I stupidly miss buying music

Posted by Mackheath1@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 217 comments

Currently I have Youtube premium (some people have spotify, etc), which lets me listen to virtually any album that exists, at any time I want. Great - truly. But there was something exciting about saving and getting that CD or even buying the album as mp3s that I kinda miss. Even burning a copy from a friend was exciting. I say stupidly, because CDs were idiotic and obviously designed to easily be scratched or broken so you'd have to get a new one. Also, paying all that money for one or two songs usually. But you'd get the liner notes and pictures and things, and it seemed more tangible. I've since digitized all my CDs and donated them out.

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217 Comments

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agentkolter@reddit

I still do! It's just exclusively vinyl now. I still have a lot of my old CDs but I never play them any more. I never bought MP3s, something just seemed weird about buying music that wasn't in physical media form. The problem with relying exclusively on streaming services like Spotify is that at any time, the record label or artist can pull their music off the platform for any number of reasons, and you can't listen to it any more. I have Spotify playlists with some tracks "greyed out" because the music isn't available any more. That's really annoying, and not a problem you face if you have the music in physical form. It's yours to listen to forever, as long as you keep the media in good shape.

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Skyblacker@reddit

Rip your CD collection to mp3. Then you can play it on the same devices you'd stream with. My mp3 collection is on my laptop and a microSD card in my smartphone. I could also put the collection on a USB thumb drive to play on my smart TV, which has a USB input. My blu-ray player does too, now that I think of it.

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numb3r5ev3n@reddit

Yup. I never bought into the "you'll own nothing and like it" bs.

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ApeksPredator@reddit

Right? Cuz we all need endless piles of random shit to take with us to the afterlife. Humans and their shiny trinkets.

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numb3r5ev3n@reddit

You say that now, but it just makes me think that you've never had the experience of something you liked becoming "lost media" after a period of time.

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twirlerina024@reddit

>The problem with relying exclusively on streaming services like Spotify is that at any time, the record label or artist can pull their music off the platform for any number of reasons I've started buying DVDs/Blu Rays again after getting through half a movie, going to finish it the next night, and finding it had been pulled from the streaming service. Also for some older/obscure movies, physical media is the only way to watch them now.

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Melonary@reddit

Same. There are some shows that I literally can't find now because they weren't ever on DVD and can't be found streaming...it's so obnoxious.

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anordinarylie@reddit

Yes, dogma is definitely one. I have read somewhere that Kevin Smith refuses to let it stream because he doesn't want any money going to weinsteins at all. But you can watch it on YouTube in full. https://youtu.be/dIbqEE6YI7Y

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Melonary@reddit

Nice 👍

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compunctionfunction@reddit

Yay for Kevin Smith!

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Active_Storage9000@reddit

Same on both the vinyl and DVD fronts. I've lost so many good shows and music to licensing shenanigans, it's nice to own physical copies of things again.

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ommnian@reddit

We never got rid of our DVD/Blu Ray collection. Mostly because of losing power. We have continued to collect them, primarily through the Goodwill/Thrift Stores for $1-3 a pop.

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chaoticpix93@reddit

You can find them used on amazon for that or even less sometimes.

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deltronethirty@reddit

Blu ray came with our minivan. It's now my mobile movie palace for years now.

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chaoticpix93@reddit

I have DVD’s for the same reason! I will have a movie I want to watch but it’s not streaming anywhere…

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amayain@reddit

This happened to me while watching MASH. Got to the last season and halfway through that, Netflix (i think) pulled it. In my mind, they all made it back home, safe and sound, with no PTSD and no chickens were harmed in the process.

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Ludakyz@reddit

I'm going back to buying them as well. It's nice being able to stream, especially on the go, but I want that backup option because I don't care what it is, im not following anything across multiple services just to keep watching.

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MutationIsMagic@reddit

Hell yes. This is essential.

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ommnian@reddit

I keep contemplating starting a real vinyl collection. I just worry about my husbands' reaction... Also, I'd have to buy/setup a vinyl player and that would require space... as well as space for all the vinyl in the house... and yeah. I worry about his questioning my sanity.

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agentkolter@reddit

I get that it's daunting if you're first starting out. I started collecting records when I was in college over 20 years ago, buying used ones on the cheap. Then it just sort of morphed into the way I preferred listening to music. I can't imagine my living room *without* my records and turntable! Buying vintage 70s/80s gear through Facebook marketplace is what I'd recommend if you want an affordable beginner setup. You can get some great quality (and great looking!) stereo equipment that way and not go broke.

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ommnian@reddit

I actually still have my dads old turn table, tucked away underneath our bed, along with at least some of his old records... I just have to find space for it. I \*think\* it could hook up to our existing sound system in the living room... it's more finding somewhere to display the vinyls themselves that's the problem. They too are currently tucked away under our bed. And vinyls are so damned \*big\*. Let alone if I started buying/collecting \*more\*?!? Yeah...

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chaoticpix93@reddit

Kallax from Ikea is great!

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GoatTnder@reddit

[Go for CDs instead!](https://www.reddit.com/r/Xennials/comments/1bketwq/xennial_pro_tip_buy_a_cd_player_for_your_home/) They're cheaper to buy, less fragile, easier to play, and a cheap CD player will work just as well as a fancy one.

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imadork1970@reddit

Bluray/dvd players also play CDs.

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Suns_In_420@reddit

That's when we go back to the other past time of our youth, sailing the high seas.

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paradisetossed7@reddit

Reading a book while incense burns and I'm in comfy pants and a vinyl is playing is my best way to spend a Sunday. And getting the vinyl brings a similar rush as buying that CD from KMart with my mom's money.

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JeFX@reddit

> I never bought MP3s, something just seemed weird about buying music that wasn't in physical media form. For a while, MP3.com was amazing! They sent you a cheap CD that works in a player AND had .mp3 files on it if you put it into the computer for what ever band you bought from. It was great! Had tons of indie metal bands and all kinds of punk. The early internet had some gems!

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Pluckypato@reddit

I kept my laptop form 08, my second generation iPod and only buy music cds and rare ones if they’re still around. Something about organizing and managing the music you listen to manually is satisfying lol.

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Justice_Prince@reddit

>The problem with relying exclusively on streaming services like Spotify is that at any time, the record label or artist can pull their music off the platform for any number of reasons, and you can't listen to it any more. Doctor Steel fans learned this lesson recently.

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Hetjr@reddit

Heck yeah on the vinyl! I wish they all would include free downloads, too. To be honest, i would probably not even use them lol. Unless maybe yeah if they got taken off streaming.

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Melonary@reddit

This is why I've never paid a cent to spotify. I dl pretty much all of my music off of youtube, or rip from cds if I happen to have them. I don't mind paying for music, but I'd rather get a record or a cd from the artist's website and support them directly vs. spotify to rent music for another month.

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bepr20@reddit

people "bought" mp3s? lol.

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agentkolter@reddit

Oh yeah. Remember the iTunes store? Back in the 2000s when people carried around iPods.

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bepr20@reddit

oh yeah thats right. I didn't think anyone actually bought them, versus just pirate.

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agentkolter@reddit

I used to pirate them until my favorite torrent site, Oink, was taken down. I liked that one because you could find more older, obscure music for whatever reason. After that disappeared I pretty much stopped pirating music. That was an odd couple years around 2008-2009 because streaming wasn't a thing yet, vinyl was starting to become more popular but still wasn't being produced in large numbers, so most artists were still selling CDs at their shows. So my collection became fragmented between what I already had on MP3 and the new stuff I was buying in physical form.

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Unlucky-Discussion51@reddit

We *absolutely* bought them. Learned my lesson after a virus from Limewire installed like 16 simultaneous windows of porn onto my PC.

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bepr20@reddit

yeah limewire turned to shit. I guess the technical hurdles pushed many to purchase.

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SideStreetHypnosis@reddit

I used eMUSIC.

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Moxie_Stardust@reddit

eMusic was cool, IIRC they had kind of a buffet plan, didn't they?

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SideStreetHypnosis@reddit

I honestly don’t recall. I just remember getting free credits and then realizing they had some interesting releases.

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Ultimate_Whorrior@reddit

I worked with a dude who had a staggeringly huge library on iTunes he purchased, around 3,000 songs. He gave me access to it, and at the time it was amazing.

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bepr20@reddit

I think my MP3 colllection, all pirated, was close to a million at peak. Then things like spotify came out and I stopped caring. Though I do have a sizeable collection of lossless tracks on my media NAS, its kinda pointless as sonos will compress it either way.

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Fun_Chef134@reddit

I did the same. I always felt the best way to support the artists I liked was to go to their show, maybe buy a tshirt. Then the pandemic hit and there were no shows. So, I started collecting vinyl. We have a great record store in town and I stop in for used and new albums. There’s a bar there, so I bring the kids, get them a pop and myself a beer and we will look for records we like while we sip on our drinks. It’s like being transported to a Warehouse from a better dimension lol

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CoLe_PaLmeR_FC@reddit

I got into ITunes early after the Napster debacle and have a massive library that I have zero rights over. It’s shitty.

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painefultruth76@reddit

I don't miss buying an album for one good song, or getting a censored, truncated or abridged version.

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CurrentTheme16@reddit

The stupidest thing i ever did was get rid of my CD collection. I'm slowly getting it built back up but it'll never be the same bc I had tons of advanced copies of stuff from working at Borders. Ahh those were the days.

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The68Guns@reddit

I used to blow my full lunch hour at record stores like Newbury Comics or Tower Records. I remember massive posters for upcoming stuff from Iced Earth, Jewel or The Cranberries.

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Jfonzy@reddit

This is the best time to buy used CDs. Do it now, because a couple things are happening right now: * After a solid decade of streaming, people who remember owning physical music are starting to feel the same way you do. * Vinyl has collector prices now- not worth paying if you just want to own and listen. * Used CDs are cheap and plentiful (for now) * Once you start listening to and enjoying the tangibility of CDs again, finding great (and usually cheap) used audio equipment, and hunting down CDs in thrift stores/yard sales/flea markets/auctions, you will find yourself settling for streaming only when you have to.

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Silocin20@reddit

CDs no, but I do have DVDs and Blue Ray. Movies are much harder to come by on streaming services, especially older ones. I love Spotify, all my music in one place. I don't have to worry about it getting scratched, stolen, broken, or forgotten about. Not to mention the money I'm saving, with the collection of music I have I would be broke if it was all in CD format, and a lot of the music I have isn't sold in stores. Also, now when an album comes out you don't have to buy the album just for one or two songs. Now if they can do this for movies I'll be really excited.

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JeddHampton@reddit

I break it down into two parts. It's not really the buying the CD or cassette or record that you are missing. The first part is the ritual. I firmly believe that people enjoy rituals even though they often hate going through them. They are usually remembered fondly. Going to the record store, looking through everything, picking out one to three purchases, and then finally getting to enjoy them is a ritual. It's the exact thing that people who miss Blockbuster are talking about. They don't miss the renting of movies. They miss the ritual attached to it. The other part to it is probably the bigger part. Music was much more scarce. The 12-ish songs on a disc were huge. They represent a much larger part to access of listening then as compared to now. I can clearly think of a single song that I couldn't find streaming (a cover of [*Turn Downed for What* by Upon a Burning Body feat. Ice-T](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RqsSXXL_1w)) which is now on YouTube, so it is probably available now. We have access to more than we can ever have time to consume through streaming services. That was impossible before. The symbolism of the physical media is gone, and with that, the ritual also loses almost all meaning.

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Firm-Ring9684@reddit

Listen I know it's dumb too. But sometimes you miss that experience of going somewhere, spending the day there and discovering some new music because the cover art caught your eye or something. It seemed more of an event. I don't know.

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wxguy215@reddit

I've made the decision to start buying DVD or Blu-ray again. This way I don't have to rely on which streaming place has a movie or show. If I want it, I have it. I won't do it with everything, but it's there if I want to.

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TechnicalEntry@reddit

Don’t forget 4K blu-ray exists. Best image and sound quality possible, way higher bit rate than streaming. PS5 and Xbox One Series X can play them, you don’t need a new blu-ray player.

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JessicaBecause@reddit

Buying a player is probably cheaper, no?

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TechnicalEntry@reddit

They are, but I was just reminding people of the fact a game console they might already own can play them.

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throwaway04072021@reddit

This is what I do, too. If it's something worth watching/listening to regularly, I own a physical copy because you don't need to subscribe to a service or depend on having internet access for entertainment.

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Tiny-Reading5982@reddit

Yes this is true. Streaming has gotten out of hand . There used to be maybe 3 main services now there are at least 10.

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OutcomeLegitimate618@reddit

It's almost like you *had* to listen to the full album. Then you would find great songs that weren't the singles you bought the album for. The way we just pick and choose these days, we miss out on a ton of stuff. Also, no hidden tracks anymore. It's not stupid to miss that, it's just real.

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JessicaBecause@reddit

Most importantly! The streaming quality is ass-tastic. I'm sorry this era of music's quality has taken a massive nose dive in sound. Yet, people don't know you can buy mp3 and even upload your own music to your device...granted if you still had a cd drive. The amount of clueless conversations Ive had with people completely unaware that you dont need spotify to listen to music. Its scary....

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jennhoff03@reddit

I miss it, too!! I tried to buy the latest Ed Sheeran album and you CAN'T. Amazon wants you to sign up for their music subscription, Apple wants you to sign up for their music subscription, Spotify wants you to sign up for their music subscription, etc. I literally couldn't just buy the album. It's insanity.

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imadork1970@reddit

I still buy music. 2100+ CDs now.

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methodtan@reddit

I’ve been collecting cds again for 5 yrs. I go thrifting on my lunch break in hopes I find a banger or rare album that I can go home and spend the night listening to and looking up the story of the album or this band at that point in their discography. Or a live cd of a band that takes me back to my younger days, of a show I would’ve killed to gone back in time and been at, or a band I’ve never given a chance. It’s basically a concert experience. Don’t need VR, just a solid boombox or old stereo.

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luke15chick@reddit

There was excitement, anticipation, it was a whole experience, from getting in your car to drive there, looking at the other music in the store, buying it. Bringing it home, putting it in, turning up from the volume and being so enthusiastic as the first song begins.

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ANightmateofBees@reddit

Don't forget the listening rooms. They were small and cramped, yeah, but there was something special about checking out the tracks in there, essentially surrounded by other folks exploring their musical options.

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Fun_Constant_6863@reddit

I miss listening rooms!

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rob132@reddit

Same experience but swap for blockbuster video.

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Fun_Constant_6863@reddit

Every new way of listening to music makes the last "stupid"... but I've seen too many websites/apps come and go to have that much faith in digital music. I listen to digital music all the time, but I have a decent number of cd's and vinyl. I don't buy just anything in a physical format, but if I like something or am excited by it- or run into something I won't likely run into again, I'll buy it.

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TheRealXlokk@reddit

I have a CD player in my car and a decent sound system hooked up to my Blu-Ray player. I still like to create mix CDs. It's fun to select the songs and their order. The limitation of the CD runtime can actually help keep it interesting. I've even gotten into "mastering" CDs in Audacity. I'll normalize the volume on each song to the same level so I'm not constantly having to adjust the volume. Then I adjust all the songs in a single track so the outro of one song overlaps the intro of the next song because I don't like "dead air" while I'm driving. Finally, I assign the track end points and burn it to a disc. Obviously, this is going above and beyond. But, I've found it gets me much more invested in the mix/CD. That first listen from beginning to end is quite satisfying.

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KantanaBrigantei@reddit

Go vinyl. It’s expensive, but you get the feeling back.

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420medicineman@reddit

My 11 year old just asked for and got a CD player because her friend had one and she thought it was the coolest thing ever that you could actually physically own music on a physical thing. It totally blew her mind.

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lizbunbun@reddit

CD section at the thrift shop is always worth a look

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imhereforthevotes@reddit

Haha, a friend's kid just did this. He has like three CDs and IIRC two of them are Depeche Mode.

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moriginal@reddit

Taylor swifts entire album was played on the radio this weekend. Just one song after another the entire thing. I was with my mom and actually commented to her that I missed the old days when there was a radio song but it’s job was to entice you to buy the album to find out what’s on the rest. Hearing the entire album in one go felt .. wrong to me. I didn’t get to fall in love with any song.

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pawned79@reddit

My wife and I bought all three Stranger Things LPs for the holidays this year. There were so many LPs available that genuinely wanted.

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Half_A_Beast_333@reddit

I miss buying a new CD from a band I barely heard of. Not liking it on the first listen, but kept listening to it cause I spent good money on it. Then after 3-4 times through growing to love the band.

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Ambitious_Mind_747@reddit

I was just thinking this same thing while waiting in line for music store day. There's just something so cool and exciting about actually owning an album from your favorite artist. I picked up the new Pearl Jam album on vinyl and was so psyched when I got home and found there was a booklet with artwork and lyrics inside. It brought me right back to being a kid listening to CD's on my Sony walkman while reading the booklet that would come with CD's back then. It was like falling in love with music all over again. Plus don't even get me started on the difference in sound quality. I didn't realize how I had gotten so used to the shitty sound of compressed audio files through Spotify. Especially with vinyl the sound is so much bigger and more rich than what you get through streaming platforms nowadays.

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JeFX@reddit

MP3.com was amazing! They sent you a cheap CD that works in a player AND had .mp3 files on it if you put it into the computer. Ive since started to re-download all the new music since if the internet is out... no Spotify.

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robindownes@reddit

Bandcamp. And specifically Bandcamp Fridays. But then you'll find you want a server. Like Plex or Jellyfin. Then you'll realize you want all of your media, and more, on your one-stop server and you can head over to r/datahoarders

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Distinct-Ad-267@reddit

I loved going to Boarders and listen to the music. It was like this sneak pick of what you’re buying. Also, the CD clubs. Where you spend x amount monthly and get 5 or so CDs to listen to. Then send them or keep them. My dad did this and I loved helping him pick CDs

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doorman666@reddit

I still buy CD's, albeit not at the rate I used to. Most bands I like aren't really in the "pop hits" category, so usually most of the album is quality. Also, CD's sound better than streaming, and aren't that hard not to destroy. I still have stuff I bought in the early 90's that are fine.

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pug_fugly_moe@reddit

Last time I saw Opeth, I bought the CDs because I didn’t have them yet. When I did, the dude at the table thanked me for buying music. It’s come to this. And I *LOVE* CDs. They sound great, are easy to use, never degrade, and it’s mine forever.

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JohnBrine@reddit

Back in college, I bought a lot of vinyl. Half Price in Austin was a fucking goldmine and back then even really awesome stuff was dirt cheap.

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Mackheath1@reddit (OP)

I've just moved back to Austin - where's the place to go these days?

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Sweet_Bang_Tube@reddit

End of An Ear Breakaway I guess Waterloo, but that's where all the tourists go.

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Mackheath1@reddit (OP)

Just got back from there at your recommendation (End of an Ear). Felt great. Even walked around that neighborhood a bit while the rush hour traffic was doing its thing on the highway. Thanks!

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Sweet_Bang_Tube@reddit

🤘

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JohnBrine@reddit

I used to go to the Half Price down south on Lamar. We used to sometimes find records at Cheapo which was also on Lamar. Haven’t lived there in 20 years so who know if those places are still around.

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NefariousLlamas@reddit

I get it. BUT. I can listen to so many more artists now.

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CLUTCH3R@reddit

It's still for sale

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NoPart1344@reddit

I feel you. I stupidly miss buying video games. I remember the huge pc game boxes and the smell of console cartridges.

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Consistent-Ad-6506@reddit

I miss it too, I’m thinking about buying a CD player for all my old cds.

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KingFumbles@reddit

My great aunt died in 1985 when I was 8 and we inherited her records and I've been buying records since the early 90s. I have over 2,500 now. Best Buy was some kingdom of CDs for a while for me but I don't listen to CDs that much but I still play records from the hoard regularly. Buying cassette tapes was some massively exciting thing for a while too.

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norrain13@reddit

Not me, I'm glad to have no physical media now. I have binders full of old CDs that I can't bring myself to throw out, but I will never listen or rip them like I always planned on doing. I do need to get the record player out, thats a good idea u/agentkolter doubles as decor, records look cool.

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MilesDyson0320@reddit

Where is BMG these days?

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NothingAndNow111@reddit

I miss that feeling of coming home with a new CD and being really excited to hear what the rest of the album sounded like, and b sides on singles, etc. I don't miss the feeling of realising you wasted £13 on a new band's album that had one good song (the only one that had been played) and the rest was gash. That annoyed the shit out of me.

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HereInTheRuin@reddit

this is why I still buy CD and vinyl. An album is much more than just the music to me I stream Spotify in the car just because it's easier. But if I'm at home, all physical media❤️

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MlsterFlster@reddit

I still buy CDs. I own them and Apple or whoever can't take them away from me.

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SyddySquiddy@reddit

I have a massive CD collection and I’m still adding to it 😆😉 NEVER SURRENDER!

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KaiWaiWai@reddit

We had a beautiful, small World Of Music store in our city. No instruments, only CD's, even some vinyl. It was tiny, like a shoebox, kinda dark, with CD's up the walls, in the middle of the room, every inch was full with music. It was always full to the brim. You had to lock in your bag before going in. You couldn't leave without going through the detectors either. There was no space. There was just one line and you had to go through it. But it never bothered anyone. I spent most of my afterschool time there. Then they moved into a huge place, very bright. there was nothing cozy about it anymore. Foot traffic dropped drastically. Not surprising, you just didn't feel welcome. It was just a store now. I think it went out of business a year later.

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bachwerk@reddit

I buy stuff on Bandcamp (the most money into the artist’s pocket), and if it’s not there I might use iTunes. There’s something about streaming that felt like I wasn’t getting to know artist so much as graze them at a big buffet

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MzHartz@reddit

Pulling off the cellophane, sitting on the floor next to the stereo, listening to the album and checking out the artwork and liner notes. Even doing something mindless like playing solitaire or Tetris while listening just because I have to be doing something, but I still want to immerse myself in the music. The only album I've done anything close to that with lately has been the Tool album. Still, I brought it up on streaming, so not the same. But it's still a good album to listen from start to finish while doing "nothing."

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Zeqhanis@reddit

If they're not artists who have pop singles written for them, the whole album is usually good. I've only bought maybe one CD in the last decade and that's because it was an import and the only extant rips were low quality, plus I wanted to support the band. Something that's unfortunate about moving away from an album format aside from not being able to own it, is that songs which are released staggered tend to be written to appeal to a singles format, rather than having diverse BPMs and moods, specific tracks in a specific order. I'm hearing fewer albums which are put together to be listened to with songs as parts of a whole.

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failtothrive@reddit

I listen primarily on Apple Music - and listen more widely than ever. For the newer albums I love, I still buy a physical copy since streaming doesn’t pay the artist anything. It helps that my car has a cd player.

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Melonary@reddit

I also hate that less artists make cohesive albums now - seems like there's more of a focus on singles that'll hit well, and honestly I miss those underrated B-side gems. And even when they do exist I definitely find I'm less likely to notice them if I'm not physically listening to a disc.

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Melonary@reddit

I still do it - I buy records and cds, typically used which makes it cheaper. Also cds are still super cheap and available used (at least where I live) so I've gotten probably like \~150 of '90s and early '00s cds over the last 2 years dirt cheap. Also other eras, but I've been feeling nostalgic! You can also get USB DVD/CD drives and burn cds if you use mp3 or have digital media. I use a very small non-installation program to dl songs off of youtube.

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Sweet_Bang_Tube@reddit

Stupidly? That seems kind of harsh. I love buying music, I love having a physical copy and all the art and context that comes with it. My husband and I are opening up a record store in the small-ish town we live in. We're also working a record convention in the coming weeks, where people sell everything from cassettes to vinyl to CDs. Folks who like to collect and who have memories of physical media are beyond stoked that these mediums are coming back in "style". It's even popular for people who are too young to have their own memories of physical media. I've just come to hate subsciprtion style \*everything\*, albums I've purchase access to getting pulled anytime for any reason or no reason, not being able to access things if I don't have an internet connection... everyone has their own reasons. I'm happy to live in time where I can enjoy music and movies in a hybrid style - I can buy things, own things, stream things... it's pretty neat!

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U4icN10nt@reddit

Honestly I have very mixed feelings about the "streaming" thing... I do love physical media for all the reasons being discussed here, and tbh I do genuinely hate that it feels like everything is moving toward a subscription model... to the point where products that used to be "buy once and own it forever" are now "pay me every month and you get to use it." Double that when it comes to something like software (looking at you, Adobe) and even features on modern vehicles. Yeah, fuck that noise. That being said, I'm honestly a big fan of TV streaming, and the last couple years I have been streaming music as well... TV doesn't seem like as big of a deal, because that's basically a replacement for the cable TV model, which was always a subscription service anyway. And in this case it's a cheaper version, with fewer ads. That makes it, IMHO, **pro**-consumer rather than anti. And sure, owning your favorite movies and shows on DVD Blu-ray etc is preferable... but that's also a **much** more expensive endeavor. I can throw Netflix 10 and watch TV 24 hours a day all month long and never run out of new stuff... or I could use that money to buy 1 DVD. If even. lol And long term that 1 DVD at a time is probably a better "investment" but until I've spent enough to build a collection, I'm seriously lacking entertainment. So streaming is way better and more convenient if you're on a tight budget, which I kinda am... Music on the other hand... I like the idea of "renting" my music far less... however the reason I gave in on that one is pure convenience. I used to have a respectable cd collection, accumulated over years... But somewhere in the mid 2000s I started going digital. And that worked okay for a while, but even tho carrying and moving mp3s is way easier than a stack of CDs, it still got to be a bit of a pain in the ass. Especially when I went from carrying around a dedicated mp3 player, to trying to just run mp3s off my phone. I suddenly found I was eating up a huge chunk of my phone storage, just trying to carry like 1/4 of my favorite music around. (What can I say, I like A LOT of music, and my ADHD ass can get bored easily lol) Anyway I was getting kind of annoyed with that whole thing... and that's when those slick bastards at Amazon reeled me in lol Being a fan of TV streaming I had a prime account... and I noticed that Amazon was actually offering a "free" tier of Amazon music for prime members. It's a greatly reduced catalog from their full service.... but there's still a lot of good stuff there, and what the hell I'm already paying for prime right? So I start using that at the gym, and end up really liking the convenience factor. ... until I run into a song I can't play because that song is only available in their "unlimited" plan... which is like another $7-8 (more expensive if you're not a prime member tho lol) Anyway after realizing a few of my favorite albums / artists are paywalled, I decide to give it a shot... and tbh I've barely looked back. Their interface kinda sucks and the app is prone to crashing (and I almost switched to Spotify a few times -- get your shit together, Amazon) but tbh I've barely looked back. The rare time I can't find what I want to play on there, I usually just YouTube it lol ... of course, if I happen to find myself without an Internet connection, I'm suddenly having a real bad time. So that's a pretty huge drawback. But other than that I've really loved the convenience. I do kinda miss making mix CDs tho... 😂 Anyway good luck with the store. If I can ever stop being quite so broke, I'll probably start collecting physical media again. But for now I'm still working on that one... lol

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I_kwote_TheOffice@reddit

If you're opening a record store it seems obvious that you would hate streaming. That's kind of neat. I co-opened a LAN/gaming store 16 years ago. It still exists today but it morphed into more of a hobby store.

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DingJones@reddit

I like to hit up the local record store while my son has piano lessons. I usually leave with a record or a cd. If I had a tape deck anywhere, I’d buy tapes as well. I like physically owning a copy of the music.

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chairman_steel@reddit

I had this realization a while back - paying for an album, even a digital version, gives you a totally different connection to it than simply adding it to a streaming library. I still buy physical copies of albums I really love. I do it with books too, actually - I’ll mostly read on kindle or listen to audiobooks, but the ones I really like get a place on the bookshelf.

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Ok_Researcher_9796@reddit

I loved having a big tape collection and then later re buying all those things on CD. Nowadays I don't even have a CD Player. I ripped all my CDs as FLAC files and just use a hefty sized flash drive if I don't want to just stream things.

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Useful_Transition883@reddit

Check out your local record store

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cbih@reddit

I miss the days when I would buy used CDs from one shop, rip them, and sell them back to another shop. Then make copies and sell them to buy more CDs

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Mckinzeee@reddit

I get that, but it’s probably the music store experience you miss more than the purchasing. There was always such a great vibe at the music/record shop.

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gidgetdee824@reddit

Yes! Waiting for new releases every Tuesday. Flipping through the booklet as I listen to the album in its entirety for the first time 🥰 It felt like a personal gift from the artist. I have over 500+ CDs but I honestly haven't been buying anymore. I tend to just listen to my old music......just listening to my old nu-metal and 90s rap/r&b. I'm out of touch with new music.

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HappilyDisengaged@reddit

I do miss buying singles for a few bucks. And looking around the store—sort of like a bookstore—maybe I’ll try something id never heard of But no, I’m happy with things the way they are. I was on napster all the time downloading songs (and the occasional virus). So this streaming is a godsend for me

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AwkwardFactor84@reddit

I know. I used to spend hours at the music store thumbing through cds. You can knit of get that feeling back if you can find a record shop that carries old vinyl.

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Quirky_Ad6795@reddit

I haven’t read any of the comments beforehand but this… I don’t know why but I don’t seem to appreciate music like I did when I had to “buy” a tape/cd or even spend the $ for a digital download. Streaming ruined music for me to an extent.

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Mackheath1@reddit (OP)

"Mackheath1, a new ZYX album just dropped." // "Cool, I'll listen to it on the way to work this morning." Doesn't have the same excitement of seeing the pop-up cardboard things holding the new CD that you had to wait and save for and then get home and open it and read the liner notes and see the images, then stick it into the player and so on. Also, there was more appreciation because you only had # of CDs at home; even if it was a lot, it wasn't the millions we have at our fingertips now.

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Ricky_Rollin@reddit

It hits different. It’s why looking at someone’s CD collection was like looking into a small piece of their soul. Lawns were mowed and chores were completed for these albums. Meager summer jobs were worked. Every birthday, every Xmas, slowly building your library. Seeing that deep cut that only an insane fan would have… Seeing a Spotify playlist just isn’t the same. And people are getting that. Record sales are absolutely insane right now, at least compared to a decade or so ago.

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docsuess84@reddit

It’s been a source of contention with my better half for years. I refuse to part with my physical media, be it LPs or CDs and still buy them and still haul them around all the times we moved. It gets converted to digital for convenience and portability like listening in the car or at work, but always in FLAC/Apple Lossless format. I’ve always been a collector, so the concept of continuously paying money for something I don’t actually own and am guaranteed to have in perpetuity just drives me insane on principle. I currently have the combination Apple subscription which bundles Music, TV+ as well as increased storage in iCloud which was the main goal. There were enough shows on Apple I was interested in where the cost of a significant bump in storage plus the TV was worth it. The music was basically free and included. It’s convenient and nice for finding new stuff I don’t know about already, but if all their servers blew up tomorrow, I would be fine and could still enjoy my music collection.

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assumetehposition@reddit

I miss buying music FOR people. It was a joy to introduce someone to an artist I knew they would love.

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jessek@reddit

No one is stopping you from buying music.

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tryna_b_rich@reddit

I almost bought a CD the other day. I have no way to play a cd.

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SteakJones@reddit

Naw I feel ya man… I love physical media. I also love digital media. I don’t understand why you can’t buy physical and gain access to the digital. I want my library on display.

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Ohfuscia@reddit

I've been buying albums frequently on bandcamp. It's mostly indie so you wont find major releases but there's so much great music

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kahllerdady@reddit

I still buy both records and CDs and manage my library of MP3s. When I want music I don’t have to curate I listen to satelite or terrestrial radio. Buying music is still fun! Music stores are still fun too!

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denzien@reddit

I buy mp3 albums on Amazon. I put them on the USBs I have plugged into my cars. These are normally albums I should have purchased in High School, but back then I just listened to the radio and didn't spend money on CDs. Unless I forgot to send my "NO" back to BMG.

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throwngamelastminute@reddit

You'll own nothing and like it. – current corporate strategy

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RunAndPunchFlamingo@reddit

I still buy CDs and DVDs. I will always prefer physical media to streaming.

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PAUMiklo@reddit

Things used to be an event. Music, new episodes, new movie. Now they are just at will whenevers. Little to no anticipation, it's basically the everyday vibe on when you no longer got excited for christmas.

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Overall_Falcon_8526@reddit

Gotta push back on CD. CD was the greatest physical music format ever devised. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAbhPeTp51s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAbhPeTp51s) Anyway, as an Xennial, I can't bring myself to subscribe to a music service. So I do keep buying my music, generally as CD-quality FLAC downloads (I still buy Blu-Rays and 4K discs, too). It's not quite the same endorphin hit of physically acquiring an album, but I get the best art possible and curate my collection on my Walkman digital audio player.

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omg1979@reddit

I was having the same thought this weekend. My daughter is young but she's a Swiftie and I was thinking how fun it would be to buy her the CD and surprise her with it. Except she has nothing to play it on. So we downloaded it and the thrill was not the same.

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Erik500red@reddit

I don't miss dropping 20 bucks just to listen to 1 song. The only upside was an occasional B-track that was a banger

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ChogbortsTopStudent@reddit

I miss owning music. Having something "tangible" (even a file) that was mine and couldn't be changed or taken away. I used to steal sooooo much music and I haven't listened to any of it since I stopped using iTunes.

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ham_solo@reddit

As a kid, I rarely bought new CDs. I loved going to the music store and plundering the used section. These days I do the same with $10 and under bins at vinyl shops.

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ronanfitzg@reddit

I still buy albums from 7Digital or Qobuz. I like buying albums, but I don't have the patience or space for physical media. I buy movies from Google TV. I like knowing I can just watch the movie without having to find the service, or put up with the added half hour if it's on an ad-supported service.

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sparrow_42@reddit

I missed it too, so I bought a $100 Sony turntable and started buying records. It’s really fun to find a used album you love for $5. Also lots of new artists are releasing cool-looking only editions, sometimes work bonus tracks. I recently started playing with cassettes too, it’s similar fun (though harder to find a store) and generally even cheaper.

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SuperSocks2019@reddit

I satiate that by adding to my vinyl collection

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LordLaz1985@reddit

I still buy music. Mostly digitally, but sometimes CDs.

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PreschoolDad@reddit

I recently got in to buying/collecting records. It's helped re-ignite my love of music. I ended up going all out and piecing together an all-vintage setup, with a turntable, amp, and speakers from the later 70's/early 80's from around when I was born. Some of my first memories are listening to records. It's great to revisit some old music, and even buy new albums of current artists I like. Almost all albums release on vinyl these days. My kids who have never experienced physical media love listening to records.

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agentkolter@reddit

I used to have an all-vintage setup for years and I loved it, but recently I got a new amp to replace a Yamaha CR-840 that was going to need new capacitors pretty soon. Before that I had a Pioneer receiver from the 70s. I think 40 years is about the life expectancy for those things, before they start to have issues. Still using my 1970s Pioneer turntable though!

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PreschoolDad@reddit

I have an old Marantz that's been completely recapped. You're right, most of the gear from that era needs some work. If you're handy soldering or know a good vintage gear repair shop, you can extend the life another 30-40 years just replacing some cheap capacitors in most cases. I'm fortunate to have a vintage gear repair specialist about 10 minutes from me. I have a Luxman Turntable, Marantz Amp, and some old Klipsh Heresy speakers. Something about playing records on old vintage gear just feels and looks right. I'm looking for a more modern secondary setup for my office.

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Negative-Squirrel81@reddit

I don't miss CDs. Realistically it's easy to find an MP3/MP4 of pretty much anything you'd want to listen to if you *really* want to find it. One thing I do miss was that when Napster was at its peak, you could literally type *any* piece of music into that thing and it'd give you some really surprising stuff. I spent a good amount of time downloading bootleg recordings of live shows.

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bearsdiscoverfire@reddit

I still buy my music on CD, and glad for it because through the years I've lost my digital collection twice, been region locked out of my favorite streaming service, and the aux jack failed in my (admittedly old) car, leaving just the CD player functioning. The last one was a blessing in disguise because I rediscovered the joys of listening to full albums as they were intended.

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Treacherous_Wendy@reddit

My BIL just took my niece to buy the Taylor Swift cd last weekend! …of course, then they had to buy a cd player for said cd but whatevs lol

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3720-to-1@reddit

Absolutely miss it, 100%. It was an event... Go to the exchange, find that perfect record, grab my headphones and digest it start to finish. I've started and essential collection of vinyl as a hobby, picking up my favorite albums of all time. I've considered doing similar for movies and TV too, making a personal library of sorts for them. We'll see where the winds take me.

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Striking-Access-236@reddit

What I miss is listening to an album in the order that the artist intended…we can easily skip to the best song and that’s often all our attention span allows, going from hit to hit to hit…on a constant high, it’s exhausting and you end up spending all this time looking for your next fix, like an audio junkie…so I have days/weeks that I listen to online radio stations instead, NTS, pinguinradio, fluxfm, radioooo, etc.

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Listening_Heads@reddit

I miss renting Nintendo games

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Listening_Heads@reddit

I miss renting Nintendo games

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LittleLarryY@reddit

I bought my first CD in over a decade this weekend. Pearl Jam’s newest, Dark Matter. It’s fantastic and I don’t know why but I just wanted the physical media.

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eraserhead3030@reddit

if you miss it buy it. I collect vinyl mostly, and some cassettes and cds.

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Lokii11@reddit

I do! The smell of opening the lyrics book and reading along.

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Ok_Bird_9745@reddit

I miss having a cd player in my car, even though I can pull up the album on demand.

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psilosophist@reddit

CD’s are making a comeback after vinyl had its day. Folks are getting reeeealllly tired of not actually owning their media, and instead relaying on the whims of corporations. Physical media will never not be important.

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NotCanadian80@reddit

I buy the vinyl of my favorite bands from Spotify as a license to use Spotify for them.

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Transplanted_Cactus@reddit

I still buy from iTunes. But I don't miss needing a physical item that can easily get messed up, and something to play if with, to play just one album.

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ihatepalmtrees@reddit

YouTube premium rules! I also buy records. Expensive but rewarding

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GQDragon@reddit

Vinyl is the ticket.

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small___potatoes@reddit

I still buy CDs regularly. They’re making a comeback and they’re cheap!

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Tragic_Comic7@reddit

I never stopped buying CDs. I just got some in the mail today in fact. In 30 years, I’ve never had to repurchase a CD because of scratches. I just keep them in the jewel cases. I never used one of those binder things because I was always worried about scratches.

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gertrudeblythe@reddit

My older Alpha kids love when I take them to record stores. My son especially, he’s in a band and loves any grunge or punk from the 90s. So he has a record player and a bunch of albums now. He’s also on my Spotify premium family subscription and has inherited a bunch of my old CDs. But we try to hit a local record shop every month or so, just like the olden days.

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JonBoi420th@reddit

I also kinda like it when a show comes out weekly instead of all ar once. And I only get 1 episode per week. There is something to be said for anticipation and delayed gratification.

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Spectre_Mountain@reddit

I buy vinyl and mostly listen that way. I don’t even have streaming. Cds in the car, baby!

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Scapular_Fin@reddit

I'm somewhere in the middle. Looking back at the '90s and a little beyond, it wouldn't be unreasonable to suggest that I'd spend $20-$100 a month on music, whereas today I'm on the YouTube Music subscription family plan, and that comes out to like $5 a month per person for like all the music, which to me is an incredible deal. If I'm a big fan of an artist, or we're talking independent artists that I love who could obviously use the money, I'm happy to spend my money on their concerts, merch, and vinyl if they have it. I still have a decent setup for my collection of vinyl, and to me you still get that whole album experience from artwork to lyrics when you invest in vinyl. So my niece & nephew have a punk band, and I still feel comfortable going to their shows. Lately I started to see a lot of cassette tapes at their shows, and I got to talking to a local music producer about it, and he said it's the cheapest way to get music out there at a price that puts some money in the band's pocket. I mean, I'm personally not going to be investing in a Walkman any time soon, but at least I understand why I've been seeing kids investing in them.

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Unlucky-Discussion51@reddit

Bluetooth cassette players are a thing!

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Scapular_Fin@reddit

Interesting. I was just thinking about the wired headphones as well!

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SadAcanthocephala521@reddit

I still buy music. I buy vinyl and also MP3's via itunes. I refuse to pay for spotify as I prefer to own my music and the give the artist very little. I got into vinyl in 2020 and was blown away by how good it sounded. It was like listening to some albums for the first time again. https://preview.redd.it/sd3oaejbh2wc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6238da8a94e4235c584e26b1365ec4185d6201b

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GiraffeLess6358@reddit

I still regularly buy and listen to CDs even with Spotify.

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Emkems@reddit

Time to get into vinyl. I’m considering it myself. There’s something about purposely listening to an album from beginning to end that is just missing now. Yes I know you can do that digitally but my adhd ass ends up with it on shuffle or something

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ajhe51@reddit

Best Buy is such a sad store these days. I used to get so excited to go there to look at CDs, movies, video games and PC games. Now with most of that gone digital, there just isn't much physical inventory.

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Moxie_Stardust@reddit

I still buy CDs, and records, and cassettes, and MP3s. I mostly buy cassettes from obscure bands at their merch table, because they're often like $5, have cool presentation, and fit easily in my pocket. I just listened to my tape from the band Artsick the other day, probably going to get the MP3 too so I can listen to it other ways, I won't typically bother converting a tape to MP3, but I will for a record. I bought a digital download from Everly Lux recently, they did a neat thing and printed out the code, and put it in a tiny corked bottle with some sort of animal tooth in it. It inspired me to create a unique physical item with the download code on it when I sell my upcoming album.

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themuck@reddit

I don't think this is stupid at all. I like Spotify for the convenience, but I think owning physical media is preferable in every way. This is true for music, movies, games, and books. (and to some degree TV)

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valis010@reddit

Streaming music is compressed, so you lose a lot of quality when you stream it. CDs let you hear the music the way it was meant to be heard.

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DiogenesXenos@reddit

It meant more.

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SATXS5@reddit

Time to get into Vinyl OP [https://i.imgur.com/vMur1Sj.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/vMur1Sj.jpg)

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5hallowbutdeep@reddit

As a Tower Records weekend resident, i know how this feels.

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Ultimate_Whorrior@reddit

This year, at age 43, I've finally started buying vinyl for this reason.

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J_Robert_Matthewson@reddit

What's stopping you from buying music now? I have Spotify premium, but I still buy digital albums because 1) I wanna support my favorite artists so they can keep making art and 2) If I'm somewhere with crappy data signal or if my online service losrs the rights license, my offline player still works.

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Pop-Archivist-4269@reddit

I do buy music it’s just digital now. The cd can hold 80 minutes of music it’s antiquated. Easier to rip a cd and have a perfect copy and make whatever comps on your iPhone or Samsung you want. But yes I loved buying CDs. There are many great places to buy them dirt cheap if you want to.

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WingedGeek@reddit

> I say stupidly, because CDs were idiotic and obviously designed to easily be scratched or broken so you'd have to get a new one. What?! Naw. I still have CDs from the late 80s (through at least 2019 when I got the new Tool album) that play perfectly. You just had to made a modicum of effort to take care of them (keep them in their jewel cases or in good sleeves in a binder, etc). Compared to cassette tapes - which stretched and wore a tiny bit with every listen - or vinyl (which erodes a tiny bit with every listen), CDs are essentially indestructible and super convenient (instant track skipping etc). Love my CDs, though yeah, I mostly listen to the FLACs I ripped from them these days.

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DeschainSWNC@reddit

I miss the liner notes, man. I discovered so many more bands via the 'Thanks' lists in my favourite CD inlays than I've done since - despite the access to the internet.

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sassooal@reddit

I was that kid who got a turntable for Christmas in 1996 and snapped up Grandpa records for 20 or so years before that got trendy and expensive. I still but some, but not nearly as much as I did right after college. I still buy CDs as that is what I listen to at work since I can pause them with a remote to take phone calls.

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mtron32@reddit

People make that argument about buying Vinyl that I get, I bought it for a bit too until I thought better of it. Vinyl doesn't sound better than digital, it costs waaaay more, and has to be cared for in a way CD's or cassettes never did. I started abandoning physical media for streaming around 07 when Rhapsody came out and then bounced to Spotify and haven't looked back. The endless selections of music for a dude that has a pretty broad taste is invaluable, I find so many new artists off endless listens to favorites. I'm also on a site called Bandcamp where you can listen to artists and buy directly from them, so I will still buy albums to support the artists I really like. The site is pretty cool, it lets you stream while also offering vinyl, CD's, cassettes or mp3's

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HermioneMarch@reddit

I’m back to vinyl.

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Fun_Weird_6309@reddit

I feel like this is kind of a privileged nostalgia. I grew up in a small town with little exposure or access to music. Even if I knew what to buy and had a way to get it, I didn't have the money. I'm incredibly and endlessly grateful for the ability to listen to anything I want any time I want, and to constantly be exposed to new things to listen to in a way that I could never have dreamed of back then. All for less than the cost of one CD per month.

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Dream-Ambassador@reddit

Y'all record stores still exist, you can still go in person and chat about music to the clerks and maybe discover something new you didnt even know existed that the algorithm didnt know to show you! And then purchase the physical item, pop it in your CD player on the way home, or if its vinyl have a listening party. Physical media still exists and can be way more fun and social than algorithms.

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norfnorf832@reddit

I bought some CDs at the thrift store yesterday lol I think Im gonna look for rap CDs specifically because the bass is so much better on em

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Chickenwelder@reddit

I picked up a 200 disc changer at a thrift store. I always wanted one and could never afford it when they were new.

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Revolutionary_Gas551@reddit

I used to keep a pad of sticky notes and a pen in my truck's console so I could jot down songs I liked on the radio. It's like streaming video now, it's hard to find something I like because there's so much out there.

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willissa26@reddit

Oh, so you like music and you feel like you have too much money, come join us at r/vinyl.

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alex240p@reddit

Buying music physically is sort of coming back. I say "sort of" because of course digital is king, but physical vinyl and even CD buying is a huge subculture now. You'll see tons of younger millennials, Gen Z and even Gen Alpha buying albums these days.

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DamarsLastKanar@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/en8q0jr192wc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=28fd5e582cd7aaccea4217d7799ca7180e79dfa4 Currently in my car. Not the same outside the car.

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ObligationSlight8771@reddit

I don’t thing you miss buying music. It was so expensive and you’d get crap cds that you spent $17 on. You just miss that time of your life, which I get completely

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Unadvantaged@reddit

I think you can miss the feeling of owning music without missing the cost of buying it. It’s he first music I ever bought was Nirvana’s Nevermind album. I had to go in on it together with my brother because it cost $12, which felt like enough to us as kids. That would be $27 now. It was an amazing album well worth the cost to us, but that was what every album cost back then and a lot of them had one or two decent songs on them. I remember being pretty disappointed by some of those albums.

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EastCoastDizzle@reddit

I agree. It was a truly wonderful experience. But there’s just something about being able to just going to find some random, obscure song you’d otherwise never buy on a streaming service.

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johntwilker@reddit

I still only buy music. The one exception is an ancient pandora account I use during the work day as background sound. If something comes up. I go buy it.

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cuteness_vacation@reddit

I didn’t realize how much I missed this until I got into vinyl. I mean yeah, i can fire up Apple Music and listen to anything I want any time, but I’m having so much fun keeping track of albums I want so I don’t forget to look for it on my next bin dive. I’m really trying to only buy records in person and not online. Somehow the presses always sound better coming from an actual store.

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surfingbiscuits@reddit

> [streaming service] lets me listen to virtually any album that exists Yeah, that's not true.

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MutationIsMagic@reddit

Check out Bandcamp Fridays. Every first Friday of the month; all money spent on albums goes to the artist.

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trailrunner79@reddit

I still buy records and CDs pretty regularly along with my Spotify

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mixmove@reddit

my favorite used CD store didn't make it through the 'rona 😭😭😭 I'm right there with you, I just miss BROWSING 😭

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Newhere84939@reddit

My Gen Z kid is totally into collecting CDs now! Even listens to the ones in my old CD binder. It’s coming back!

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ndhewitt1@reddit

I buy vinyl. Makes it feel special. Forced me to listen to and appreciate albums. Makes me nostalgic. Forces me to slow down and stay more present. And even with streaming music I have been trying to listen to full albums.

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mittencamper@reddit

I'm in 2 bands. If you wanna buy our records DM me and I will help you relieve your anguish. No one else seems to buy em.

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-WhichWayIsUp-@reddit

I always buy my music! I buy the CD and rip it off onto my NAS for safekeeping. I can stream it on my PLEX server anytime I want (and do). I like music services for discovery but if I like it, I buy it.

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DonktorDonkenstein@reddit

I still buy CDs. Not nearly as much as I used to. I just deeply prefer physical media and maintaining control over my possessions. When I listen to streaming stuff, it's usually on my phone, as mere background noise, and the experience seems far less impactful and meaningful to me. I mean, its all about personal preference, and of course the convenience of a vast streaming library makes a lot of sense, but I also gotta say: FUCK this notion that keeping physical media is "stupid".

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bepr20@reddit

Get a record player. I primarily use streaming to sonos, but have a record player and a growing collection of vinyl for my favorites. You can make it more exciting by giving yourself arbitrary rule like only buying records in person, forcing you to hunt for the stuff you really want.

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Mackheath1@reddit (OP)

I think I will do that, I like the idea of the search and all that - and it supports local shops, too.

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NotAUsefullDoctor@reddit

There was something about having limited funds, and having to decide on an album to purchase. Then, you bring it home and listen to it over and over again. Scarcity meant you treasured it more. Also, now that every album has to be a bunch of singles, the quality of albums has dropped. We may have albums now that have a bunch of good songs, but what artists sit and think through every song, and how one leads into the next. I really liked Taylor Swift's Reputation with almost every song being enjoyable. But, it will never live up to Enya's Watermark, or Depeche Mode's Violator (minus track 3) for being a complete tapestry in a flow of emotions. Due to Spotify and Amazon music making everything about individual songs, and having the constant inundation of new content, there is no motivation for any artist to create a perfect album.

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insertcleverthought@reddit

I miss being able to touch things and I *really* miss my big boom box. Mine was was girly and had colorful pointless lights all over it that made it look like it was from a spaceship. I also really miss the little *snick* sound that closing the cassette or CD slot made.

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Mackheath1@reddit (OP)

Oooh I forgot about the sounds they made. Absolutely satisfying (for both). And I had a fun boom box that I miss too - [Kaboom](https://www.amazon.com/JVC-RV-NB1-Kaboom-Series-Boombox/dp/B0004LZ1N6) - we took it everywhere!

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forgettingroses@reddit

All of my CDs are still in my car. Some of them are all kinds of scratched though. I bought a laptop with a disk drive specifically so I can burn CDs. 99 percent of the time I am listening to streaming in the car, but there are still places I travel where there is no service. I also have a crapton of DVDs and Blu-rays because even with several streaming services, it's always when you want to watch one particular movie that nobody has it.

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supergooduser@reddit

Born in 78. You're describing an economic rule.. when you'd buy an album... you're now financially invested in it... and will give it more of a pass. Compare this to how often you walk out of the movie theater versus turn a movie off you're "not feeling" on streaming. And I'm with you... listening to an entire album, you discover those weird deep cuts that take a few listens until you get in to them. The 90s really pioneered that template... make an album to justify the entire CD, make a music video to push a single, people buy the album for the single. The movie theaters in the 90s were kind of like that too. Like a miniaturized version of the video store: One blockbuster, one comedy, one horror film, one kids film, one romance film. That was basically every week. Sadly markets change... :-/ I'm sure people pinned for the end of radio shows, or movie serials.

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rpmsm@reddit

I remember getting $5/week allowance and every month getting one tape/cd and it being an event. Sit and listen all the way though multiple times. Never any feeling like that anymore.

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AreWeCowabunga@reddit

I'm a big music fan and I don't miss buying physical media at all. Having (almost) anything you want at your fingertips is fucking amazing and has allowed me to branch out into different styles and genres that I probably wouldn't have taken a chance on if it required me to spend a lot upfront on physical media. I do worry about not owning anything. Like, what happens if society collapses and Spotify isn't around anymore? It would suck. But until then, I'm happy having everything at my fingertips.

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CarpinThemDiems@reddit

I stopped buying music back when portable mp3 players first came out. But in the past few years I've enjoyed adding to my slowly growing vinyl collection.

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