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Streaming and PFM users.

Sloop John B

And any old music will do…
I get the strong impression that the majority PFM members who post in the music section are predominantly buyers rather than streamers of music.

You often see a suggestion for the Japanese pressing with the blue label with betsy etched on it. Rarely does one come across the 24/96 version on Qobuz being recommended.

Are most members very much outliers when it comes to streaming or just that buyers of (mainly physical) media are more vocal here?

There's a great Joni Mitchell thread on here at the moment and most of the advice is "buy x or y", rarely "listen to x or y".

.sjb
 
Are most members very much outliers when it comes to streaming or just that buyers of (mainly physical) media are more vocal here?

unless you have something physical, that you can hold and scratch or ruin, then ‘it’ doesn’t exist.


As far as I know, streaming services provide rental. You don’t ‘own’ anything.

There is nothing to pass on, loan out, or remember how long it took you to obtain.


Maybe that has something to do with it?
 
Interesting question, I think it’s a combination of things but agree most guys posting seem to buy the physical media. I do myself, especially since lockdown the postie must be fed up delivering cardboard squares. I use streaming a great deal but search out the albums I like best or missed for various reasons on vinyl and look out for the recommended versions, specials or buy multiple pressings/masters/mixes of my faves.

Being brought up buying and collecting vinyl there is that learned behaviour and even though I know of people who “collect” rips/downloads, thousands and thousands they will never be able to play, collecting seems more common with vinyl and cd. I have broadly equivalent vinyl and digital front ends, some would say my digital is actually better but personally I prefer listening and spinning the vinyl, more of an event and ROON can’t replace the gatefold sleeves, liner notes, box set goodies.

If I had to choose 1 source I know in my heart it would be streaming/rips/downloads, based on the convenience and massive library, indeed starting now as a teenager I wouldn’t look at buying vinyl unless as a novelty, the cost vs a monthly sub wouldn’t make sense.

Back as a kid you could borrow LPs just like books from the local libraries, rent from general stores just like video tapes later on and join clubs who sent LPs through the post with a monthly album you got if you forgot to post in the form with it unticked, now I’m feeling old.
 
I don't see how streaming can't form part of any balanced musical diet in this day and age. Having the near complete history of recorded music available on demand is every music lovers dream. It would be nice if the artists got paid a bit more, though.
 
I don't see how streaming can't form part of any balanced musical diet in this day and age. Having the near complete history of recorded music available on demand is every music lovers dream. It would be nice if the artists got paid a bit more, though.
Yep but buying the physical media helps some of them a bit but from what I’ve read the up and coming bands struggle. There are a couple campaigns going to try and improve this though?
 
I think the opposite.... surely streaming is made for the music section here ( or the music section is made for streaming)............
The ability to discuss & suggest albums combines with streaming to listen to a wider & wider range of music without wasting money on a cd/ album only to realise you only like one track on it.
I use Qobuz exactly for this reason, & when I find an album I really like, I’ll hunt for it on vinyl. Streaming for me has really widened my music tastes & library.
 
I buy, I like to have the 'artwork'/track listing in front of me, actually even more so now I have some cognitive issues. However, I think that Spotify moving to streaming at 16/44.1 could well be a game changer regarding CD. I think I'd still keep what I have though, safe in the knowledge that I'm not tied to the monthly fee forever more to access my favourite music.
 
Streaming has stopped me buying CDs but has actually made me buy a lot more vinyl, mainly due to the discovery aspect, Suggested Artists, ROON Radio and the like.
 
I go for ages without touching the vinyl now, virtually all streaming; it's just too easy and convenient.

Digital out from the PC and tablet is my remote.

I slowed down on vinyl purchase when the prices rose, then even more when i got a couple of poor pressings.

I actively search for new music a lot of the time so streaming is far lower risk.

The budget goes on subs and live performances.
 
Mainly streaming here. All the cds are ripped and the lps are from the good old days

Don't buy much physical media anymore.
 
All to do with ritual (habit/expectation) here - I even find CD irritating because you don't get a pause after about 20 minutes for the decision - flip or change, or change direction totally.
 
I do stream but the main system is CD/Vinyl, this may change when I get the planned Innuos Zen. I am hedging my beats somewhat.

At present I will listen to Spotify as background but generally end up buying albums on CD. I like listening to whole albums but playlists are great for background when it comes it comes to cooking/dining.

Nearly all of my vinyl is legacy from back in the day, just buy the odd thing now. I really don’t give much of a stuff on format.
 
Streaming and vinyl here. I’ve heard shedloads of music via Qobuz that I’d never otherwise have listened to - yesterday it was The Shaggs (a fantastically incompetent drummer). A combination of Roon and Qobuz has been superb. Fortunately I signed up to a lifetime subscription to Roon before the big price hike. I just wish that more albums on Qobuz had a PDF of the accompanying booklet, but that’s a problem with the record companies rather than Qobuz.

Buying wise I’m about 95% vinyl these days - I can’t remember the last time I bought a CD. I’ve probably bought as much vinyl in the last 3 years than I did in the previous 20. I’ve bought 4 LPs from Bandcamp in the last couple of months, and I expect that to continue.
 
Number of aquisitions?
2020 - around 160 albums, something like 4 CD's, the rest LP.
So far this year - 1 CD and around 10 LPs but probably another 20 LPs on order in total.

Lifetime total for downloads - around 10, all recorded to CDR

New music leads - a few here, some from the radio, some from YouTube when you follow the linked videos.
 
If my broadband wasn't so utterly crap I would stream more, so I still buy CDs and LPs. I do have a couple of hard drives full of music so I'm not averse to having it in files.
 
I used to buy cds (over 2000 of them) but since purchasing a Cambridge Audio CXN V2 streamer in December I doubt I’ll ever buy one again, roon/tidal and nearly all my cds now ripped with dbpoweramp onto a 2tb ssd is far more convenient for my listening pleasure.
 
I’ve been buying and selling records since I was a school kid. I connect far better and in a more lasting way to something tangible that I’ve invested in, plus I view music as a multimedia artefact, the cover art is all too often a totally essential part of the end user experience. The idea of Space Ritual, Unknown Pleasures or any Blue Note or Impulse without the physical cover is just incomprehensible. It is so obviously incomplete.

I’ve also always factored collectability and resale value as part of the whole picture and have ended up with a hugely increasing asset. I view it as the difference between home ownership and being in hock to some crappy landlord. I’ve been lucky to have the kind of leftfield taste that tends to become very sought after a decade or two later. For all of these reasons streaming just doesn’t appeal at all. I love YouTube and Bandcamp as discovery mediums, but I’m perfectly happy with their low resolution as all I’m ever doing is seeing if I want to buy the vinyl or CD.

The other arguably most important thing, assuming you are dealing with new music (and there is just so much amazing stuff at present), is streaming pays the artists jack shit. If you care about them and want them to be able to make a living then buy their physical product! That £20-30 for a lovely highly limited Bandcamp-only vinyl issue or whatever (that will be worth £60+ in a few years time, so you win too) will give them a proper profit whereas streaming their album 5-10 times probably generates 10-20p or some derisory amount. Buying vinyl really is win/win. Everyone benefits.
 
A format's just a format to me, but once you own something you have control over whether and when you want to listen it. With streaming, you rely on the music you want to hear continuing to be made available, which may not be quite as indefinite as you think.
 
Mostly vinyl for me - just out of thirty years of habit really. It's not very logical, I just enjoy playing records.

Otherwise downloads. I resisted for a long while but there's just a huge amount of new music that only ever exists as a download. If you're a fan of niche music Bandcamp is brilliant because there's no minimum run and no need to cover the cost of printing up, say, 300 LPs or CDs. So it allows musicians to release a ton of music that wouldn't otherwise be viable. They might only sell 50 downloads but that could be £200 the artist wouldn't otherwise see.
 
If I were a hip young gunslinger, I'd probably stream, or buy cassettes. As I'm an older person who already purchased most of the music i want to listen to, streaming would just be paying extra to listen to what I already have.
 


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