# Does anyone buy music singles anymore? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 19, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-buy-music-singles-anymore/536664 "2010-04-19T21:02:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-buy-music-singles-anymore/536664/21 "2010-04-20T06:23:37Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I miss those “records” you would get in magazines. Vinyl inserts, that would come with _Mad Magazine_, and such. Does anyone else remember those? I have one from the big “Two all beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickles on a sesame seed bun” campaign 😃 ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-buy-music-singles-anymore/536664/22 "2010-04-20T09:45:01Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > I reject your assertion that it doesn’t count though. I agree, buying a single song off an album doesn’t count. However, there do exist albums on iTunes that are just one or a few songs. There’s even examples of artists releasing a new popular single online by itself before the actual full album comes out. Do you mean “count” in the sense that it counts towards sales charts and such, like the Billboard Hot 100? Buying a single song from an album will count towards the singles chart, and then buying a “single package” (which is the albums with one or two songs, basically the digital equivalent of the CD single) also counts towards the singles chart, and then of course buying a full digital album counts towards the album chart. Sorry if that’s not what you meant and I’ve just told you something you already knew! ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-buy-music-singles-anymore/536664/23 "2010-04-20T09:50:54Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I miss those “records” you would get in magazines. Vinyl inserts, that would come with _Mad Magazine_, and such. Does anyone else remember those? You mean those floppy cellophane thingies? What a waste of time they were! If anyone has got one of them that is still playable - assuming you’d want to play it - I’ll be amazed. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-buy-music-singles-anymore/536664/24 "2010-04-20T17:52:59Z")
A lot of time CD singles will have bonus tracks on them. Of course iTunes is mp3 and some people want lossless, which would also mean buying the CD ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-buy-music-singles-anymore/536664/25 "2010-04-20T18:50:21Z")
I just checked [hmv.com](http://hmv.com) and they still have some singles. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-buy-music-singles-anymore/536664/26 "2010-04-20T20:09:26Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > From memory: > > _It’s a great big beautiful, wonderful incredible super spectacular day > And your heart is humming with good times coming > And you’ve got a happy feeling things are going your way > All the bells are ringing and a little bird singing as he sits on your windowsill > Saying "Yessirree, > I can plainly see > It’ll surely be > Most definitely > A super spectacular day > Until…_ [Enjoy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myyc812X1_I) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-buy-music-singles-anymore/536664/27 "2010-04-20T21:35:52Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I miss those “records” you would get in magazines. Vinyl inserts, that would come with _Mad Magazine_, and such. Does anyone else remember those? I do, indeed. Had several, long since tossed, I’m sure. I also remember singles being “printed” on the backs of cereal boxes. I seem to recall a promotion for HoneyComb cereal, where you could get a 45 from some pop singer of the time (Bobby Goldsboro, maybe) on the back of the box. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-buy-music-singles-anymore/536664/28 "2010-04-21T06:47:54Z")
> [@multimediac17](#): > > Do you mean “count” in the sense that it counts towards sales charts and such, like the Billboard Hot 100? I mean count in that the OP said “I’m not talking about downloads” presumably because they didn’t want to count purchases of portions of albums, but I suspect they forgot about or didn’t realize that ‘single albums’ also exist in digital form. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-buy-music-singles-anymore/536664/29 "2010-04-23T14:59:06Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > I have one from the big “Two all beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickles on a sesame seed bun” campaign 😃 You left out the onions. ---
**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:** [April 23, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-buy-music-singles-anymore/536664/30 "2010-04-23T15:47:58Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I do, indeed. Had several, long since tossed, I’m sure. > > I also remember singles being “printed” on the backs of cereal boxes. I seem to recall a promotion for HoneyComb cereal, where you could get a 45 from some pop singer of the time (Bobby Goldsboro, maybe) on the back of the box. I had a single of The Archies doing “Sugar Sugar” cut off the back of a cereal box! Nowadays, it’s hard enough to find a brick-and-mortar recored _store_, let alone a vinyl record. With the demise of Tower, I don’t know of any left in my neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-buy-music-singles-anymore/536664/31 "2010-04-23T23:46:22Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > However, there do exist albums on iTunes that are just one or a few songs. There’s even examples of artists releasing a new popular single online by itself before the actual full album comes out. A quick scan of my iTunes library reveals fifty-two “singles” that I’ve purchased from iTunes. They’re not uncommon (not that you said they were; just going along with your point). I’d say that it’s the exception for a pop artist _not_ to release a promotional single on iTunes prior to the album release. iTunes also has those Digital 45s of mostly old material, but also some new stuff. I have the Jay-Z “Run This Town” Digital 45 that also includes a live version of the song, and I saw this on sale in CD form at Best Buy a while ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-buy-music-singles-anymore/536664.md?page=1)