Digital music forum: Poll: What do you miss most about the pre-MP3-download era?

I guess the only thing I really miss is going to the record store and searching through bins for artists I've never heard of. I'm kind of still mourning the loss of Tower Records. Not too much, I suppose. I really haven't bought many cds in the last 5 years and most of what I did buy I got from Amazon.

What I definitely don't miss: spending $11.99-$17.99 plus tax for one or two (if I'm lucky, three) tracks I really want while the rest of the cd worthless. Now I can pick and choose which songs I want. Every once in a while, I will buy an entire album download and even a cd. I have more options now.

I doubt that there are many operas or classical piano concertos available on MP3. The joy of browsing through Tower Records was the discovery of a composer I had never heard of. Yes, we can still order classical records from Amazon but it's a lot more difficult just to browse. After Tower closed, we still had Virgin Records. Had, but now they are gone too, unless we want to go to London. At least, I assume they are still open in the U.K. Pop music is fine but very few of the artists and their songs last as long as something by Ravel or Purcell.

Grandma Mimi

a SQUARE FOOT of artwork on the front... that feeling of anticipation when you hear the needle touch down for the first time, then the RECORD takes you off to another place...

oh and I also miss my 1200 MkII's...

the cool thing about mp3's though is just letting it go on shuffle for days... yet still being able to hear a whole album, (minus the crap that gets shoveled on in the era of 70 minutes being normal length)

yes, I bought CD's, I Bought Tapes, I buy Mp3's, and I still Buy records... I remember thinking people were nuts when they said we could store music on a chip...


I also miss Free Form FM (not JACK or BOB or Hank or whatever radio) when the DJ got on and played a basically a set opening up our ears to new music and old...

I miss Radio Doctors, a place where one day I bought Ronnie James Dio, Kraftwerk and Chicago at the same time, and I never heard Kraftwerk before I walked into the store...

There really is a simple beauty about hearing something new that blows you away especially when you already are looking for something new...

I do miss the record stores. I still have all my albums, but no record player. No MP3's. I do buy CD's when I find them for my car's 6 cd changer, oh how I do love that little machine. I listen to the 60's-70's via my DirectTV subscription and today is the 60's. Great listening on XMradio...I get lots of housework done. I still have a big stack of cassettes, and listen to them on the patio when working outside really loud too....I miss a lot of what is gone, and going to be gone. Shoot if the gasoline keeps rising, we all will be riding bicycles to get around...LOL

I agree! I have a great media player (iriver clix) but it doesn't come close to the sound of a great old stereo using records or CD's. It seems even the best downloads don't come close to the sound reproduction, even with SRS, WOW, or adjustments available on media players. Sometimes I miss the old school bass, treble, and balance knobs.

Ask the guys in the studio what they listen to. They're used to the best sound, that's what they sink their time and money into, and stake their reputations on. At the end of the day I don't hear anyone who raves about the latest mp3 they've downloaded.

The glaring thing that is missing from this list that is more important than anything else is sound quality. Isn't the entire reason you listen (and buy) music is for the audible enjoyment?

For me the inferior sound quality of downloaded music has actually caused me to buy music almost exclusively on CD. After I get an album I typically rip it to 320kb MP3. If they can bring up the quality of downloads to match that sound quality, I'd consider them. But for now, I'd rather pay the couple extra dollars for the superior quality.

The intangible quality of digital music has led the majority of people to forget that unless stated otherwise, it is protected under some form of copyright or license. In that respect, it is the same as a CD, vinyl record, or whatever example you will. Downloading from torrent sites, ripping music not labeled "for free download" by means of recording from soundcards or the use of software "grabber" programs is theft.

The musicians I count among my friends, along with their colleagues, are primarily independent. The money to record comes from their pockets, directly or indirectly. Thousands of downloads generally lead to the loss of sales. Unlike the recent "mainstream" artists who apparently can afford to give away excess material, these gifted, independent individuals cannot.

Having worked in an old-fashioned record store many years ago, I know the protocol for anyone attempting to walk out of the door without stopping at the cash register. With the advent of digital music, consciences have been reprogrammed.

For the individuals who find other means of acquiring digital downloads with virtual price tags, I have a name: THIEF.

Jules
BRN Communications

I don't miss CDs because I haven't left them. What is an MP3? What I would miss is the physical liner notes. I still play LPs and cassets. I don't want to spend the time learning about digital downloads, etc. when I am happy with what I have.

I know, I'm really old. I still have vinyl, reel to reel tapes, cassette tapes, CDs and I also have some MP3s. I can still play it all except the reel to reel. My tape deck needs a new belt. The sound of the vinyl was great but nothing could beat reel to reel. MP3s (and even CDs) still sound tinny to me, even though I have been listening to them for awhile. But the vinyl albums were superior at showing off the album art. Someday I'll convince my wife to allow the old electronics stuff back in the house. It'll probably take a year just to do the maintenance on it all so it'll sound good again.

I just miss the nice, state of the art, turntables!

What do i miss? I miss "the search". "The hunt". The experience of driving all over town (or across state lines) in search of something obscure or rare or that you didn't even know existed by one of your favorite artists. I miss going and traveling to various record stores and chatting with the KNOWLEDGEABLE sales clerks that would turn me on to other artists I might not have been aware of otherwise. The move to the 'convenience' of shopping online has taken the joy out of browsing record store bins. Mom and pop stores can no longer afford to stock a ton of cd's by lesser-known artists, nor can they afford to carry much of a back-catalog. There's something to be said for having to WORK and make an effort to track down your favorite music, and the thrill of cracking the seal or holding it in your hand for the first time. That can never be replicated.

Well said.

Although my freinds laugh at my 220,000+ miles truck, that plays cassettes and doesn't have power anything, and they laugh when they realize the cases of cassettes I still have, besides the cds,
nothing replaces the memories that I have that came with that music. And although I bought my first computer somewhere around 1879 (Atari 400, soldered the memory up to 48K or ram), and still have computers all over and would be lost without them -
nothing takes the place of the music that is on them, or the memories of getting them, enjoying them - and making special tapes (or cds) that were the perfect mix. OF just listening to music, instead of dong it while multi-tasking (as a middle school teacher, there isn't any other state in my life)
AND I OWN them. and see no reason to replace things that still work perfectly well.

But I'm not gonna go out and pay a grand for a two ton Tessie to drop a record on... oh and I still have to restore a Victrola, if ya wanna talk about tinny...