To download or not to download: That is the question

[FORD]

What makes Stones albums like Beggars Banquet (and Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street, Some Girls, and even Voodoo Lounge for that matter) so great is that the Stones got in one of those hyper-creative modes - probably the drugs on the earlier stuff at least- and just wrote literally dozens of songs. So if you have 50 or 60 songs to choose from and put 12 of them on the record, chances are it's going to be the 12 best. Actually, most of the songs for Let It Bleed/Sticky Fingers/Exile were written at the same time. Some songs like "Shine a Light" were first recorded in 1969 but didn't actually make the cut until 3 albums later. Hell, there's a song called "Blood Red Wine" that was written for Beggars Banquet and didn't get recorded officially until "Goats Head Soup" when it had turned into "Winter".

[Shaun Ponsonby]

I only really download the odd boot.

Owning an mp3 album doesn't excite me in the least.

Owning a physical CD/LP whatever that I can touch, smell, feel and make love to (if I wanted to) does excite me. As does walking into my humble abode and seeing a few bookcases full of albums.

A lecturer in Uni said that she doesn't understand people reading books over the internet...because surely, if you're an avid reader you want to own the books properly. I guess its the same thing with me and albums.

Plus, I actually enjoy browsing record stores too...and the exciement when I come across something I've been looking for and haven't been able to find...like maybe some album Prince whcked off in a day and then pulled at the end of the week or something.

[Andy Taylor]

I bought my first mp3 single today only because I couldn't find any place to download it, been looking for a year.

I've always been a buyer and downloader, my buying took off in a big way after I began downloading. When I get into a new artist I'm going to download the whole catalouge if I can, so it would be ridiculous to buy all those cd's. And you can't even find all the cd's as easily. The executives are money hungry to the max; they don't want to listen to the idea that mp3's get people into the music which is why they have to go to the extent of removing videos off youtube. The average John Coltrane fan is not a 14 year old x box playing brat who downloads for free without purchasing and yet his stuff was purged off youtube. It just shows a mentality of greed and if they're going to keep unloading Britney's they'll go bankrupt and I hope they do.

[Mr. Vengeance]

What makes Stones albums like Beggars Banquet (and Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street, Some Girls, and even Voodoo Lounge for that matter) so great is that the Stones got in one of those hyper-creative modes - probably the drugs on the earlier stuff at least- and just wrote literally dozens of songs. So if you have 50 or 60 songs to choose from and put 12 of them on the record, chances are it's going to be the 12 best. Actually, most of the songs for Let It Bleed/Sticky Fingers/Exile were written at the same time. Some songs like "Shine a Light" were first recorded in 1969 but didn't actually make the cut until 3 albums later. Hell, there's a song called "Blood Red Wine" that was written for Beggars Banquet and didn't get recorded officially until "Goats Head Soup" when it had turned into "Winter".

Pretty much every song on Tattoo You was written years earlier.

[katie]

In the UK it is harder and harder to find decent music shops to buy cds from, as they are all closing at an alarming rate.

Downside to downloading is there is NO resale value, so there is NO secondhand collectors market, no artwork, etc etc.

Upside - Everything is just a couple of clicks away, so google really is your friend.

Industry should have seen this coming 12 years ago.

[binnie]

I only really download the odd boot.

Owning an mp3 album doesn't excite me in the least.

Owning a physical CD/LP whatever that I can touch, smell, feel and make love to (if I wanted to) does excite me. As does walking into my humble abode and seeing a few bookcases full of albums.

A lecturer in Uni said that she doesn't understand people reading books over the internet...because surely, if you're an avid reader you want to own the books properly. I guess its the same thing with me and albums.

Plus, I actually enjoy browsing record stores too...and the exciement when I come across something I've been looking for and haven't been able to find...like maybe some album Prince whcked off in a day and then pulled at the end of the week or something.

Bingo. This sums up how I feel about records.

I could spend hours and hours is a big record store just finding gems.

You remember the first time you open up the gatefold on Kiss 'Alive', y'know?

[Mr. Vengeance]

I only really download the odd boot.

Owning an mp3 album doesn't excite me in the least.

Owning a physical CD/LP whatever that I can touch, smell, feel and make love to (if I wanted to) does excite me. As does walking into my humble abode and seeing a few bookcases full of albums.

A lecturer in Uni said that she doesn't understand people reading books over the internet...because surely, if you're an avid reader you want to own the books properly. I guess its the same thing with me and albums.

Plus, I actually enjoy browsing record stores too...and the exciement when I come across something I've been looking for and haven't been able to find...like maybe some album Prince whcked off in a day and then pulled at the end of the week or something.

100% agree. I LOVE going to used record stores looking for that gem. I freaked out when after years of looking, I found a vinyl copy of MC5's High Time .

[Shaun Ponsonby]

Can downloading music truly be seen as a hobby?

[binnie]

Can downloading music truly be seen as a hobby?

No, I don't think so.

Hunting for rare vinyl is a hobby. One day, when I have money......