# Anyone back to buying their music? (as opposed to subscription services) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2017, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630 "2017-09-18T13:02:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/1 "2017-09-18T13:02:23Z")
I find the subscription services too expensive. I guess it may make sense for those who have a huge appetite for many songs, but I like really like a smaller number which supplements free streaming services. I have my offline stored library and will add to it when I hear a song I would like to add. I use that collection when I am offline and/or i really what to here a group of songs with a certain theme, but use the free services when I want variety. Running the numbers, the subscription services just don’t measure up, the cost for one month far exceeds the cost then if I buy and really not worth the price. I remember when Pandora was something like $37/year, that to me was reasonable and at the correct price point for me and how I listen, Also it was annual, so it was not a continuous drain which is how monthly subscriptions feel, but felt like I bough myself a gift for a year. I do like how Apple reminds me of the subscriptions I have open with monthly reminders of the renewal charges, it helps keep them in check, and how it does really add up fast. I don’t like how Apple makes it hard to buy a song, with no obvious way to go from lets say Pandora, or Apple music directly to itunes to buy (though for Pandora I believe it used to be a function, perhaps Amazon music). I believe this speaks volumes of how they would like to keep people indebted by subscription. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/2 "2017-09-18T13:23:14Z")
so far, I haven’t even tried a subscription service - I’ve still been buying CDs. :rolleyes: but this month I went for a free trial of amazon’s music unlimited and so far I think it might be worth $9.99 a month. how much were you paying?? I’ve used Pandora for free and I like it but there are songs I can’t find on it. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/3 "2017-09-18T13:44:02Z")
I subscribe to Pandora – the fact that I now get infinite skips, can replay (some/most) tracks and other little things makes it worth it to me now. Once upon a time, you only got six or ten skips an hour even as a subscriber which was a joke. But I do buy music as well. Often I find something new on Pandora and then favorite it, then once a month or so I wind up buying half of my new favorites (the other half I’m content to just hear when they come up). Once in a while, I come across a new artist I like enough to purchase an entire album. Amazon often has CDs with a digital version that gets added instantly for download so, if it’s not more than an extra buck or two I go with that. If not, I just purchase it digitally. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/4 "2017-09-18T14:41:31Z")
No. I have a huge appetite for new and old music and listen to music throughout most days. I find $10/month for Spotify far less than I used to spend on CD’s. Plus, my wife and I split the subscription (thanks offline mode). I still occasionally buy music but it is becoming much more rare. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/5 "2017-09-18T14:48:18Z")
I still spend a significant percentage of my income on recorded music in physical form. I think I have 5 mp3s from iTunes and a couple of albums from bands on bandcamp that did not have physical CDs (so I made them myself with whatever the best quality file download they had). I’m a lot less wiling to pay for an experience than I am for the thing that gives me the experience; I can’t think what good a subscription service would do me so I don’t foresee ever using one. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/6 "2017-09-18T14:49:26Z")
I never stopped. I’ve always been baffled by the concept of radio–why would I want to listen to music I haven’t specifically chosen???–and the subscription services, by and large, add to that the inability to choose any song I want (many artists not on Spotify, etc). I’ve switched from buying CDs to buying digital and that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/7 "2017-09-18T16:59:46Z")
Nope, I have the Amazon prime music subscription which is perfect, I buy very little music these days. I’ve put that budget towards attending more live music. I still like CDs, but in my small apartment, storage space is at a premium Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/8 "2017-09-18T17:29:50Z")
Thread relocated from IMHO to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/9 "2017-09-18T17:31:39Z")
I listen to YouTube and [open.spotify.com](http://open.spotify.com) in a web browser for free. When I buy it’s usually Amazon MP3s or MP3s downloaded from a band’s Bandcamp page. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/10 "2017-09-18T17:35:32Z")
Never went to a streaming service. I’ve got like a month of music in iTunes, and it’s all the good stuff. Costs me nothing a month. Plus, right now the cable internet is out, and if we had streaming, the house would be musicless. iTunes always works. And the songs don’t disappear because someone changed a licensing agreement, decided they don’t want to carry that anymore. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/11 "2017-09-18T17:39:30Z")
I’ve never actually gone down the subscription model route. I listen to the free streaming services, and I buy the albums I like through iTunes and Bandcamp. If you asked me fifteen years ago, I would have said, what’s the point of not owning a physical copy, but I’ve been converted, sorry. I haven’t even owned anything that could play CDs or DVDs for at least five years. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/12 "2017-09-18T17:42:11Z")
Lars Ulrich would not approve of how I get my music. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/13 "2017-09-18T17:47:58Z")
I have never been interested in any of the subscription services. I buy MP3s through the Amazon music store, usually. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/14 "2017-09-18T17:48:55Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > I never stopped. I’ve always been baffled by the concept of radio–why would I want to listen to music I haven’t specifically chosen??? How do you discover new music? As for myself, I haven’t paid for new music in about 15 years, and don’t intend that to change any time soon. My level of guilt over this is zero. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/15 "2017-09-18T18:08:08Z")
I had free trials of Spotify, Rhapsody, and Amazon Music Unlimited, and dropped all of them. I usually listen to my own collection, supplemented with a couple of free services. I mainly listen to classical music; my local library offers a free streaming service, Naxos Music Library, with an enormous catalog. If there’s something I want to hear that I don’t already own, Naxos usually has it. Any music purchases I make these days are MP3s from Amazon, although I’ll occasionally pick up a used CD from a thrift store or library sale. I can’t remember the last time I bought a new, shrinkwrapped CD. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/16 "2017-09-18T18:11:17Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > How do you discover new music? > > As for myself, I haven’t paid for new music in about 15 years, and don’t intend that to change any time soon. My level of guilt over this is zero. My husband is an audio guy. If I get in the mood for a type of thing I don’t have, I consult with him. He has a vast collection and listens to radio. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/17 "2017-09-18T18:35:56Z")
I pay for Pandora One (or whatever they call it) and use it when I just want something generic to listen to. But mostly, I still buy CDs, but pretty much only \*used \*CDs. It’s a lot cheaper that way. I immediately rip them to an old XP machine that I call my “audio PC” and which is connected to my stereo. On the rare occasion I buy downloaded music from Amazon or whatever, I always burn it to a CD for a backup. I like knowing that I own a copy that isn’t going to go away. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/18 "2017-09-18T18:45:23Z")
I briefly paid for Pandora, but wasn’t happy with their shallow library. Forgive me for sounding hipster, but I’ve yet to find a streaming service that gives enough ‘deep cuts’ variety to hold my interest. I mostly stream my existing music collection accumulated from over the decades (which is thousands of hours worth). For music I don’t yet have, scrounging used CDs at record stores is dirt cheap compared to streaming or iTunes. I’ll buy from Amazon a small number of niche genres that I otherwise can’t find, such as video game soundtracks. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/19 "2017-09-18T18:47:29Z")
Streaming services don’t scratch the itch I have for acquiring/collecting music. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2017, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630/20 "2017-09-18T18:50:33Z")
Not really… I’ve bought some songs from [emusic.com](http://emusic.com) lately, (getting more and more frustrated with their selection,) and itunes, mostly because I got an itunes gift card from family. Really very satisfied with my Spotify premium service, especially the ability to download custom playlists to a phone and play them offline. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-back-to-buying-their-music-as-opposed-to-subscription-services/796630.md?page=2)