just curious how you guys handle all of this in these confusing times. i just started listening to leaks recently and so far, i have purchased the records when they are released if i like them out of some combination of ocd and morality, presumably more of the former. however, i am starting to wonder what the point is given that by the time it comes out, i have grown tired of it in most cases. sometimes i try to not listen much to the leak or ignore it completely, but still the record feels old the second i buy it.

I d/l a ton. I havent really grasped the concept of paying for MP3's, as for me, they are nothing more then a trial....If i like the music, i still want a physical copy....I don't think that will ever change...But it's good to be able to live with the record via MP3's for a while as i decide.

I very rarely listen to leaks. Hell, I barely download anything anymore. I think I'm actually having more fun blindly throwing money at things. When it hits it feels better.

oh to have the money to blindly throw around, it's simple for me, I like music, I can't afford to buy very much music right now so I down load it

the thing that is putting me over the edge is a copy of neon bible purchased over 2 weeks ago still in shrink wrap. it's possible that it will never take a single spin in a player.

It's more than that. I used to download tons of crap off Usenet. Gobs and gobs at time. But it cheapens the whole batch. Having whatever you could possibly want at your fingertips cheapens the experience and lessens the value not only of what you download but the time you put into it.

If I go buy something that sounds or looks interesting, I'm gonna put more time into if I paid for it. I won't force myself to like something (shakes fist at Ry Cooder), but I won't go grabbing everything within arms reach willy nilly either.

this is a growing problem among people who get leaks many months before releases. by the time of the release, they're saying, "oh, i've heard that. whatever." i don't think i've been at all shy on this board about discussing the absolute joy of tuesday record shopping of my youth, anticipating long-awaited albums/gratification upon release, and the notion of putting money toward a worthwhile product made by someone who deserves/needs it.

on the other hand, record sales amount to so little in an artist's pocket that i'm beginning to sway more toward the "listen to a leak and if it's good, go see the band and buy their merch" side. (of course, this is easier for me than most because i live in a large metropolitan area that nearly every touring band comes through.) it benefits the artist more than buying an album and gives the listener a new sense of what they're really like. with anyone being capable of doing nearly anything in the studio, i'm finding the live performance to be where bands/singers make or break for me.

Yeah.

I still download a decent amount, but a lot of it never gets listened to. When I buy something, I'm committed to listen to it a minimum number of times even if I hate it.

I may have to start downloading more once I get married. Or I could just start listening to all that shit I've acquired over the last few years that hasn't got more than one or two plays.

I understand what you mean, there are things that I have downloaded that I rarely listen to. Also since my computer is macintosh It seems to be incompatiable with all of the downloading programs out there so really the only things that I download come from this site, which still comes out to be a decent amount anyways.

I never waste my hard earned money any more.

So far i have a solid 7 records that i have purchased with 4 pre-ordered.

I buy vinyl copies if i can and then cd if i have to. For some reason i am awful looking after discs but give the vinyl a lot of respect.

Most of my downloading is for stuff that's moldy and rickety, like acts that broke up in 1987 and whatnot.

For instance I just downloaded "A TV Guide In The Olduvai Gorge" by The Balancing Act and am now downloading "Godlike Porpoise Head Of Blue Eyed Mary" by The Donner Party and "Here Comes That Train Again" from Long Ryders and "Who's A Goofy Bunny Then" from Adam & The Ants.

I make mixes with new songs, but nowhere near as much as pre-millenium stuff.

Morally, I deal with it by realizing most of the acts I download would have next to no longevity without fans like me tracking their stuff down and then telling other people about it.

If you limit listener access regarding musical has-beens, once-weres, never-weres and won't-bes to just official label channels you kill 9/10ths of their cult status.

I download incessantly but it's usually just three tracks off an album to decide whether or not it would be something I like. If I like them, I add the album to my shopping list. If I don't, I delete them, no harm done.

I rarely download leaks. Unless it's something I'm very excited about (Joanna Newsom, eels, Magnetic Fields) or something that I'm afraid is going to suck (Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, Metric). Then, same thing. If I like, I add to the list. If I don't, I delete.

The only full albums I download without intent to purchase are either, a) albums I once owned but don't anymore, or b) guilty-pleasure type-albums. Albums that I don't mind listening to once in a while (Cake, Third Eye Blind, Goo Goo Dolls, other bands from when I was in junior high), but could never justify actually spending money on.

I download tons, I also pay for tons of shows, t-shirts, records, dvds, posters, and anything else that will help a band make money.

I haven't actually bought a lot of the new releases this year, but I've been to a lot of shows...the universe will balance out.

I don't really care about owning the physical product, so I'm as digital as possible these days...but the only way I can get DRM-free music from the major labels is to purchase a CD...so fuck'em...if they're gonna be diffcult, I'm gonna keep my CD purchases to minimum...get on the eMusic train (or something equivalent) and my listening would involve much more legally purchased music

but there's no way that's gonna happen any time soon, so I'm gonna keep on truckin for now

I haven't bought anything from them, but http://www.downloadpunk.com/ advertises 100% DRM Free Downloads. If you bang around there's more than just Epitaph type stuff on there. I think there are a couple Warren Zevon albums, and I know The Wrens were on there.

i download a lot of stuff and about 60% of it barely gets listened to. i really need to go through all the music on my computer and decide whether to keep or trash it.

if i really like an album, i'll buy a hard copy of it. or go see them live.

i have issues about paying for something like night ripper though.

Well put fu...dl'ing is a trap. I rarely do it outside emusic which I primarily use for stuff I want to hear but don't think i'd pay full retail for and blogs for out of print rarities. Even limiting myself that way, the dl's don't get near the attention the purchases do.

Ditto, it's how I determine which ones I'll buy. In a sense, it's no different than going to a listening station at a shop.

Ive started purchasing a lot of stuff, sort of in a completist way. Trying to find good deals on old stuff to re-stock my collection. It doesnt make me feel any better about downloading, per se, but Ive found that I really like having CD's again.

I've been downloaded less and less recently. I've come to rely on just what is available on Obner. I'll always buy physical copies of something I like, and if it's a highly anticipated album for me, I'll try to only listen to the leak a few times as to not wear it out before it's release.

The only exception to that so far this year is the Andrew Bird album, I've listened to that a ton.

I also have a hard time getting most albums on their actual release day. I like buying from a local indie store, but it's a long drive from my house. I have to make a monthly trip down to my work, which is right by there. So I usually pick up a month's worth of releases at once.

i would say i download 2-3 albums a week...is that a lot? i buy probably 2-3 cds a month. i'd say more than 50% of those purchases are direct from the artist at a show or through mail order. i also bought a good number of pop punk 7"s last year, and plan on doing it again at Insub Fest this year.

i would consider myself a picky listener though, especially if i'm making a mix. i do my research in mags, on here, at allmusic. sometimes i just go for the highlight tracks to see if the act is worth my time. i guess i'm anal about my music collection, even in digital form on my computer. i keep track of d/ls, keep the gems, and delete anything that isn't mix worthy.

I take as much free music as possible. And buy what I can, on vinyl. Can't resist. I would buy more if I looked harder and found what I need. I've always loved record/CD shopping, since I was a little kid downtown with my dad, but I find a lot of frustration finding records now in town. I've never bought an mp3, and don't even like ordering music online. I don't really like the CD.

Right. If I never had access to free downloading, I wouldn't listen to 90% of what I do today. I'd still just be listening to whatever they played on the radio and I'd probably have a collection full of Three Days Grace and Billy Tallent.

God bless the guy who invented Napster.