Do you buy all the CDs you hear? Or borrow? Or ??

[stillivor]

  Hopefully this is for all members.

  Do you buy loads? Download most? Use record libraries? Find secondhand?

  What are the rough proportions of each of all these new recordings you discuss?

 
  My own problems are to do with not being very well off, not having a brilliant local record library, not having many other obvious options for hearing the latest as they stream out of the factories.

  Not to mention loads of LPs, CDs and tapes of every sort of stuff still unheard or heard bur once.

  Aaaand wondering whether to become a Mahler completist in time   


     Ivor


      Ivor

[Leo K]

Hi Ivor,

I buy mostly from online outlets...HMV Japan, Berkshire, and Amazon...but I also download performances and trade CDR's.  I buy actual product if I can because CD's or LP's are more permanent and sound better.  Broadcasts either live on my harddrive or are burned onto CDR's.

I mainly stick to collecting classical, as I no longer have the space to collect tons of Jazz, Blues and Rock like I used to...and lately I've narrowed my classical collecting to Mahler and now Bruckner. 

There is never going to be a chance to hear it ALL, but I like to stay on top of current recordings...once in a while you strike gold, like the new Rattle BPO M9, and I discovered the Exton label by reading this board...those Exton recordings are worth every penny.

---Leo

[sperlsco]

I buy CD's from many of the on-line vendors that Leo mentions (especially the Amazon Marketplace vendors), but also buy from the BMG Music club here in the States.  BMG carries a good number of DG and EMI CD's several months after they are released, and the cost is generally around $7 USD per disc.  I buy CD's from on-line vendors around the world (US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Canada, Australia). 

I have downloaded a lot of free music over the years (mostly from Usenet -- if you want a primer  http://www.slyck.com/ng.php  ) and also traded CD-R's.  I generally like to own those recordings that I'll return to again, and make a habit of purchasing such ones that I have obtained from download or CD-R trade.  In fact, I generally do not even look to my large collection of CD-R's, preferring to find the day's CD choices from my legitimate collection.  Perhaps it is the old school record collector in me, but I like the feeling of seeing a real CD cover and booklet. 

Recently, I joined eMusic and have been downloading legitimately.  eMusic is a great deal for long-movement symphonies and concertos, and other such classical music (i.e. a 25' symphony movement is a single download, as is a 2'30" pop song -- you can see which is the better deal).   

When I first started listening to classical music, I found that the main branch of the Houston library had a nice collection.  The condition of the discs themselves was oft-times marginal though.  Which reminds me:  with the end of the year approaching, I really need to donate my many duplicate and/or excess discs to the library.  I talk about doing this every year and never quite get around to doing it.   

[Amphissa]

I buy CDs, but I don't buy many Mahler CDs these days. I have a lot of Mahler CDs already. Any time I want to listen to Mahler, I have CDs available that I can enjoy listening to.

Recently, I've been buying more DVDs. I like seeing as well as hearing performances.

But I buy a lot of music by other composers. I love watching the operas of Rimsky-Korsakov. The music is glorious, the sets and costumes spectacular, and they combine opera with ballet, so it is very different from the ordinary "stand and sing" opera of European tradition. I also like watching live performances of concerts -- Mahler, Bruckner, Rachmaninoff, Brahms.

I also like to obtain live performances from broadcast -- audio of radio broadcasts that I can burn to CD-R and DVD-R of recordings from TV broadcasts.

But as to your original question, no, I don't feel compelled to buy everything I hear. I don't feel compelled to buy the recordings that everyone gets all excited about. I don't even feel compelled to *hear* every recording that gets discussed. Why? Because I have Mahler recordings that I am happy with and would rather spend my money on CDs and DVDs of music by other composers that I want more.