Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for August 27, 2023

I still play my CDs and by some music on CDs.

The people who pay for music are the reason we still have music.

Spotify pays artists…right? I still buy 8-track tapes…

Word is that at least a third of those kids buying vinyl LPs haven’t anything with which to play them. They just get off on the artifact and supporting their favorite artist.

Touché, Steph.

Last album I bought in the Apple Music store was Best of Phil Harris back in March, and last physical album was the White Room by the KLF, which I then went and ripped into Apple Music.

I’ve debated whether it’s more cost effective to buy than to stream. Depends how much new music you buy I guess. Better for artists if you buy.

I only listen to the songs that annoy my brother.

Vinyl totally sux! I have over 100 LPs, and have no interest in hearing all the clicks, pops, and scratch as they pick up dust and wear. You kids can have em all… for a price… heh heh heh.

Rock on Dude!!!!!

Complete cacophony get sold as music these days.

I prefer Apple Music. It comes with more features such as Apple TV.

I bought CDs, pin me down now.

I own all my music because someday an artist or song might be deemed “problematic” and get removed from the various streaming services. That, and if I was willing to listen to whatever some programmer chose, I’d just tune into FM.

At least he’s not paying for it monthly. And I say this as a Spotify subscriber

I wonder what this group would think of me? I won’t buy music on iTunes since you don’t really own it. I still buy CDs. Heck, I still buy physical copies of movies too.

Everyone whines because concert tickets cost so much. Why? Because artists cannot make a decent living selling the product they produce. They have to make their money from performances and merch sales.

I still buy on iTunes. I don’t know what Spotify even is.

I still buy music too. Support your favorite artists, because Spotify certainly does not.

So buying CDs isn’t cool? I still buy CDs.

I though I saw his hip stir.

I feel like I should be an exhibit at the Old Man Tour, though I probably would not be a good exhibit.

At least I’ll still have the music by whoever pulls their songs from Spotify over legal disputes! :P

Although I’ve never used Spotify, my understanding is that you either have to pay them, or listen to commercials. Is that wrong? I can’t stand being interrupted by commercials.

I don’t know why Dire Straights never released their EP “Twisting By the Pool” on CD.

But they spend $1300 for a Taylor Swift ticket!

It should read “see real LIVE old people.”

I only download mp3. Streaming is too flaky, there are dead zones and weak wi-fi/cell signals.

Some already mentioned upthread having music disappear from your site of choice for legal reasons, but it can go bye-bye simply by not being profitable anymore. Or not ever be there in the first place.

In addition, what do you do during a power failure? On a vacation in an internet dead zone or are just driving when you hit one?

For me personally I can edit my cuts to my heart’s content (in Audacity), ensure I get lossless quality (yes some services are now adding that, but connection quality can still affect it), have the version of the album/song that I prefer (extended editions and bonus tracks), add custom artwork and input in the lyrics…in short since I own it and not some faceless media conglomerate, I am not at their mercy to have irreplaceable albums and songs just vanish on a corporate whim down a black hole.

So kiddies don’t go moaning to Stephen when all that happens to you; you made the deal with the devil, not him, you live with it. My heart just bleeds.

I still have quite a few LPs, and I have my father’s old 78s. I even have a little stereo that will play the 78s.

Vinyl seems to be making something of a comeback, per the internet. My local Walmart carries a selection of sorts. What to play them on remains something of a mystery.

I have a couple Arcade Fire CDs. And quite a few vinyl records back when they cost around $5.

You may have “bought” that album on iTunes but if you think you own something tangible, think again.

Dear Apple…I would like to give my entire iTunes collection, the media that I bought and paid for, to my heirs.

Wah? It’s not allowed?

turns out you “own” these purchases for as long as you live. When you die you leave some ashes or compost, but your iTunes purchase just evaporate.

I have too much music I’ve downloaded from obscure companies in Eastern Europe. MP3s at 320 bps. The next project is going to be to get rid of the stuff I don’t like, which will be about half. I wanted to listen to everything because I didn’t want to miss anything that was really good.

I only buy new albums! (Okay, I mean CDs.) I bought the new Fleet Foxes album last year and still haven’t opened it.80

‘Cool’ is such a puerile concept. Don’t listen to them Stephan.

Go see live music and buy the merch. The best way to support your favorite artist is to buy physical copies (CD or vinyl) at the show.

BOTTOM LINE: IF you like the band or the genre, BUY the music, either on CD or digital download. Spotify pays next to nothing. Yeah, Swift can make money, but I like Metal and Classical and know lots of struggling artists – please pay.

Pastis pays for music, and he doesn’t have tattoos!!!

And here I thought I was “hip” for buying iTunes instead of CDs…sigh…

Putting several hundred CDs on a SSD portable drive, then they go on a shelf in the garage

I still buy all my music and I listen to music all the time.

Was this a pun? I stopped reading.

I still have vinyl albums and lots of 45’s. I’m an 80’s kid, what else can I say?

And when your done with the thing, you just send it skimming into the Pacific from your ocean liner about halfway between San Diego and Honolulu.

What goes around, comes around…(just like a record!)

I buy my music on USB Fire sticks.

If you subscribe to Spotify ad free you’re buying music, well, renting it.

I’ve been buying both LPs and CDs.

Steph? That’s short for Stephanie.

On Spotify the artist gets 0.003 to0.005 per stream ..not a whole lot of money…Spotify gets rich artists suffer….Ticketmaster(ticketbastard) gets rich and the fans get screwed…Capitalism gotta love it

For those like me; “Spotify offers digital copyright restricted recorded audio content, including more than 100 million songs and five million podcasts, from record labels and media companies.8 As a freemium service, basic features are free with advertisements and limited control, while additional features, such as offline listening and commercial-free listening, are offered via paid subscriptions. Users can search for music based on artist, album, or genre, and can create, edit, and share playlists.” – Wiki

tl;dr: you don’t own the album, you rent it until you stop subscribing.

I buy my own music and make my own mixed tapes, cd compilations, and now playlists. No algorithm to narrow my choices based on what i listened to last, and no lost music collection when Spotify go bankrupt.

Last month I got $6.99 for my work on itunes. Yeah!

That’s because Vinyl will never (AND I MEAN NEVER) go out of style

I never thought I’d be pining for the “old days” of CDs. As long as they are made from high-quality masters, I’ll take them any day over vinyl.

Good grief, Cartoon-Boy! And you’re not even really all that old, either!

I haven’t bought music since the first time around that vinyl albums were popular….

Yay! Another Arcade Fire fan. Well, I’m not a big fan, but I’m familiar with their work. On my trip to Yellowstone two years ago, I searched for all the Adult Album Alternative stations on the way to the park. One station played “Everything Now” as I went past. Then the next morning, the cafeteria where I bought breakfast also played the song. These days, it’s strange to be exposed to random music often enough to hear the same song twice.

I kept buying music until I wanted a Nik Kershaw album, but it was only available on streaming. I was already in the middle of a free month of streaming from Amazon, so I kept it. Later I wanted the new Was (Not Was) album but it was available for purchase, not streaming. So I bought it.

I buy my music on physical media. Movies too. I’ve bought an occasional download, but it had to be something I desperately wanted. I still have my vinyl, 8-tracks, some cassettes, and a ton of CDs. And I go to quite a few concerts – support your artists!

With only a few exceptions (thank you YouTube), I have paid for every song I listen to. I’ve also removed Spotify and Pandora from any device on which they were pre-installed. Thanks to endless commercials, I don’t even listen to the radio unless there is a Tornado Warning.

You should see my humongous compact disc collection…

CD’s and only CD’s for me!!Especially classical music.

Pastis is not alone.He should be,but he isn’t.

I still buy CD’s and DVD’s, not as much as I used to. I really miss the CD player in new cars. I know how to stream, do it all the time, but it’s just not the same. I also still have a home phone, and I even leave and listen to voice mail. Guess I belong in the Smithsonian.