Mine are in the attic. But they are all ripped to ALAC and I don't know if I'll ever physically play them again. They are just a round piece of plastic to me. The ideas encoded onto them is what I love.

All due to our greedy government taxing the proles.

Your bought copy disappears? You'd have it downloaded though, surely?

That's a great model. Now, turn that MP3 into FLAC and I'm sold!

Thanks for that info Darth 320 kbps is a very good quality compression, but it is not lossless? Correct me if I am wrong

I agree that after Apple have (or, now that Apple have) recouped their R&D costs on setting up the iTunes Store, the price of downloads should drop (or, have dropped) significantly. If their model has vastly reduced costs (no shipping, in-house marketing and promotion, etc.) then there is no justification for fixing prices at the same or even higher level than the physical recordings model of sale, IMO.

True. Though I'm past the years of monthly layings-on-the-floor of all my CD cases to re-alphabetise them after my OH has had her merry way with them. And goodness only knows what the kids would now do to them. I certainly like to own the file rather than just have month-by-month access to it. However, the way with Spotify where somebody else compiles the cover artwork, makes sure the recording is filed sensibly in the library etc. makes a streaming library attractive. I think it would be scary for us all to add up how much time we spent on iTunes library maintenance in the first decade of the 2000's. So, I don't know which way I'll go. ATM all my music is ripped CDs, with the odd purchase for CDs I can't access. I have ceased using the iTunes software, apart from the desktop computer that loads my antiquated iPod Classic 160GB with lossless music files.

IMO music listening is about switching off from computers as far as is possible, not switching on. I also like to know at what quality I am listening to a recording, even if I concede my audio systems are crap enough to cover over a multitude of sins

I remember those days.

Now I have every track I'm likely wanting to hear from my CD collection, on a memory stick in the TV.
With a decent sound bar, that's all you need.

Fair enough. Do you think it's worth your time though, all that sifting and downloading? The recording industry seems to be privileging convenience over quality. If YouTube is reliably neither, then it's not an all-round solution, IMO. Again JMO, YouTube is an incredible resource for ideas: where I would go to for an academic listen to something, and where my cash-strapped music students go to for otherwise unaffordable listening and research. I wouldn't habitually recreationally listen there however, as higher audio quality is more reliably found elsewhere.

Those were good days! *in a misguided burst of nostalgia, pulls down the ladder to the attic*

How hard would it be to achieve this utopia? A site that offers monthly access to a massive catalogue of CD (or better) quality music. Unlimited streaming on desktops and mobile devices. Unlimited downloading of files one can keep indefinitely. Sure, users would log in, download a massive month and then upload to torrent sites; but that's what lawyers, the courts and industry-pandering governments are there for.

I mean, pornography has perfected its digital sales model. Why must the music industry lag behind?

I don't buy music off iTunes and refuse to buy any digital download unless it's at least 50% cheaper than I can get the physical CD for on principle, as digital pricing should take into account the savings on distribution, printing, manufacturing and storage costs and the fact there's no resale value, collectable value or ability to loan to a friend like with a CD.

Fair enough. If bookshelves of CDs is your idea of an ideal living room look, then that's perfect. BTW, you must be incredibly law-abiding if you wouldn't loan an album on a memory stick to a friend. Do you think R&D might be the reason digital prices are still high? Digital commerce does come at some cost.

Hmm..


I still think the music industry owes me a fortune from my being overcharged for albums since my teens.

Just had a thought. The price rises may signal Apple losing market share. This could herald another wave of innovation in its business model: something it never had an incentive to bring about while in its monopoly position for the past decade or so. Short term pain might be the means to a better end product?

New EU legislation came in recently meaning you have to pay VAT at the local rate (ie. the UK rate). Previously, you paid VAT at 13.5% because that was the rate in Luxembourg, where iTunes s.a.r.l is based.

- May have something to do with this...

How do you actually create a flac file? The only ripper/converter I've found is from Softonic, but I've been advised not to go anywhere near their software.

I know it's the best quality, but the problem I have is that hardly anything except a computer will play the flac format.

There seem to be good how-to's found by Googling:

create flac windows

create flac mac

Good luck

Yep, this could have something to do with it.

Talk about ill-thought out ideas.

If you don't want your CDs any more take them to Oxfam. If you are like me you will then buy some while you are there, it's all in a good cause.

Absolute madness paying for music online. You dont even own anything.

It depends on what music you're looking for, but there are some real bargains on iTunes. The 2014 remasters of the Who's albums are sonically very good, have loads of bonus tracks, and cost £4.99. Likewise, if you're into oddball jazz, Sun Ra's albums have been remastered and now (apparently) sound better than any previous releases (including the original vinyl), and cost £6.99. Maybe iTunes is overpriced for new pop releases but it's always worth checking for back catalogue and less mainstream music.

I just dug out this post because I had a thought. If a digital file is backed up securely, it is available to listen to until such time as there is no compatible technology to render it into audio. This is not true of physical recordings, which have a limited lifespan in themselves, and likewise need compatible playback technology. Is there a value to be found in the relative durability of digital recordings?