For Crying Out Loud, What is Wrong With You People?

[brkndwnbus]

Im not at all into commercial music, so most the bands I like just put their music for free online or ask for whatever donation.

With music, you really just need the songs you like. No need for an album with artwork or any of that. Hey, I sometimes miss those days too.

The music industry just going digital is sadder for me.

Just the download of songs from bands/musicians is a waste, in my opinion. I need to have the full album. I want the artwork, the lyrics, something to physically connect me more to the music than just the download.

A lot of indie musicians/bands still put the albums on vinyl. I'll buy vinyl 100/100 times. The artwork, for the most part is better, and the sound is much better than digital. Plus, most bands give you a free iTunes download so you can have the album for an iPod or whatever gadget to add the songs to. Some, like Wilco used to, will give you the CD and digital download for buying the vinyl. That's like $16 for three versions of the album.

I'll use my record player that records directly to CD and rip the album that way to listen to it in the car. Digital downloads compress the songs too much and the levels are off. Hearing an album off the record player is a more enjoyable experience for my ears.

The blu-ray/dvd thing I couldn't care less about. But when it comes to music, just going digital is a major bummer.

 

[Drtooth]

Only thing that really bugs me about digital download is how do I know if the file doesn't either completely download correctly or gets corrupted I can ask for a refund or get another download? What if I spend this money and for some reason, it doesn't work on my computer? At least with physical, you can always return it. That's the one thing I care about. Plus, having a physical collection means that you can actually hold something. And I'm sure there's going to be the same exact idiotic rights and regulations blocking half the stuff we want, with the same companies that can't be in agreement on it ARE in agreement to stomp out pirates.

I'm sure that all the movies and TV shows you can get can be backed up... but if something happens to your computer, you can lose everything. I'm sure that's what the cloud is for, a massive internet backup... but I'd hate to see that happen.

Still, the fact that we even have Blu-ray disks, which are just a slight improvement on quality (just not the huge jump VHS to DVD was), just smacks of out gotta have it Techno-Sneetch culture. It's only better because it costs more, and less people have it. There is NO call for snobbishly shoving special features on those things to try and squeeze cash out of a slowly dying format.

 

[brkndwnbus]

I still buy TV box sets. I like physically having the item. Plus it helps you lend it to folks who may be interested. My parents don't have Showtime and finally wanted to start on Dexter, so I lent them all 5 seasons currently out on dvd and they ran through them in about 2 weeks. Now they want to start Arrested Development.

I don't know jack about the Cloud, but I'll continue to buy the actual item from a local store.

 

[mr3urious]

I wonder if there's still a market for physical media, and will there still be a market for it in the future despite all the instant gratification digital provides?

 

[CensoredAlso]

I still buy TV box sets. I like physically having the item.

I like physically having the item too, the problem is financial restraints and the planned obsolescence on the DVD/Blu Ray issue. It's all very manipulative.

 

[newsmanfan]

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I collect box sets still. Why load up your hard drive with stuff you're not going to watch 24/7? Save that space for the things you use all the time, dudes. Plus, I'm not privileged enough to afford internet access at home right now, so streaming really isn't an option. And no matter how much of my stuff eventually does go into iCloud or whatever, I still like having a physical backup of the most important-to-me bits. Hey...servers can be hacked, systems go down. Ethereal storage isn't as ghostly as it sounds: it is all still on someone's rack in a gargantuan, power-sucking complex somewhere. Get off the grid -- use your danged flashdrives!

LOVING the term "techno-Sneetch." Would that be star-bellied, then?
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[CensoredAlso]

Why load up your hard drive with stuff you're not going to watch 24/7?

We wouldn't if we had the money for box sets.

 

[newsmanfan]

We wouldn't if we had the money for box sets.

I buy EVERYTHING used. Shelling out for "The Muppets" ahead of time has been a rarity for me!
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[CensoredAlso]

I buy EVERYTHING used. Shelling out for "The Muppets" ahead of time has been a rarity for me!

Even with used prices, I have other things I need to spend my money on.

And we still come back to the Blu Ray player problem.

 

[Drtooth]

LOVING the term "techno-Sneetch." Would that be star-bellied, then?

Indeed they are. Well... the Sneetches who had stars in the first place and took them off when it wasn't exclusive. I know the story is an allegory of racism... but I also find it also has a lot to do with class systems and also how people deal with fashion and fads.

I wonder if there's still a market for physical media, and will there still be a market for it in the future despite all the instant gratification digital provides?

I'm very mixed on the idea...

If physical media means we'll just keep coming up with Blu Ray, Green Ray, 3-D ultraviolet ray stuff that's more and more expensive and more and more exclusive, junk it.

Ideally, I want to see a region free system where anything and everything ever created is available, free or at a fair charge, to watch and or download from every country without and idiotic red tape. If I can get all the rarest international animation programming and movies ever produced, it will be a boon. But we're gonna have the same region exclusiveness and backroom dealings we have now. So that's probably no good.

On the other hand, if there's one thing good about physical media, it's going to stores that actually have things that you can't find at Target or Best Buy. And the best part about those stores isn't the DVD sales, it's the goofy accessories and collectibles these places also sell. More stuff you can't get at Target or Best Buy. I rarely even bought DVD's at FYE, when I was buying toys and other things. We're going to lose a LOT of collectible fun when these stores shutter down forever.

Secondly, you can't get an autographed copy of a .avi file or a book file. That's why I worry about the state of books. No more book signings. More book readers (even comic) appreciate the feel of paper in their hands over a flat screen that looks like paper. I can't read all that much on a computer without my eyes burning.