Physical Vs. Streaming

[Juggz]

I can't find the thread on this, perhaps it was on MI and died there?

Either way, it looks like HMV is biting the dust (again) and marks another step towards the death of the physical format in any mainstream sense. Not one single kid I know got any CDs or DVDs for xmas. In fact the only person I know who got any was me, thanks to my sis.

I view the content-controllability of an all-streaming future with a deeply cynical eye. Make sure you have a physical copy of whatever it is you like because your ability to watch/listen to whatever it is you want to watch/listen to will be far from assured.

[Hambeast]

I really hate the idea of having a centralised service for music. At the minute there's only a few big streaming services which have the majority of the market (Spotify, iTunes, and maybe YouTube/Amazon/Googleplay). As convenient as they are, I still try to grab a physical copy when I can as I've been scummed over before when I've paid for something and then it gets removed from the library and I lose all access to it. I'm a big fan of Bandcamp as it's simple, allows streaming, but most importantly it gives you a download of the album to keep forever (including lossless!).

Currently I've got all my music copied onto my server which I can access from anywhere. It gives me all the benefits of streaming, but I'm 100% in control of content and availability

[Trev]

I'll only buy cds and the odd vinyl, and download stuff if it's a band I really like and they don't have an option of a physical copy. I'll rip them to my ipod for when I'm out and harddrive for backup though

Having said that I used to have a massive DVD collection that I got rid of to clear up space and I don't really miss it at all, but I just can't see myself doing the same with music

[Anvil]

I only buy physical.  Not into movies so if DVDs stop getting made I'll not worry.

I mostly buy vinyl these days unless the price of the vinyl is rediculously expensive compared to a CD or tape.  When I buy something of Bandcamp I usually wait to the physical product arrives before I even listen to it. I also try and buy as much from my local record shop as well but will use Amazon, EMP etc.  I do use Amazon music as plenty of stuff I've bought over the years is on autorip but wouldn't be surprised if it disappeared in the future.

Personally I don't see physical copies of mainstream metal releases disappearing anytime soon.  There are enough people like me about who want the physical product.

[Juggz]

Ugh. Got this yesterday. This is the equivalent of some cunt pushing a shit CD in your face when you're browsing in a shop.

Hi
I came across your bands page on bandcamp and I think your music is great. The riffs in The Dread are catchy as hell.

I would like to help you get more listeners and fans. I'm a big rock and metal fan, especially the fuzz/stoner/doom stuff. I promote music on the website Reddit, using hundreds of accounts to upvote and push your music ahead of all the other posts, resulting in it being seen and heard by thousands of people each hour. Which can lead to new fans and additions to Spotify playlists etc.

I am willing to let you try the service for free, let me know if you're interested!

Thanks,
Karl

The future is not krieg.

[Eoin McLove]

I think promotion is necessary but there are ways that are acceptable and ways that are not,  in my view.  I was listening to Thergothon the other day on Youtube and the ads between songs are a pain in the hole in general,  but after the first song finished the ad that came on was a full fucking song from another metal band! Bands who think that that kind of advertising is a good idea are the enemy. Long live CDs,  tapes and vinyl.

[Juggz]

I agree entirely, there are ways of doing things when it comes to music promotion. Spamming people who don't want to hear you isn't one of them. I'm far more likely to go out of my way not to listen to a band who indulge in that kind of shite.

[leatherface]

Still prefer physical copies of music although vinyl nowadays can be expensive (don't remember it always being that way). I still buy CDs ( and the odd cassette) not because I think I'm cool or kvlt but because it's an instinct thing from belonging to a generation where there were record shops everywhere, no streaming. You bought albums or borrowed them off a mate. To each his own though.

[Juggz]

Grim reading for physical, and not the cool, frostbitten kind of grim

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-46735093

[Hambeast]

Does it effect smaller underground bands who do small runs as much as it effects bigger mainstream bands?

I'm much more likely to pick up an album from a gig or directly from the band online than I am to go to HMV and buy a Metallica CD for £16

[Emphyrio]

I've drastically reduced my buying of CDs, especially as the car doesn't have a cd player. Can't bring myself to go down the streaming route though.  As I do most of my listening in the car, I've become a fan  of making playlists/best-ofs for the MP3 player. Of course it's not the same as listening to an album properly and physically holding it but I suppose it's not bad either.

Rightly or wrongly, I can't bring myself to become a paying subscriber of Spotify etc.  I feel if I'm paying for music, I should have a physical product, if only to rip it for MP3 purposes.

[Juggz]

Does it effect smaller underground bands who do small runs as much as it effects bigger mainstream bands?

I'm much more likely to pick up an album from a gig or directly from the band online than I am to go to HMV and buy a Metallica CD for £16

If the mainstream disappears, most of the CD plants will follow and the distributors won't be far behind. They'll become a niche item (far more than they already are), more expensive to manufacture and without the ritual appeal of records to justify the additional expense.

Rightly or wrongly, I can't bring myself to become a paying subscriber of Spotify etc.  I feel if I'm paying for music, I should have a physical product, if only to rip it for MP3 purposes.

Likewise. I see Spotify as organised crime, to be honest. If I go non-physical, it's only from bandcamp.

[Hambeast]

Smaller runs of CDs are basically CD-Rs, so it'll always be cheap enough to burn your own at home. I get your point though.

Could still be a while yet anyway. Tapes are fairly dead, but they're still dirt cheap to make and it's not too hard to find somewhere to get them done.

[astfgyl]

It is painful to witness the death of the concept of ownership

[Paul keohane]

I went over to the dark side a number of years ago,Spotify is my music life now.
Life changed,kids came along,just didnt have the room for physical music anymore.