The post on Insound's tip jar has inspired me to conduct a brief, almost anti-scientific survey: What was the last piece of music you paid for, and when did you buy it? I will start by saying that I closed out my birthday six days ago with a mini-spree at Virgin, where I bought the new Cyndi Lauper album, Usher's Here I Stand, the Foxboro Hot Tubs record, Free Kitten's Inherit, the Kills' Midnight Boom, a Siobhan Donaghy picture-disc 12" for "Don't Give It Up," and Janet Jackson's Control (seriously, how had I not owned it all this time?). I also got the Portishead live DVD because it was $10 and it has the videos for "Sour Times," "All Mine," etc. Your turn!
quick demographic surveys





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Last purchase? Tom Vek's "One Horse Race" a few days ago. Last album I got was the new Portishead when it was released.
Both were downloads off the amazon store.
Spiritualized "Songs in A & E" and a Soundway collection called "Nigeria Rock Special" last Tuesday. I still buy (get suckered into?) reissues/deluxe editions/etc. I will probably go buy Opeth's "Watershed" after work.
Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeorplane Over the Sea because I somehow didn't actually have it. Downloaded from itunes.
I just bought a copy of Jeff Beck's Truth because my guitar teacher wants me to learn Bolero.
Kid Dakota - Get Her Out Of My Heart / Two Fronts 7" last week, Andrew Hill - Compulsion, this afternoon. The Andrew Hill was bought from the local used record store, and the Kid Dakota was bought straight from their website. Hooray for buying!
I download single tracks from iTunes on a semi-regular basis (a couple of weeks ago it was three tracks by the Jam, because I was feelin' nostalgic for the Mod revival) but the last actual CD I purchased in a store was the Duke Spirit's Neptune 2 months ago, and before that it had probably been years since I bought a new CD.
I bought a used CD copy of Lupe Fiasco's last record about a half an hour, I bought a sealed vinyl copy of 'Pick A Bigger Weapon' by The Coup plus the debut from local country artist Caitlin Rose on Saturday. And my Emusic subscription re-upped last week, so I'm up to ass in new tunes at the moment.
friday: fairport convention - s/t (aka what we did on our holidays), jerry garcia - s/t, grateful dead - europe '72, dory previn - live at carnegie hall.
oh, wait, did you mean an actual, like, new and royalty bearing unit? god that was so long ago.
Oh, and for what its worth, the last CDs I purchased were Rufus Does Judy and the home recordings of rivers cuomo because I am (unrepentantly) one of those frighteningly intense Weezer fans.
Last physical CD: Chumbawamba THE BOY BANDS HAVE WON. Mail-ordered from their website.
In February. That's sort of sobering.
Last digital file(s): Bob Wiseman, THEME AND VARIATIONS (a whole album, I don't usually buy individual songs), in mid-April (also sobering). From some Canadian indie website called Zunior.
@exposition: Those Soundway comps are mad good. I can't get enough of them.
@janine: best record he ever made.
I actually haven't bought anything new in a while, but I'll grab the new Hold Steady when it comes out.
I did hit the local used CD shop and picked up Portishead's second album and Use Your Illusion I a couple months back.
I think the last thing I purchased was Spirtualized's "Songs in A & E." I bought a Camper Van Beethoven track on iTunes right around the same time, though.
This was all early last week.
I bought R.E.M.'s new one in late April from Walmart, and a little over a week ago, from iTunes, the track "Mary Anne" from Marshall Crenshaw's debut.
Donna Summer: Crayons, three hours ago
I'm pretty reliable for 4ish "albums" a month from the iTMS, usually new or recent releases. This weekend I picked up Cyndi Lauper's new disco diva album, Bring Ya To The Brink, just because it sounded like an interesting new direction for her (and got very little press AFAIK); and the iTMS-specific "EP" of the bonus tracks released with the "Deluxe" (!) rerelease of Fergie's The Dutchess, which contains "Labels Or Love" (from SATC), "Barracuda" (which freakin' rocks!), "Pick It Up", "Party People" (with Nelly), and a cool remix of "Clumsy".
Let the mocking begin...
Black Sabbath, Paranoid, at Amoeba last weekend. Also the new Islands.
Republic of Loose - VOL IV: Johnny Pyro and the Dance of Evil
I tend to buy my CDs in massive quantities whenever I'm in the US since they're like half the price I'd pay at home. I don't buy off itunes unless the album's not on CD.
the last honest to goodness new record i bought was the last tom waits one. which was about a year ago. yay for recycled music!
it's been a few weeks, but my most recent binge:
gnarls barkley
portishead
robyn
jim lidell
santogold
estelle
flight of the conchords
jim noir
the breeders
phantom planet
the new ones from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Old 97s were my most recent physical CD purchases.
I also picked up the Bat and Lashes remix by Plaid on iTunes, after about an hour of fruitlessly searching for that fucker on Google, Mediafire, and the Hype Machine
About ten days ago I picked up "Wolves And Wishes" by Dosh and "Elephant Shell" by Tokyo Police Club on CD, and the latest Constantines release on vinyl.
Speaking of zunior.com, consider it a pretty good place to find digital versions of lots of great Canadian (and some international too) music.
i went on a major vinyl shopping spree yesterday:
Black Mountain - In The Future
Tom Petty - Damn The Torpedoes
The Knack - Get The Knack
Bob Dylan - Planet Waves
Velvet Underground - s/t "closet mix" UK pressing
Parliament Funkadlic - Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome
Goblin - Dawn of the Dead OST
Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story
god i love vinyl.
I pay for music every month, being a devoted eMusic subscriber; yesterday's downloads were Burned Again by Stiffed, Santogold's old ska-punk band, which is listenable but considerably less interesting than the Santogold album, and Show and Tell: The Best of Al Wilson. Last itunes buy was M83's Saturdays=Youth.
Assuming the Mojo 2-Tone cover-mount CD doesn't count, the latest physical CDs I've bought were the Last Shadow Puppets' The Age of the Understatement, the Blade Runner Trilogy 3CD set, Portishead's Third, and Goldfrapp's The Seventh Tree.
Hmmm... Kathleen Edwards' "Asking [?] For Flowers," yesterday via BMG Music Service. But, I, uh, got it for free. (Yeah, sue me. It's my last free CD. I'm quittin' now.) So that probably doesn't count, because I don't think Ms. Edwards' getting much from that purchase.
Prior to that, I think it was Gary Louris' "Vagabonds" (new) and the new (old) Tally Hall (used). Those, too, were physical copies. April maybe?
Hey, if I buy 12-15 a year, that's a lot for me.
I (belatedly!) bought the entire Jawbreaker catalog minus _Dear You_ (already had it) via the Amazon marketplace last Thursday.
I got Weezer this morning on iTunes.
Are we counting $2 album downloads from dubious Russian websites? If we are, I bought the Santogold album two days ago.
The last physical CD I bought was by Delta Spirit, about a week and a half ago.
I bought a Jimmie Rodgers compilation from Amazon, in mp3 format, last week.
My last two weeks of music-related purchases:
Yesterday, ordered from Amazon: My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges (pre-order) / Spiritualized - Songs in A&E / Various Artists - Soul Messages from Dimona
This past Friday, ordered from Amazon: Various Artists - Don't Stop: Recording Tap (used)
Two weeks ago, ordered direct from Matador: Jay Reatard - Painted Shut 7" / Shearwater - Rook (pre-order)
Two weeks ago, in a real-life record store: My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (vinyl reissue) / Darondo - Let My People Go (vinyl reissue)
I also did a few trades on Zunafish, and downloaded stuff from legitimate payed services (e.g. not AllOfMP3.com) - typically artists I'm not familiar with, or b-sides/compilation tracks.
If there's half a chance I'm going to like the whole album, I want the physical product. I moved away from that way of thinking for a few years after Napster showed up, but I realized that for a litany of reasons, I enjoy it a lot more when I've paid for it and can hold it in my hand.
After reading the comments left so far I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I generally buy two or three CDs a week.
Last Tuesday I bought the new Spiritualized album, that new Steinski retrospective, and Mogwai's Young Team reissue. I also got "Blind" by Hercules & Love Affair from iTunes, but that was free.
May 13th, picked up Local H- 12 Angry Months, Filter- Anthems of the Damned, and We Are Scientist's- Brain Thrust Mastery. At Best Buy, where they were still stocking at noon. Slackers.
New Old 97s and the new REM from Amazon Digital Music Store; Murry Hammond's solo CD I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm On My Way direct from Murray's homegrown label via Amazon; the last Crooked Still album, some Teenage Fanclub tracks, and the Grand Valley State Music for 18 Musicians from eMusic.
All this since 5/15, but I hadn't even used my eMusic subscription for about six weeks previously.
Waiting on the Dennis Wilson CD reissue (can it be a reissue if it's never been on CD?) from Amazon. Arrives when he comes up for air, I suppose.
Also bought DVDs, which I seem to be enjoying more, often because of the 5.1 (Roy Orbison, Phish It, Cowboy Junkies, Dylan's Don't Look Back special edition, and Brian Ferry's Dylan gig).
I have to save everything left between now and then for whatever Neil Young has coming down the pike. You know, the big project ... More barn!
Bought the new M83 record from iTunes today after getting tickets to their D.C. show. My lifeline, basically, is eMusic, (recently some Go-Betweens and Unrest), though working near Other Music tempts me daily.
Erykah Badu's "New Amerykah, Part I," downloaded from iTunes last week. Can't recall the last time I walked into a brick-and-mortar to buy music.
On Sunday I found used copies of Metallica's Garage Inc., The Used' In Love and Death and a Black Sabbath 2-CD collection.
Meiko's self-titled album - from CDBaby. Good times.
@SomeSound-MostlyFury: I would argue that does not count, at least not for this particular question.
I'm also an emusic subscriber, but my last physical CD purchase was the Robyn album... about a month ago (about the same time: the Portishead album and, yes, Vampire Weekend).
Last week I purchased:
Usher - Here I Stand
Al Green -Lay it Down
Bun B - II Trill
Today/this week I will purchase:
The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale EP
frightened rabbit - the midnight organ fight
compact disc/amazon.com
I've bought pretty monthly since February, and mostly songs. Somehow I haven't been into albums lately but I did get Le Husky's 'Chanson Moderne Pour Cyniques Romantiques' in March.
In the last couple of weeks I bought the following cds:
Santogold -- s/t
Death Cab for Cutie -- Narrow Stairs
Sons and Daughters -- This Gift (love them)
The Whigs -- Mission Control
Mates of State -- Re-Arrange Us (them too)
Phantom Planet -- Raise the Dead
Biirdie -- Catherine Avenue
And after work I'm going to buy the new Weezer.
I bought the Surf Punks My Beach album via Amazon MP3 last week, my first purchase from them.
The last physical CD I bought was the new Death Cab at Best Buy while my wife was next door buying hair products at Ulta. I know, I know. Whatever.
A couple weeks before that I bought the new Neil Diamond and Last Shadow Puppets CDs at my local independent record store.
I also subscribe to the $9.99 emusic plan.
Plus I get tons of free shit (way too much) because I've been publishing an online music zine since 2001.
I bought myself the Ultimate Neil Diamond Collection for my birthday a week back from Target. $18.99! But, it is a double-disc set, so.
I would also like to take this opportunity to state that I never buy anything from the iTunes music store and I mostly buy new things on vinyl if I can. I am SUCH a cliché.
I picked-up a used copy of Helium's "The Magic City" last week for like $8.
Estelle, Shine, three days ago.
Something at Amoeba, I think. Or somethings. But what, that's what I can't remember.
Mudhoney-Superfuzz Bigmuff Re-issue...bought it on Saturday. I actually hadn't bought a cd for months before that.
The Audition - Champion last week. And I'm sure I'll buy the new Old 97s at their show tomorrow night.
I love this game.
I just purchased, at Richmond'a awesome Plan 9 on Friday:
CDs- Stone Roses s/t & Phoenix - Alphabetical (used)
LPs (used)- The Impossible Five, Chicks on Speed single, cool old soul record I can't remember because I am at work.
Also bought my friend's CD at a local show the next evening: The Mermaid Skeleton's excellent "Darlings" EP.
I buy a lot of music still.
last week I picked up the No Age - Eraser 7" and today I picked up...
Fleet Foxes - Ragged Mountain (CD)
No Age - Nouns (CD)
all from Newbury Comics... I usually buy a couple cds or 7" singles every month. Last time I bought an mp3 was probably last year, when I forgot to cancel my trial eMusic membership...
@fabulousrobots: Plan 9 is great, although recently I've been wishing they had a bigger electronic music section. Do we really need all that punk and hardcore? I mean I know it's Richmond but come on...
The last things I bought were on the itunes store: DJ Sega and DJ Blaqstarr's Hollertronix 8 EP, and The Death Set's Worldwide, in late April I believe.
I preordered Weezer from Amazon; hasn't shown up yet.
If somebody would get around to remastering CONTROL I'd be all over that shizz. Even though I did spend many dollars assembling my very own Janet best-of on iTunes a couple months ago. (Tracklist available upon request.)
I haven't walked into a physical CD store and bought a CD since... March, I believe, which was the Gutter Twins album. At Virgin. It's weird that Virgin is now a struggling local music store that I feel obligated to support, right?
A few weeks. ITunes
Hard Candy-Madonna----psyche!
Death Cab for Cutie-Death Cab for Cutie
Melody Gardot-Worrisome Heart (single)
Last week I mail-ordered (and received) the Sordid Sentinels edition of Wowee Zowee from Newbury Comics, through amazon.com.
Last week at lunch, picked up used copies of Wire's '154,' Talking Heads 'Remain in Light,' and (not used) Replacements 'Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash.' These, in addition, to whatever I got on emusic last week.
However from reading these comments, I think I need to stop buying reissues. It looks like 2008 is shaping up to be a bumper crop of must-have music.
A couple of days ago, I downloaded Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane, Over the Sea" from eMusic. And today, I went to Newbury Comics and bought three CDs:
Bettye LaVette (with Drive-By Truckers)--The Scene of the Crime
Blue Oyster Cult--Tyranny and Mutation reissue ($9)
Iron Maiden--Powerslave
I rarely buy CDs anymore; mostly download albums via my eMusic subscription. But I definitely want to pick up the Superfuzz Bigmuff and Ramones reissues that are out now.
I just downloaded Disturbed's new album via iTunes earlier today, and just before that on Saturday I bought Tokio Hotel's CD (twas dirt cheap at Best Buy, otherwise I never would have bought the disc)
...I think I'll just show myself out now, lest I be tarred and feathered by the Idolator masses.
==TJ==
I bought "Mercy" (convuluted subfield b title here) by Ours. It is a good album, and though I'll be the first to admit they're a mediocre act, I have an unnatural draw towards the band. I guess you like what you like.
I bought that two weeks ago. I don't download illegally. I think listening to XMU and Liquid Metal generally gets me through most days. If I like something, I'll download it on iTunes. Next purchase for me: probably some individual songs by Blu and his various collaborations. I really dig this:
+ Watch video
This last Sunday at Amoeba:
-Crystal Castles - S/T (used)
-Health - Health/Disco (new)
-Nobody Presents: Blank Blue (used)
-LCD Soundsystem - Confuse The Marketplace (12")
My lady bought:
David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World & Station to Station (both Ryko versions - our holy grail of used purchases)
Herbert - Moving Like A Train (12")
Jamie Lidell - Little Bit Of Feel Good (45)
Elton John - Too Low For Zero (used, to replace a worn copy)
We were going to buy the new Four Tet and Spiritualized albums at Rasputin, but they wouldn't take my store credit, so we ditched them for now.
We buy physical new music in bulk about once a month, but always look for used first. I will not pay for downloaded music until services provide lossless files for a decent price (I'm looking at you, Boomkat). The only music I download for free are the odds single tracks I find on my weekly blog raids for new music.
The Afghan Whigs' 'Uptown Avondale' EP. Just plugging the holes in my collection.
@TheRunningboard7: That first Ours record is still a great moody alt-rock album, though the sophomore release was really uneven to my recall. How's the new one?
"Yeah" by Italian disco experimentalist Simone Fedi, the best track from his Sub-Space EP, on iTunes. On May 25.
Er, the last thing I actually bought was a Dambuilders single via Amazon that I remembered fondly from about 10 years ago. But that was the first thing in months. My magazine writing outlet tends to keep me well supplied otherwise, and I'm mostly up on all the catalogs I consider it important to own.
Tony Lucca's EP, 'Close Enough.' And it's amazing. Bought it via CD Baby.
@LeighBlack: The Old 97s did an in-store at Waterloo here in Austin a few weeks ago (I believe it was the week the album dropped) and they were awesome as always. Have fun! From what I could tell, the new songs are good.
Little Voice, Sara Bareilles
Life In Cartoon Motion, Mika
Blame It On Gravity, Old 97s
I bought these all at the same time, but since only one (Bareilles) was an in-store purchase and the other two came from two different online ordering houses, I got them spaced out through the month of May. Very happy with all of them. And then I was on a date with this guy and sort of flipped out a little when he professed mild surprise that I still purchased CDs. (THE AUDIO QUALITY WILL NEVER BE AS GOOD!!)
I loved the new Presets album so much I bought a second copy at my local indie store. I was going to buy the Radiohead DVD that came out today but the damn thing didn't even have the video for IDIOTEQUE on it! DAMN YOOOOU EMI!!!!
Via iTunes:
Madge--Hard Candy (Deluxe Edition) 8am the day it came out, like the good fag i am.
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Alan Loveday & Sir Neville Marriner--Vivaldi: The Four Seasons 5.22@like 2am cause i couldn't sleep and moon safari wasn't doing it for me
Yesterday: Preordered the Ratatat LP from Matador Direct and downloaded the Cut Chemist record from iTunes.
@rainmkr: Can I have your second copy?
@rainmkr:
YES, someone else has purchased/is bumping/talking about the new Presets album. Word.
I bought the Annuals CD in Coachella, mostly because I wanted them to autograph it, which they did. I know, I'm the lamest ever. Oh, and the latest from mexican band "Jumbo" as a gift for a friend.
@summeroflove: That's a fantastic record - have you checked out Le Husky's friend/musical associates Navet Confit and Alexandre Champigny? I especially recommend Navet Confit's sprawling second album, the 2-cd LP2.
I got the new B-52s album and April March's Paris in April from iTunes. I haven't bought an actual CD in a while. I used to work next door to Amoeba, so I dropped plenty of cash back then.
Also, my most recent purchases would be Fleet Foxes and the first Iron & Wine album (both on vinyl) from Subpop, and the the new Aimee Mann (the deluxe edition - because I like to support people who invest so much in proper packaging) her website.
I can't wait for Sundazed's vinyl box of Dennis Wilson...
The Royal Bangs' We Breed Champions from the Amazon download store a week or so ago.