fuck downloading it. id rather hold the actual CD and listen like its meant to be. not an mp3 whilst looking at



(..as awesome as that is)

fo sho

Why?

I don't understand this 'I need to have the artwork in front of me whilst hearing a song for the first time' rhetoric. Surely music should be about listening to the music on the CD rather than marvelling the box it came in? Besides, it's not even as if Testament did the artwork for the CD themselves. I'm sure they OK'd it, but that's about it.

TBH, I find it shocking that CDs can still cost as much as they do and cannot wait until bands start seeing that downloading music is the future and invest their efforts into it rather than pissing and moaning when people download their music for free rather than paying £15.99 for it.

I think the artwork is really important. Even if it's part of the download. The artwork is all part of the package. Good (or wise) bands spend a lot of time thinking about the artist they want and the style of art that reflects their music. I totally respect that.

Having said that: The first thing I do is rip the CD and listen to the FLAC while reading through the booklet. Alas, that's the last time I will see the booklet or even the CD. It's all digital from there on. I've got too many CD's and too little space to keep them all out of storage.

Not flac, ffs lol.

I agree that artwork is important, i mean what else are they going to put on the T Shirts?

I do think that cds are becoming quite a redundant form of media though, i don't think i have bought a cd in about a year.

EvileOL wrote:fuck downloading it. id rather hold the actual CD and listen like its meant to be. not an mp3 whilst looking at



(..as awesome as that is)

AGreed, but after waiting this long for a new album I couldn't help myself. I'll always buy an album if I download it (if its good enough)

i mean, I sent the link to your brother and he said it best; "im only into downloading stuff to try it, its easier than going into shops and listening to all their cds!! if i download something and like it,i buy it, if i dont like it nobody has lost anything. ill be buying testament anyway soim gonna download it haha!"

Metal Iain wrote:Why?

I don't understand this 'I need to have the artwork in front of me whilst hearing a song for the first time' rhetoric. Surely music should be about listening to the music on the CD rather than marvelling the box it came in? Besides, it's not even as if Testament did the artwork for the CD themselves. I'm sure they OK'd it, but that's about it.

TBH, I find it shocking that CDs can still cost as much as they do and cannot wait until bands start seeing that downloading music is the future and invest their efforts into it rather than pissing and moaning when people download their music for free rather than paying £15.99 for it.

I grew up buying the CD/Vinyl, getting home, looking through the booklet/packaging whilst listening to the CD. I actually enjoyed doing that, and still do. I did it for years and that's all I knew when it came to music. I'm not going to change doing it just because I can get the music for free (illegaly) when I enjoy doing that.

To me it's like quitting putting your penis in ladies because someone lent you a Fleshlight.

Bands not only OK the art but they work to make the whole product the best they can, they dont just record the music.

If the future is downloading, will people pay for downloading it instead of illegaly downloading it? I doubt it, because you can already legally pay and download albums/songs on sites like Itunes now, and people aren't.

[/opinion]

Dian Wei wrote:I agree that artwork is important, i mean what else are they going to put on the T Shirts?

Band logos?

Some of the most iconic band T-Shirts kicking about are just the band's logo on a shirt.

EvileOL wrote:

Metal Iain wrote:Why?

I don't understand this 'I need to have the artwork in front of me whilst hearing a song for the first time' rhetoric. Surely music should be about listening to the music on the CD rather than marvelling the box it came in? Besides, it's not even as if Testament did the artwork for the CD themselves. I'm sure they OK'd it, but that's about it.

TBH, I find it shocking that CDs can still cost as much as they do and cannot wait until bands start seeing that downloading music is the future and invest their efforts into it rather than pissing and moaning when people download their music for free rather than paying £15.99 for it.

I grew up buying the CD/Vinyl, getting home, looking through the booklet/packaging whilst listening to the CD. I actually enjoyed doing that, and still do. I did it for years and that's all I knew when it came to music. I'm not going to change doing it just because I can get the music for free (illegaly) when I enjoy doing that.

To me it's like quitting putting your penis in ladies because someone lent you a Fleshlight.

Bands not only OK the art but they work to make the whole product the best they can, they dont just record the music.

If the future is downloading, will people pay for downloading it instead of illegaly downloading it? I doubt it, because you can already legally pay and download albums/songs on sites like Itunes now, and people aren't.

[/opinion]

I also grew up buying CDs and vinyls but now have about three hundred CDs lying about in a box in my parents' house because the ones that are worth listening to have been ripped on to my PC and the others haven't seen the light of day in years. I tell you, I'd sooner have the thousands of pounds I must have spent than the memories of reading what Megadeth endorse.

Yeah, that's true. But if, like me, you're one of the people who believe our days of being able to download illegally are numbered, you'll probably switch to paying for downloads rather than the CDs themselves, it it's cheaper.

At the end of the day, not much says 'Look at me! I'm cultured!' than having an eclectic CD collection on display in your living room for your friends to admire. However, when half of those CDs are Thrash, I'd sooner just leave them festering in a box.

I really ought to start selling shit on eBay...

I think the main issue is that CDs are far too expensive. No matter how good an album is, I'm not paying between £10 and £16 for it because it's a fucking rip off. CD's (including their packaging) cost fuck all to put together and at the end of the day, bands hardly see any money from the CD sales anyway, so I'm just giving my hard earned (that was a lie, I quit my job and live off my loan like a King) cash to some fucking big fat cunt with a shit eating grin rather than my favourite band. I'm happy to pay about a fiver for an album, but any more and I'm just going to nick it on the sly.

I find it hard to believe that dl'ing illegally days are numbered. From a technical pov there are any manner of ways they could go about it.

I do support legal dl's though, and feel that it should be offered as a viable alternative. The problem with that is they need to come to a standard with format. I personally wouldn't settle for less that a 320kbs rip equivalent.

Metal Iain wrote:Yeah, that's true. But if, like me, you're one of the people who believe our days of being able to download illegally are numbered, you'll probably switch to paying for downloads rather than the CDs themselves, it it's cheaper.

A friend of mine works as a 'forensic detective' for the IFPI (UK version of the RIAA) and basically they know who is downloading shit. By 'know' I mean they know who you are. But the reality is it's everyone (or near enough) and they don't go after little bobby downloading Xentrix because the people who pay for the IFPI aren't small labels. Sony, Warner etc pay for them to hunt down the groups uploading Maria Carey or Rihanna or whoever these idiots are in the top 10. I think they understand they will never stop illegal downloading although he has never actually said that of course.

I'd love to set up a service on new metal army where you could download the back catalogue of all those old and new thrash bands for 5 quid.. it would fucking rock but I don't think the will is there in the music industry.

Once the industry has made it SO easy to buy stuff online at a reasonable price I think people will be more inclined to frown upon downloading and not paying. Apple made it easy and they sell millions of tracks a day but their metal (back)catalog is a little sparse! (plus they try and force you to buy an ipod every 10 minutes when your ipod is out of date!)

People are going to want something that is free

I downloaded it and can safely say ill be buying it the end of April when I comes out and it'll sit nice and pretty with my other 2000+ cds that I have brought over the years and im extremely proud of.

I do the same with every album I buy whats the problem (if its leaked), granted there are people not as honest is me and I apprecaite that people like to have the physical product to have a look at but its my right and is no different then popping into HMV/Zaavi buying the cd then taking it back for a exchange 'if' I dont like it. I just dont have to pay money to get into town and back.

Which is a hassle for me as I live in the arse end 'outta mongolia' of Birmingham.

Fact is there is so much hype around albums these days when it turns out to be just average, It can be a bit of a downer.

Im also lucky enough to be friends with bands on labels and have been privledged to receive promos a couple of month early. Listened to them loved them, but felt kind of left out when they are released to joe public as the excitement has gone for me. (If that makes sense?)

Dian Wei wrote:I find it hard to believe that dl'ing illegally days are numbered. From a technical pov there are any manner of ways they could go about it.

Yes, but I get scared very easily.

It's probably because I've seen all these sites like TV Links and Stage6 getting closed down that I've come to the conclusion that people are trying to stop it.

Plus! PLUS!

Who would buy CDs when:

A) DVDs are cheaper (I buy three or so a week from Fopp or online);

B) you can get five litres of cider from Iceland for less than your average CD;

and

C) you know you're going to rip it onto your PC and then never use it again.

In short, CDs - silly; other things - great.