02-17-2017, 11:37 PM
I'm probably one of the last people on earth who still buys physical product (CDs, vinyl, bluray, etc..) I'm old school that way. Collecting music and movies has been my main hobby since I was about 12, and I'm probably not gonna stop anytime soon. It's an addiction.
But don't get me wrong, I'm not completely stuck in the stone age. I do buy a lot of music through iTunes as well, and like most people I mainly use my phone or iPod for music listening these days. But if I have a choice between digital or physical, I definitely prefer physical. I like holding it in my hands, flipping through the booklet, reading the lyrics and liner notes, looking at the artwork. And this might sound weird, but vinyl records and lyric booklets just smell good, especially right after you rip off the shrink wrap and open the packaging for the first time. Some bands still put a lot of thought and effort into their packaging, which makes it worthwhile for me (Pearl Jam, Drive-By Truckers to name a couple). Losing stores like HMV sucks, but as long as independent record shops continue to thrive and as long as there are online retailers like Amazon, I'll continue to buy vinyl and CDs from bands I love, especially if I want to help support them. Streaming just isn't for me, at least not yet. I prefer to own my music.
Speaking of indie record shops, has anybody here ever been to Amoeba in LA or San Francisco? Best record/movie store I've ever set foot in. The place is an absolute gold mine if you're a hardcore collector. It's my Disneyland.
![[Image: 635999468923129129-88995381_amoeba.jpg]](https://az616578.vo.msecnd.net/files/responsive/embedded/any/desktop/2016/05/27/635999468923129129-88995381_amoeba.jpg)
But don't get me wrong, I'm not completely stuck in the stone age. I do buy a lot of music through iTunes as well, and like most people I mainly use my phone or iPod for music listening these days. But if I have a choice between digital or physical, I definitely prefer physical. I like holding it in my hands, flipping through the booklet, reading the lyrics and liner notes, looking at the artwork. And this might sound weird, but vinyl records and lyric booklets just smell good, especially right after you rip off the shrink wrap and open the packaging for the first time. Some bands still put a lot of thought and effort into their packaging, which makes it worthwhile for me (Pearl Jam, Drive-By Truckers to name a couple). Losing stores like HMV sucks, but as long as independent record shops continue to thrive and as long as there are online retailers like Amazon, I'll continue to buy vinyl and CDs from bands I love, especially if I want to help support them. Streaming just isn't for me, at least not yet. I prefer to own my music.
Speaking of indie record shops, has anybody here ever been to Amoeba in LA or San Francisco? Best record/movie store I've ever set foot in. The place is an absolute gold mine if you're a hardcore collector. It's my Disneyland.