Going fully digital for music

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I'm old school so the answer is never. I'm a bit of an audiophile so sound quality is a big part of it. I like to listen on my hi-fi for serious listening. My PC just can't compete. For starters you've got all that fan noise and a £300 PC has no chance against my Naim amp, Monitor audio speakers, Roksan CD player and Clearaudio record deck. I also like the physical aspect of it as well, especially vinyl.
I do use Spotify though but mainly to see if something is worth buying.

Poll Question: Would you do it?
Poll Choice	Votes	Poll Statistics
Never	4	[44.44%]
Partially	4	[44.44%]
I'm open to it	1	[11.11%]
I'm actively planning to	0	[0.00%]
Already have	0	[0.00%]
You can not vote in this poll

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Nightfly Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Admin Group Death, D/S/D, T/S/G Teams Joined: 07 Apr 2010 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 4964	Post Options Post Reply Quote Nightfly Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 21 May 2020 at 3:20pm
	I'm old school so the answer is never. I'm a bit of an audiophile so sound quality is a big part of it. I like to listen on my hi-fi for serious listening. My PC just can't compete. For starters you've got all that fan noise and a £300 PC has no chance against my Naim amp, Monitor audio speakers, Roksan CD player and Clearaudio record deck. I also like the physical aspect of it as well, especially vinyl. I do use Spotify though but mainly to see if something is worth buying.

Triceratopsoil Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: 17 Dec 2010 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 4197	Post Options Post Reply Quote Triceratopsoil Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 21 May 2020 at 12:14pm
	I am 99% digital but I still like buying LPs

Vim Fuego Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Admin Group Death, T/S/G, Grind, VA Teams Joined: 05 Jul 2015 Location: Canterbury, NZ Status: Offline Points: 6501	Post Options Post Reply Quote Vim Fuego Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 21 May 2020 at 11:37am
	Digital is more convenient, for sure. Before the lockdown, I was a heavy Spotify user, because it's easier than using CDs or loading shit on my phone. It means I can't always listen to exactly what I want, but there's shitloads more which I don't own that I can explore. During this lockdown, I have been exploring both my physical (CD) and digital (downloaded and ripped) collections, and they are reasonably extensive. I have been culling out digital shit I don't really like, since I got a huge share of digital music from my younger brother. Personally, it's horses for courses. If I'm home in front of my computer, physical media is fine. If I'm in the car or at work, Spotify is far easier, and there's more than enough to keep me entertained. I still love buying CDs, but the offerings at physical music stores these days are pretty pathetic, so I don't buy many. If they were easier to find, I'd buy more. However, that's not going to stop me checking something out on the internet if I can't find it. I remember a Tool fan complaining at the release of their most recent album that they weren't going to listen to it until they could find it on CD or vinyl - and it wasn't initially physically released like that in New Zealand. The last two CDs I bought were Sacred Reich's Awake and Acid Reign's compilation. I had heard both before on Spotify. That wasn't stopping me from buying either, because I value those bands' music.

Unitron Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MMA Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: 30 Apr 2014 Location: Cypress Hill Status: Offline Points: 8051	Post Options Post Reply Quote Unitron Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 21 May 2020 at 11:20am
	I'd never go fully digital, half digital, or anywhere close to it. Only things I've ever bought digitally are from Bandcamp when there's no CD and my money goes directly to the artist for the most part. Otherwise, I never have and never will buy anything digitally from anywhere else. The biggest issue that I have with digital is that with having anything digitally, you never really own it, even if you back it up on CD or something. Modern technology and burnt CD copies are too prone to failure, so who knows how long a hard-drive will last and what if the websites where you bought the download go down? There's no way of ever getting it back if you lost the files. Physical copies, be it CD, cassette, vinyl, DVD, VHS, game disc, I have it forever as long as I take great care of them. There's a reason that there's so many old copies of old albums that still play great, because they've been taken care of. Plus I can buy used and can get well-cared for albums for cheap or cheaper prices, you can't get used digital copies. Also, nothing beats going into a record store and browsing the aisles waiting to see something you know or have an album cover catch your eye. Digital music takes away from the personal experience of buying an album.
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666sharon666 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Admin Group Black, HM/HR/Glam Teams Joined: 29 Dec 2010 Status: Offline Points: 4084	Post Options Post Reply Quote 666sharon666 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 21 May 2020 at 11:17am
	While I do have some digital music, mostly stuff that's only on digital (but that's no exclusively the case), I'm going to say never on this. The thought of going digital only makes me squirm (so says the woman who between her and her husband have so many CDs a lot just sit in boxes and haven't seen the light of day since before we moved into our current house).

Bosh66 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Admin Group Sludge, MC, HC, Post-Metal & Noise Rock Joined: 14 Feb 2013 Location: Bolton, Lancs Status: Offline Points: 24512	Post Options Post Reply Quote Bosh66 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 21 May 2020 at 9:44am
	The danger s that it’s a slippery slope that leads to Spotify and the like 😉 I’ve moved from physical only to a combination of physical and digital. It would make sense to go fully digital but I’m struggling to make the leap. Too scared I’ll lose everything. Edited by Bosh66 - 21 May 2020 at 9:45am

adg211288 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Forum Admin Group Black Metal, Prog/AG Teams Joined: 05 Nov 2010 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 21998	Post Options Post Reply Quote adg211288 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 21 May 2020 at 8:57am
	So here's a debate (and poll) for you. Would you go fully digital for your music collection? Or have you already? This is something I've always been very against, but I'm started to feel swayed more toward the digital format recently. There are some pros and cons I see to the argument of physical verses digital. Some of these apply to be personally, possibly not to you, but could do if we're in similar situations. Physical: + Feel more like you own it. + Artwork and liner notes. + (CD) Can be ripped to digital for backup. Some other retailers may give digital for free as well. So you get both. + Can be sold on, if you choose to. - Takes up house space. Becomes a real issue when your collection starts getting up toward 1000 or more. - Gathers dust (I have a dust allergy). - Can get broken, discs scratched or in one case of mine, completely stop working without any visible damage. - Can't play them in the car due to no CD player, only USB port. - Haven't found a decent, non expensive CD that worked for long for years (I play my CDs currently through my blu-ray player and TV, which uses two lots of electricity so isn't ideal). I more often find myself playing music through my PC anyway. I don't remember when I last played an album I own from the actual disc. Digital: + Often cheaper than physical when new (but not always). + Instant delivery. + Wider availability of the music I like. Too many great albums I've wanted to own are not in my collection due to hefty import charges. + Doesn't take up physical storage space. - Can't be sold on if you don't like it/go off it. - Potential for loss. - (Amazon) may not receive the best quality mp3 files. Also no guarantee of getting mp3 not another format (last digital album I got, accompanying a CD purchase that I had to wait for, arrived in wav files that wouldn't play in the car). Thoughts? My current inclination is to have my favourites on CD and sell some stuff I don't like so much (because storage space is an issue).
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