Viewing Thread:
"Do you buy albums or just download MP3s?"

I want an honest answer here:

'Do you or do you not buy albums? If not do you just download songs?'

I'll be honest, I do have about 120 MP3s on my PC and quite a few of them are from albums I don't own but I do buy albums now...

After I got broadband I found the delights of downloading songs, I've downloaded loads of tracks from loads of different people but this in some ways has made me want to buy the albums...

I downloaded quite a few songs by Ash, I liked them all, so instead of just downloading loads more, I bought their 'Greatest Hits' album and it's really good. Without me downloading the songs I probably wouldn't have bought the album...

Same things applies to 'A' and 'The Music,' I liked some of their songs and I bought their albums, I wouldn't have done so if I wasn't able to download their songs...

Onto my MP3 collection, I've got a fair few songs here, not talking thousands like some people, probably about 40-50 songs, these are mainly 'one-offs' in which I liked the song when I heard it but didn't like any other songs...

I'd say that I am still supporting the bands/artists by buying their albums once I have heard what they're like, if I like them, I'll support them by buying their albums, if I don't I won't get anymore of their songs...

I'm not one of those people though who sit there and download entire albums off of KaZaa, I talked to one person last week who had nearly 1500 songs on his IPod, every one of them downloaded. He had sat there and gone through every band/artist/group he could think of and downloaded all of their seperate albums...

That's what is affecting the industry, people who do things like that. Or even worse, people who download the albums and sell them off for their own profit...

I buy albums. I'd guess I have nearly 100 at the moment...

I occasionally buy from HMV, (nowhere near as much as I used to) but usually try Ebay first or sometimes Amazon. I also download MP3s. I heard 'Defy You' by the Offspring a while ago and thought it was good, but it was only available on the 'Orange County' Soundtrack CD, so rather than buy a CD for one track I downloaded it. It works the other way too, I have bought a number of albums simply due to me downloading MP3s and being impressed (I should be recieving a Thursday CD from Ebay soon after having about 5 MP3s for some months now and I got a CD by Red Animal War after downloading a number of songs)

I'll pay for albums, but I'm not going to buy an album without hearing anything from it first...

So most of you buy albums...

I'm just running a survey on another site to see what American people say when they reply, I know that they problem is worse there than it is here..

Expletive Deleted wrote:
> Providing I haven't heard something from a particular Artist from his
> new album, I'll download 2 or 3 songs before I buy the album; and I
> WILL buy it in most cases.

I thought you Scouser's all got the five-fingered discount? ;-p

I buy albums. Got about 150 at the moment, and they're all converted to ATRAC3 on my PC for use on my MD player.

I get all my albums from CD-WOW - I really don't mind paying £8.99 for an album, as I think that's a fair price. If I can't get an album from CD-WOW, I'll copy it off a friend if they have it, or try and download it - I refuse to pay £12.99 or more for an album; I recently got the Coyote Ugly soundtrack from CD-WOW for £8.99, while in my local HMV and Virgin stores, they still want £16.99!!! £16.99 for a single CD with 12 tracks?! I know where they can go!

If there's a single track I like from an artist I wouldn't normally buy, then I might download it - then burn them to CD when I have enough. If a £12.99 album is generally considered too expensive, where do they get the idea that you'll pay £3.99 for a CD-single?!

I buy CDs all the time, which gets me in a lot of trouble with the missus. I have about 400 now, and I bought 15 albums in the Jan sales.

But I download a lot of stuff too. Mostly rare tracks that I can't get on albums, live tracks, studio cuts and the like. If I could get it on CD then I would, but MP3 is the only way for me to collect a lot of this stuff.

I haven't been CD shoping for a few months. A few weeks ago, I had le Beardband installed.

My MP3 collection stands at around 1500 songs, though I have a lot of those on Albums already. I think my current total stands at around 27 albums I want to buy.

I should get paid again in a week or two; if I combine that with last months cash that I've not spent (much of), then I should be able to make a good start on working my way through my list. Of course, by that time I'll probably have discovered another 5-10 albums that I want as well.

I like having the cases, and a good quality copy rather than the shoddy quality you get with MP3 that ruins some songs.

Odin wrote:
> I download one or two songs but i normally buy albumns. I just like
> having something, and like building a collection. Strange

Et moi.

Exactly.

Providing I haven't heard something from a particular Artist from his new album, I'll download 2 or 3 songs before I buy the album; and I WILL buy it in most cases.

However, if it is one of my favourite artists, then I buy the album regardless.

AND, if I like ONLY 1 or 2 songs, then I'll still buy the album.

Providing I haven't heard something from a particular Artist from his new album, I'll download 2 or 3 songs before I buy the album; and I WILL buy it in most cases.

However, if it is one of my favourite artists, then I buy the album regardless.

AND, if I like ONLY 1 or 2 songs, then I'll still buy the album.

I download one or two songs but i normally buy albumns. I just like having something, and like building a collection. Strange

I download songs and listen to them for a while.

If I like every song on a album I will buy it.

That is why my collection of albums rule.