable for £38.50 + £8.75 post. The total fees due from listing/final value/paypal were £6.53. I uplift the postage to allow for the ebay sale percentage on that but do not charge extra for packing like some... so actually net costs £5.66 and my net return was £32.44. Item was part of a lot I split so stood me in at £3 hence a good percentage return.
Another item sold for £275 and I included free postage. Postage cost me £22.02, the ebay/paypal fees were £37.54 so net to me £215.44. May seem a hefty loss from the gross but the item stood me under £10 so again the percentages were OK.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Mon 9 Jun 14 at 12:29
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I must mention I refer to the profit for the sole reason of demonstrating how the huge Ebay national/international marketplace can put an almost unwanted item (locally) onto a broader platform that has a radical effect on price.... which puts the fees some grumble about into perspective.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Mon 9 Jun 14 at 12:36
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>>Yep twas true... I never deceive about such stuff on here.
I wasn't doubting you; just perhaps my own sanity! I shall regard the boxes and boxes of 1950s and 60s slides in my mother's spare room differently...
>>Actually I reckon time will show they were the pinnacle of commercial music storage when
>>judged across physical size, quality, convenience, longevity etc.
I don't disagree. I just think you're buying something that is perceived as outdated technology - whilst there is nothing to replace it. I don't get why Spotify don't include programme notes, and why they are unable to put the full length of a song title up. Or, in fact, why the sort function is so utterly rubbish.
These were rather cheaper:
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Joblot-of-100s-Vintage-Photograph-Camera-35mm-Slides-Approx-1000-All-Boxed-/301174996903?pt=UK_Collectables_Photographs_MJ&hash=item461f6dbfa7
Last edited by: Mapmaker on Mon 9 Jun 14 at 16:39
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It depends on what you do with music, I think.
If you are one that sees listening to music as a ritual, as my Father does for example, then the whole vinyl thing makes sense.
If you are one who listens to music while doing something else, as I do, then the most convenient access possible is desirable.
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I must be the only Builder on the planet that will NOT have a radio playing at work. All it serves to do is to rugger up one's thoughts and concentration process. However I do love music.
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I thought Radio 2 was obligatory in the building trade
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>>>If you are one that sees listening to music as a ritual, as my Father does for example,
I listen to radio in the kitchen, radio & CDs in the car but only 78s/vinyl/CDs in the sitting room. This evening I'm going through about 150 12" singles and remix singles I bought last week.... ritual... well it's more effort than clicking on shuffle and sitting back. But when you happen across that rare coloured vinyl version of Agadoo by Black Lace it's all worthwhile.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sun 8 Jun 14 at 19:31
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I listen to music in car via USB stick and in home via phone connected to Bluetooth speaker.
Almost everything I want to hear can be downloaded/streamed for free with not more than 5 minutes search on web.
In last 5 years I never bought music in any form.
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>>>In last 5 years I never bought music in any form.
Shame on you.
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>> Shame on you.
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I don't know. This is an industry that was happy to rip UK buyers off in the pre-internet days with £16 chart CD prices, when the same could be bought in many countries for half as much.
The music industry has had its current difficulties coming for a long time, IMHO. Also in pure ethical terms, there isn't much difference between downloading stuff "free" or buying a used album or CD.
Last edited by: DP on Sun 8 Jun 14 at 20:26
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On a bit of thread drift, I am no lover of cover versions, particularly cover versions of classics that I remember well and fondly, but this is worthy of a listen...
sfglobe.com/?id=679&src=share_fb_new_679
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" . . .this is worthy of a listen"
Pity someone did not teach her how to use a microphone --- she produces periods of voice distortion caused by breathing on the microphone.
A microphone should point at the mouth, but also be kept out of the air coming out of the mouth.
Otherwise words starting with P, T etc., pulse the mic into distortion.
Pop 'stars' (I don't usually listen to them) tend to 'chew' the mic and need some sort of sponge filter material underneath the gauze cover and over the mic diaphragm.
The other mic fault seen sometimes is speaking into the side of the mic. The diaphragm, in the usual moving coil and electret types, moves up and down along the centre line of the mic's length., not sideways
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Well OK then you can say that the Stones, Led Zep, Queen, Burt Weedon etc had it good back then but take this point in time as a start point and new artists will not be able to move on without an income stream.
Oh BTW I have every CD I bought back from their earliest days and the look/play as new. Lot better value than that similar price round of drinks that is long forgotten.... I think CD's have been bargains since virtually day 1.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sun 8 Jun 14 at 20:50
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Not bought a cd in years, but do also use Spotify, which I enjoy a lot, especially in conjunction with things like forgotify and the bestoftheworstofspotify and so on.
However, as with all those internet things I keep in the back of my mind that tomorrow they could say sorry, going now, bye, and then the money I've paid over the years has gone for nothing.
So if I do buy music, I buy vinyl. The faff of it makes it more of an occasion and I appreciate it more when it gets played.
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But have they been such a bargain? For a tenner a month - a couple of beers I have access to a record collection thousands of times larger than yours. Indeed if you don't mid a few adds you can have all those records for free
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You don't own anything though. It's all "rented", effectively.
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That' s the beauty of it. No pile of old LPs or CDs cluttering up the lounge. No sorting through the stuff looking for record you know you have somewhere all for a minimal cost.
I'm a bit of a minimalist at heart. I find it liberating to get rid of stuff that I don't need. If I don't use something or it doesn't have a purpose I get rid. It's amazing how much clutter we carry around all our life to no purpose. Ownership of too much stuff is one of the problems of our time.
Did the same with books last year. Got rid of hundreds of old paperbacks that I knew I would never read again. Just kept a few favourites, reference books and poetry books. Buy most novels on the Kindle these day.
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>>>But have they been such a bargain?
I honestly think so. When CDs became established in the late 80s I reckon they were often around £15. To think each one had the potential for 25yrs of listening pleasure with undiminished quality is quite something.
I do keep on top of clutter but to maintain it at a much higher level than most... I resolved never again to carry half a house of extra stuff in the loft when we made our move 2yrs ago.
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I remember Bert Weedon personally.
Back in about 1978 he drove a Granada.
Not sure he ever had it 'good'.
Now, the record companys.... they did have it good....
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I have an accretion (rather than a collection) of about 250 CDs which I now rarely play. These are mostly classical, with some "mouldy fig" era jazz and some French chansoniers. I have Radio Three on for a lot of the day, via my hi-fi. The best sound quality I get is from this (compared with car, TV and on-computer Spotify) is from occasional broadcasts, but not all. Could it be that some consist of digital recordings and some of (superior) analogue? Some recordings are better than some live broadcasts in this respect although sound quality, of course, is less important than musical quality.
Spotify is handy for research and I root around in in for arcana, such as Indonesian and Malay love songs and the more obscure classics.
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All of the above is free now, considering the sunk cost of CDs and equipment (the latter a quarter-century old). The only further expense on music I envisage is a sound bar for my TV.
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Most music you enjoy - including those in album form - can be downloaded from YouTube. If you use the GetGo Download Manager utility, it not only downloads files you want, but also lists them alphabetically in a designated folder on your computer.
www.getgosoft.com/getgodm/
You can then either listen on an individual basis or burn them to blank media.
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I know the purists will say I am missing out on sound quality...
They will. I'm one - sort of - and they'll be right, but only if you have the kit to show it up. In the kitchen, in the gym - hell, even in these cars we talk about here, a well-ripped compressed file at 320k or even 256k contains all the music you'll be able to hear. If that's your entire listening pattern then I agree, CDs are not worth the bother.
But if you like to sit down and get properly immersed in the music, then there's no substitute for the kind of full-fat separates system that FL and I, and a few others here, enjoy. And that needs a full-fat source to feed it. That could be a downloaded file - they're available at higher qualities than CDs now - but that means having a computer in the living room, or a music server somewhere else and a networked music player to stream from it. I'm not there yet, so it's CDs (and LPs, not just for nostalgia but because they suit some music better) for me for a while yet.
And I share MM's frustration with labelling and indexing. Re-titling a four-movement symphony in iTunes so that the car player shows something meaningful is a chore; doing that for a 13-movement Haydn mass saps the will to live. And the online services are as bad: I've just completed a week's trial of Qobuz, whose 320k streams sound great even Bluetoothed from the iPhone to the big amp, but the 'now playing' tab in the app would sometimes show only 'Brahms Symphony no' or something similarly unhelpful. There's a gap in the market for a service that can do this properly.
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I had a similar labelling problem with a Spotify track a day or two ago - Peter Schickele Cantata: Iphigenia in Brooklyn, S.53162 (as he says, it's a later work). It's by P D Q Bach of course.
Although no amount of bandwidth is ever going to make it sound any better.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Mon 9 Jun 14 at 13:03
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Buying Music - Fenlander
