I'm trying to learn where Celtic music fans prefer to buy their digital music. Do you use iTunes, CD Baby, or Amazon? Or do you prefer another website?
Please cast your vote on the right, then post any comments below.
About Marc Gunn
20 comments on “New Poll: Where do you buy your digital music?”
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Where depends on type of music. For my Ren Fest music almost all of my collection are groups from the MN Ren Fest where I have purchased the CD at the Troubadour Stage and rip it. I only wish I had the money to expand my music collection to include some of the great artists I am hearing on the Podcast.
If we’re talking Celtic music, I often buy a CD from the artist at a concert/festival/Faire. However, I listen to streaming music a LOT, especially Highlander Radio — when I’m turned on to a band that way, I often buy a cd through that band’s website. I only use iTunes for podcasts, and I’ve bought a few mp3s through Amazon, but they weren’t Celtic/Renaissance related.
I buy CDs. I don’t even have a digital player, even. MP3 is getting better, but I can still tell whether it’s CD quality or MP3 quality, so I don’t bother with MP3 unless I really really have to.
Weird, I know. 🙂
Basically anywhere but iTunes. I’ve bought from Amazon, CDBaby, and directly from artists websites. My preferred method of distribution is a simple zip file w/the album in a DRM free format, images of the cover, and some liner notes. I will say I’m on the techy nerd side of things, so … 😉
I prefer to buy CDs and rip to a lossless format. When possible I prefer to buy the CDs (or a digital format, preferably lossless or high-bit-rate) directly from the artist’s website. I’m cursed with ears that reveal the difference between 160k and 190k mp3s, so please… make certain anything you distribute is 190 or higher. 256 and 320 seem to be good balances between size and quality, but for the audiophiles among us, please provide FLAC or ALAC, and don’t be afraid to go beyond 16/44.1 if you master above that.
I usually buy the cds and rip them to mp3s, but if I do download, I tend to download from Amazon and CD Baby and stream on Spotify.
I buy CDs from independent artists at their shows. I buy digital music from itunes. I listen to Pandora and the radio.
Whenever possible I but direct from the artist. I prefer CD’s – there is something particularly enjoyable about leafing through the album booklet that a RTF file doesn’t give. When CD’s aren’t an option the mp3 download from whatever venue the artist uses – their own or a referred e-tailer.
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Like most people I prefer to buy CD’s at shows and festivals, afterwards I will rip them to MP3’s. I also do a lot of digital purchases too, for that it’s pretty much iTunes exclusively. I do not like it, but it’s convenient as I can pick up a pre-paid card at Target, Walmart, Best Buy etc etc.. Though I have been loving Spotify as of late, might even consider a subscription to it as I easily buy more than 2 albums a month.
Couple of times on cd baby when that’s where the link on the artist website pointed, but most of the time on iTunes.
I’ve looked for and bought several songs and some albums for artists that I have heard on this podcast. A few that I could not find I got their cds on CDBABY, but much prefer to use digital downloads from iTunes. I just upgraded to iTunes match, it matched over 99% of my 9100 tracks, including most of my celtic music, very happy! Has really helped that you put the artist and song names in the podcast notes that display when it is playing.
I used to buy cds at concerts and from music stores, haven’t done that in a few years as I listen to a lot more podcasts and get individual songs and occasional albums. I buy maybe 8 songs a month from the iTunes store, and maybe 7 albums a year via http://www.swapacd.com where I can trade credits with other people, converting book credits into music albums. You had linked to a few artists here and there that had free music samples on their websites, but I prefer not to go hunting to artist sites to download and then import etc.
I prefer Amazon to iTunes any day. If I really want high quality, though, I rip from a CD. I’m with the people “cursed” with good ears that pick up the differences in quality. If I can, I buy a CD from the artist’s website when that’s the case.
From the artist when possible, otherwise Amazon first. iTunes if it is the only place I can get it. I still have tons of DRMed iTunes music they want me to pay to free up.
@Brett sucky. iTunes supposedly changed over their DRM aspect, but obviously, not entirely. I’m not a fan of them for that reason. I turn all my iTunes files into MP3s for better access.
I mainly listen to Podcasts and [adultswim] free CDs on my computer. There’s the rare occasion that I use Pandora these days, but simtimes I become more reliant on it. If I’m driving for long distances (e.g. back to my parents for the holidays) then I’ll try to fill my CD changer with several CDs switching between them, local radio stations, and NPR (I listen to a fair amount of NPR programs such as All Songs Considered and Thistle and Shamrock).
I buy 99% of my digital music on iTunes and buy mainly digitally. If I can’t get it on iTunes or if it is something I care a lot about I will get a physical CD. My main sources for those are Amazon, Millstream Records and CDBaby.
For smaller bands that I see at faire, I buy/rip their CD’s. For most others, eMusic first and then iTunes if eMusic doesn’t have it.
I still prefer to purchase the actual CD. I usually burn the CD to my computer at work. The CD’s are purchased from where ever they are available – be it Amazon, CDBaby, artist website, etc. Being from Canada, I can’t purchase any of the digital music from Amazon.com. It’s the same with iTunes – what’s on the US site is not available in Canada.
Sorry for the late response. I don’t check myspace much any more since they ruined it….. I prefer to buy cds, still. (I’d buy vinyl, given the option) . I don’t own an ipod. But if I have to buy music online, I’d get it from either the artist’s website, cd baby or amazon.com. I’ve been known to buy from iTunes if I had to and then convert to mp3, but don’t like to have it on my computer.
(I’d rather see you in person! Come back to Austin!)