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Faceplams: I bought like 16 CD's last month, not controversial to me, but might be "controversial" to some, i'm running out of space but i still love to buy physical releases...
Matador de Froot Loops
I bought like 16 CD's last month, not controversial to me, but might be "controversial" to some, i'm running out of space but i still love to buy physical releases...
Now I'm 0000
A stamp collection would take up a lot less space, but I could see the similarities.
That could make me feel really old if I didn’t already feel really old.Originally Posted by Kris
But that’s a good way to avoid the vinyl/8-track/cassette replacement cycle.
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There really isn't anything controversial about buying music physically, but the CD format seems like an odd choice. I understand vinyl as a cool "collectors item" type of thing, but what's the appeal of CDs?
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I'm from 1987, and a bit sentimental... I just can't imagine buying only digital, unless that's all that is offered for a particular release (boooooo). I just choose to keep on with the tradition.
It's like people with books upon books on shelves in their house...no different to me. And the physical aspect of music is like having a photo album of memories. It's really not complicated, the general appeal to any physical music format.
Last edited by Amaro; 01-13-2014 at 08:15 PM.
Active Member
I mostly buy CDs, though these days I also buy mp3s as they're usually a lot cheaper.
I can play my CDs in the car, it's just simpler, I haven't figured out how to hook up an ipod in the car: my stereo in my house is not hooked up to my computer, it's in a different room. I'd have to put stuff on my (now broken) ipod and then plug my ipod into the stereo.
I like going to stores and browsing. I like the physical object, the packaging, even though they do pile up and take a lot of space.
I like browsing my own CDs. I like putting on a CD. Fiddling with an ipod is a lot less pleasant.
I am glad they still release CDs and dislike it when an artist doesn't.
I have no idea why anyone would bother with vinyl.
Active Member
I'm gonna have to agree on this one here. (Sorry, @Kris. I love you always.) I'm not gonna entirely discount buying CDs, I'll just buy cds from bands that I really, really like. (I bought only two cds last year, Hesitation Marks and Death Grips' No Love Deep Web.) I prefer to buy on vinyl if I'm gonna buy a physical format.
But whatever floats you boat. I could just see one day CDs will go the way of dinosaurs and laser discs.... Or maybe I'm wrong.
tempus est umbra in mente
You like browsing through your physical music collection. You like the physical object. You like the packaging. You like the act of physically putting on the music, and you find "fiddling with an ipod" to be a lot less pleasant.
...and yet you have no idea why anyone would bother with vinyl. Also, it sounds different from the digital version.
Down, but not out.
If not from you, I definitely saw that coming. As for me, I suppose it was right on time in a way, as I was mostly 13 in 1999, but turned 14 near the end of it. I guess I just didn't really even imagine getting into collecting albums when I was 12 and under, although I've already seen my peers in elementary school and middle school getting into CDs and cassettes. Another thing I'd have to add to this would probably be nostalgia. I've gone through a few portable CD players, and I actually have some favorite ones from Sony and Panasonic.That could make me feel really old if I didn’t already feel really old.
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I've been buying more CD's lately than before. If it's got a DVD or Blu-ray disc with it I'll be likely to get it. The CD is the devil I know not really ever having much vinyl around except my parents' and borrowing a few from a friend on occasion (the one I remember most was The Who's The Kids Are Alright soundtrack which had a huge booklet).
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My memory of record players is that they have a certain hiss and crackle: is that not the case anymore?
Also, you can't conveniently change track. Or is that also different now?
Vinyl weighs a ton, and if CDs are hard to store/transport I can't imagine what moving house with 1000s of vinyls would be like.
The sounds different thing…I wouldn't know. I'm not really that bothered. Does vinyl really sound that much better?
Growing up, to me vinyl was a dated technology and I've never been presented with any convincing arguments as to why I should start caring about vinyl now.
I started buying CDs 20 years ago and continue to do so.
But going back to a technology that was cutting edge before I was born? I don't see the point.
I get the equivalence you're making about the tactile experience…to me vinyl comes with too much hassle and unfamiliarity…much like mp3s. I will admit I find some comfort in sticking with CDs.
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The one advantage vinyl has over CD is packaging and artwork. Dark Side Of The Moon isn't less iconic because of the jewel case, but if that had always been the standard it wouldn't be regarded as iconic now. I can see the potential now, of the Blu-ray or DVD presentation certain artists are doing now, of being the high-tech version of the gate-fold sleeve now.
Now I'm 0000
The difference being that laser discs were an analog medium distinct from VHS, so they have an identity of some sort. CDs are more likely to be remembered as an archaic delivery mechanism for 16-bit audio files — if they went away tomorrow, all we’d be missing is the booklets.
Now I definitely feel old.
I didn’t get serious about music until I was in high school, so I don’t think it’s so odd you weren’t an active collector at 12. And I can understand the nostalgia part, though my version of that was early-80s personal computers. (See? OLD.)
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Don't know if this is controversial or not, but Fishbone is playing Coachella, they still rock live! They broke down huge barriers, ska was kind of skinhead music back in the day and they took it back. It was either Gathering of the Tribes or Lollapalooza that they played a set behind a curtain in protest, ok, ok dating myself. If I can't see Adrian Belew, I would love to see Vernon Reid in the NIN touring camp, Vernon on Satellite, would just be too awesomeballz! (see I'm still hip, I used awesomeballz). sees again, Fishbone burned that damn place down and we tore it up, Best show evah... -Louie
Last edited by Louie_Cypher; 01-14-2014 at 04:14 AM. Reason: just needed to add a video, (I'm still hip, really)
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I totally get why someone might stick with CDs if that's what they're used to. But I thought Kris was talking about "collecting" cds, which I assumed to mean more than just "this is the medium that works best for my listening needs," and more a matter of being a hobby of his where he actively seeks them out and collects them, just like you might do with stamps or comic books or whatever. That's what I thought was kind of surprising, cause CDs don't seem retro or fetishized enough to be collectors items at this point.
I have always wondered if the day will come when CDs make a hip/retro comeback in the same way that vinyl has.
tempus est umbra in mente
A clean record shouldn't pop or crackle.
It's not as easy obviously, but you can see track splits.Also, you can't conveniently change track. Or is that also different now?
Sometimes it sounds better, but it always sounds significantly different than the digital version (which new records usually come with).The sounds different thing…I wouldn't know. I'm not really that bothered. Does vinyl really sound that much better?
Well, think about that same argument against owning CDs. You can't really know what constitutes the experience of listening to music on a record if you haven't tried it. The argument of convenience against listening to music on any physical medium would be a convincing argument unless you had experience with another preference.Growing up, to me vinyl was a dated technology and I've never been presented with any convincing arguments as to why I should start caring about vinyl now.
There's definite down sides and limitations to the medium, but I think it's pretty obvious why it's appealing to a lot of people.I get the equivalence you're making about the tactile experience…to me vinyl comes with too much hassle and unfamiliarity…much like mp3s. I will admit I find some comfort in sticking with CDs.
Now I'm 0000
First they have to go from ubiquitous to a relic that’s been squeezed out of the market by something else. I don’t think that will happen for a while — the near interchangability with digital files cuts both ways.
I’ll take the “because vinyl sounds better” arguments more seriously when people make a concerted effort to digitize LPs. Until then it’s mostly nostalgia for black plastic (which is fine until it turns the corner into audiophile snobbery).
desperately chilled
this is how i spend most of my free time. in fact, i'm taking a break from de-clicking a 12'' now. most of the music i listen to hasn't been (or will never be) released digitally or on CD, so i've gotten quite good at ripping vinyl, down to removing clicks and pops without affecting the music itself. this one of many reasons why i call bullshit on people claiming it's fetishist or nostalgic to collect vinyl, as that's just ignorantly dismissive and makes assumptions about what people listen to and what's available for our new, stream/download based culture (i hate streaming services and hope they don't become the only means in which to listen to music on the go).
that's not to say that some people don't buy records out of nostalgia, habit, or hipness, but there's more to it than that for some of us. i also prefer to DJ my records, which is another debate entirely. i've always felt that using vinyl, while not cost effective or great for the body is the only real way to go for me. i often look down upon digital DJ culture, where all a DJ has to do is download a bunch of (lossy) music, collect it on a massive, all-encompassing hard drive, and let the computer handle a majority of the playback for them. sure, there are digital-only DJs who do great things an put effort into it (i am never one to make broadly sweeping statements- everything is circumstantial), but in my experience, spinning vinyl is always worthy of respect, whether it be because of the delicate nature and limited capacity of vinyl or because of the actual practice and talent that comes with the turf.
anyway, back to the point, it's less that vinyl sounds "better," (that's circumstantial), but it definitely does sound "different," which is the point @Jinsai is trying to make- the mix is usually the same, but the mastering process for vinyl usually yields different results, especially when considering brickwalling and the loudness war. there are usually more dynamics present on vinyl, because if you overload a certain frequency (especially in the low end), the needle may skip or jump. sometimes the results are subtle. sometimes, it's a noticeable and welcome difference.
however, CD mastering and digital mastering are interchangeable, and offer no real differences, which is why i don't see the CD coming back like vinyl or tape has in recent years. the cassette has (annoyingly) made a comeback, but that's less about quality or fetishism as much as it is about underground culture, and the budgetary restrictions that come with it. tape culture has always been big with unsigned bands, especially in underground niche markets (noise, industrial especially), so now that vinyl is popular again, people have turned back to tapes for a cheaper alternative.
an interesting sidenote: while vinyl has gotten more popular, there are still few plants left, which increases both the cost and timetable of vinyl production, while even some larger acts suffer due to rush jobs.
Last edited by frankie teardrop; 01-14-2014 at 12:32 PM.
Now I'm 0000
That’s what I wanted to hear.Is anyone making an effort to archive them, or is it just individual people like you?
desperately chilled
i know quite a few people that do, but i don't know if that's as common outside of the little post-punk/synth world i live in. i also know a few people who digitize new records, even though there are cd/digital masters available.
Unintelligible Whispering
Delving into the 1980's to discover new music as I've been over the past year, I find myself pursuing CDs due to their relative ease of availability as opposed to vinyls. Another factor is that it seems every band and their mother is in the process of 'remastering' their catalogue for digital and physical re-release - often with disatrously loud results to my ears - so in such cases, I pursue a version that was meant for decent sound systems and not crappy laptop speakers. The CDs I'm after are just more readily available (I avoid online shopping as often as I can), often for cheap in used shops. Plus, with all the horror stories I see about vinyls being shipped with damage...it's just more convenient for me to do a CD rip and be done with it. Digital plus the benefit of a relatively small, storable pretty physical package, sometimes with lyrics and artwork to gawk over. Plus it's what I grew up with, I admit.
I do collect NIN on vinyl though, when I can.
Matador de Froot Loops
For anyone that cares:
This site is an archive of Vinyl music that wasn't and will not be released on CD...
http://notoncd.blogspot.mx/
Banned
That's pretty cool.
Matador de Froot Loops
Maybe it's not "everyone's music", still it's great that people are doing this kind of archive sites, also you can contribute!
tempus est umbra in mente
Because it's funny, and very thread appropriate if you've been following this thing
http://noisey.vice.com/blog/shut-you...eing-overrated
Throbbing Member
Haha thanks for linking that article. I fuckin' hate the beatles. All this bullshit about how they're the reason music is what it is today. If the beatles had never done what they "did", some other group of assholes likely would have. And I believe that said assholes would have done "it" better than the beatles did do, which in turn would mean that music today would be even better than what it is today. People seriously need to get over those cocksuckers.
Down, but not out.
For me, it's the booklets and the album art, as I sometimes like to read them. I also remember liking ECDs, but from what I recall, they were more of a thing back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I also didn't get into buying albums until 1999, so the CD was really the only physical medium I started getting into, and somehow still enjoy. I also loved the way CDs sounded on most Sony and Bose stereos. Panasonic, JVC, and Aiwa also seemed to be very good brands to me, and as already mentioned, nostalgia was also yet another factor of the appeal for me. When I get the means, I'd still be interested in amassing some sort of vinyl collection though.
Last edited by Halo Infinity; 01-16-2014 at 02:22 AM.
Throbbing Member
I don't know how controversial it is, but I like In Utero a hundred times more than Nevermind. Got into a discussion yesterday with another 90s boy who thought I was mad. I just like some depressing shit, yo.
tempus est umbra in mente
while it's not as big of a cultural landmark, I thought the general consensus was that In Utero was the better album.
Throbbing Member
In Utero is nearer Nirvana's sonic ideal than Nevermind, its the closest to perfection a record can represent the sound in Cobain's mind. Delirious, great music.
The only controversial feelings I have about music or its consumption is that I was invited to an elite file-sharing network by an old friend.
He hands the invites out rarely and said I've 'paid it forward' enough to belong. That's true, I've in some form or another, given the arts/artists thousands & thousands of dollars.
Throbbing Member
Music publications who did 'best of 90s' lists like to put Nevermind above it, and a couple people I've discussed this with like Nevermind and think In Utero is "their weird album", so maybe thats why I'm under the impression that Nevermind is the general favorite.
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