# Dopers: Do you prefer to buy CD's, or purchase downloads? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 25, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778 "2008-04-25T01:10:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778/61 "2008-04-30T07:05:43Z")
I buy approximately 3 CDs a year. I have never bought music for download. The end. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778/62 "2008-04-30T07:13:20Z")
[QUOTE=GuanoLad] I buy approximately 3 CDs a year. I have never bought music for download. The end. [/QUOTE] :smack: I bought that many today. ---
**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:** [April 30, 2008, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778/63 "2008-04-30T13:32:13Z")
[QUOTE=cochrane] And it was better than CD quality, at 256 kbps. [/QUOTE] :dubious: How so? ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778/64 "2008-04-30T14:07:45Z")
I’ve done both, CDs and iTunes. Mostly I’ll want to buy the entire album, and Amazon typically sells them for $10, the same as iTunes, with free shipping. Since I have to write them to CD anyway to play them in my car it is more convenient to just order the CD from Amazon. And the CD looks nicer too! ---
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778/65 "2008-04-30T23:18:18Z")
Downloads exclusively making sure I back up the music to a 2nd hard drive in case of disaster (2100 tracks would be a pain to replace). I only buy DRM-free music however, which eliminates ITunes. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778/66 "2008-04-30T23:32:14Z")
I buy CDs, as I do not trust spinning disks of metal. And every sound card I have ever had self-destructed. That, too. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778/67 "2008-05-01T05:53:19Z")
[QUOTE=Lilacs] I will very probably never buy another CD. I have maybe two CD’s where I like all the songs on them. [/QUOTE] Exactly. I have a bunch of CDs but only one or two songs on each are good songs. I love technology, I only wish I’d been born about 20 years after I actually was (I’m 49), so I could take full advantage of the technology that’s bound to come our way over the next 50+ years! ---
**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:** [May 1, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778/68 "2008-05-01T18:21:33Z")
I try to buy the CD is at all possible, and then copy the tracks from them. However, that is a waste for CDs with only one or two good songs on them–those I download. ☹ Just 2 days ago, my 2nd hard drive died on my computer. _poof_ 40GB of music turned into aluminum slag. I hadn’t backed up for a couple of years and I know I’ve lost some good stuff ☹ Back up those files! ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778/69 "2008-05-01T18:37:13Z")
It’s been a couple months since I’ve bought a physical CD and that was off of [Half.com](http://Half.com) and the CD was $1. I usually use iTunes and just signed up for eMusic this past weekend as I couldn’t find what I wanted on iTunes. eMusic is going to be happy new home as the deal is pretty good (75 songs a month for $20) and it actually had the music I was looking for. (I couldn’t find Ferron, Jack Sheldon, Dawn Tyler Watson, and Martha’s Trouble on iTunes). I think I’m going to do a back-up this weekend as this thread has made me realize I oughta. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778/70 "2008-05-02T03:29:22Z")
CDs preferentially, though I do some downloading. As others have said, if you own the CD, you **own** the music. No risk of losing your download to a disk crash (yeah I know, backups are the key and we _do_ do that). I like getting the liner notes, which most downloaded music does not have - some iTunes albums include a PDF of the liner notes, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. Unless it’s massively less expensive to buy the download than to buy the disk, of course, but most are just a couple dollars more for the CD rather than the download (and with Amazon Prime shipping is “free”). Every now and then, the CD is quite a lot more at Amazon and I’ll download. Or I’m trying out a new artist’s stuff and don’t care if I get the liner notes. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778/71 "2008-05-02T04:08:44Z")
I guess I’ll be the lone voice for subscription music. For the price of one CD per month, I get all I want. If the hard disk dies, I just download the tracks again. It’s great if you like to try new music, you can download entire albums from unknown artists for no additional cost. Plus, I can access and stream my music and playlists from any computer, and load the music on a mp3 player. This from a guy who has hundreds of old CD’s that I never listen to anymore. The price of those CD’s would pay my subscription fee for years. Oh yeah, 160 or 192 kpbs files. Decent to good quality. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778/72 "2008-05-02T18:33:57Z")
I’m starting to resent the idea of having to store the CD and case. It’s just going on the ipod anyway. But sometimes older albums are cheaper to buy on [half.com](http://half.com) on CD, so I still do that sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778/73 "2008-05-02T21:17:26Z")
[QUOTE=Dag Otto] This from a guy who has hundreds of old CD’s that I never listen to anymore. The price of those CD’s would pay my subscription fee for years. . [/QUOTE] Email me. Let’s make a deal. 🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-do-you-prefer-to-buy-cds-or-purchase-downloads/446778.md?page=3)