Perhaps it's just me but this year I downloaded a lot of new music. My rational was if it was good, I'd have a new group to follow and buy their later albums.
Anyways here's my top 5 list of albums I acually own, packaging and all, from 2006:

1. Herbert - Scale
2. Thom Yorke - the Eraser
3. Yo La Tengo - INAOYAIWKYA
4. Barbara Morgenstern - The grass is always greener
5. Sonic Youth - rather ripped

What's yours?

I'm stunned. Not so much by the downloading, but by the fact you actually think it's normal and/or acceptable to have only purchased five of the albums you listened to this year.

The other downloaders here are smart enough not to talk about it.

I didn't say I downloaded them for free!!!
I'm talking about the liner notes and whatnot. An actual Tower records (or whatever music store)purchase as opposed to I tunes. when I go to the store it's usually an artist that I'm familiar with rather then listening to some clips and buying and i tune. Perhaps I should have elaborated.
And to the top 5 -- I think list 30 is a bit exhaustive. I didn't say I bought only 5.
I'm a musician and I understand the industry. I support as many musicians as I am supported by others.

Ok, I jumped the gun. My apologies.

I bought hard copies of all 80-some, except Scritti Politti and The Twilight Singers, which I bought through iTunes.

Wow. That's quite admirable. I do prefer having the artwork and liner notes but have found that I am getting less inclined to physically purchase as technology advances; the music takes on some other value.

I bought or was given about 25 hard copy albums this year. The rest I just downloaded from Yahoo Music Unlimited. In fact, I only buy albums that a)Have exceptionally good packaging/cover art b)I love a lot c)Yahoo doesn't offer.
Radiohead and The Beatles aren't available on Yahoo, so I bought hard copies of (almost) their entire discographies.
My favorite band is Modest Mouse. Originally, I illegally downloaded all of their albums. Then, once I got Napster, and later Yahoo, I downloaded all the albums legally. Later on, I decided to buy all their albums on iTunes, because it was hard to find them in record stores - besides I was convinced at the time that $9.99 was a good price for an album. Later still, I decided to buy hard copies of all their albums from Amazon and Best Buy. So, if I hadn't deleted them, I would have about 5 copies of each Modest Mouse cd on my hard drive.
Ok I've gone off topic.
Long live the HARD COPY MUZIK.

Yeah, out of my top 20, I have physical copies for all of them. Great packaging or not (although it is nice if the packaging is nice like Ys, or cool digi-paks like Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, Return to the Sea, and Orphans) if I really like something I must get it a hard copy of it. In all, from albums this year, I bought about 30 that were released this year.

quote:

Originally posted by m.leland:
Ok, I jumped the gun. My apologies.

I bought hard copies of all 80-some, except Scritti Politti ...

At least you've got a copy of White Bread... which puts you well and truly in the minority, albeit one with unerringly good taste.

I suppose now you'll tell me you thought it sucked

quote:

Originally posted by Sideshow Bob:

quote:

Originally posted by m.leland:
Ok, I jumped the gun. My apologies.

I bought hard copies of all 80-some, except Scritti Politti ...

At least you've got a copy of White Bread... which puts you well and truly in the minority, albeit one with unerringly good taste.

I suppose now you'll tell me you thought it sucked

No, I liked it. Top 25 probably, but I didn't get that high—wrangling with the 20th spot was hard enough.

All of the records on my top 20 list were purchased in hard copy. Many were bought used/promo discs, but if I like something enough to put it on my top 20 of the year, I'll have a real copy of it.

I think I only downloaded a handful of tracks in 2006, all things that were unavailable on disc (Hold Steady outtakes, etc).

quote:

Yeah, out of my top 20, I have physical copies for all of them.

all of my albums that year r physical copies (ok with a few exceptions till i find n buy them)

everyone should do the same.

i buy everything i like once i've downloaded it.
orrather attempt to. my income cant really support it, but i stretch the budget when i can.
i must have bought somewhere around 35 albums last year.

Of my top 20, I only downloaded three, and that's basically becuase I was in a pinch to try and include them and I couldn't find them locally. That, and through the mail would take too long. I think I bought around 60 or so albums this year, and I'm pretty sure only those three were the ones I got on iTunes.

If I may go off topic for just a moment, how much are you paying for cds in the U.S or the U.K. In Australia the and album about is $25 AUD (19.55) USD - $30 AUD (23.49) USD.

$10–$14 at a local music store.

quote:

Originally posted by PrairieFire:
If I may go off topic for just a moment, how much are you paying for cds in the U.S or the U.K. In Australia the and album about is $25 AUD (19.55) USD - $30 AUD (23.49) USD.

I usually don't pay more than $13 unless it's an import or multi-disc set. I buy a lot of used CD's, but many times I can find new or like-new albums online for less than $10.

Best Albums I Bought

1. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
2. Neko Case - Fox Confessor
3. The Knife - Silent Shout

Since I am on eMusic, there were a few on semi-major labels that I had to go out and buy. They are....

The Dears - Gang of Losers
Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye
Brazilian Girls - Talk to La Bomb
Scissor Sisters - Tah-Da
Feist - Open Season
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People...

The only thing I miss about not having the whole CD package is the track listing. I never know what the name of the song I like is. It's like Track 3 and Track 8 are killers but I have no clue what they're called.

quote:

Originally posted by PrairieFire:
If I may go off topic for just a moment, how much are you paying for cds in the U.S or the U.K. In Australia the and album about is $25 AUD (19.55) USD - $30 AUD (23.49) USD.

It pays to look around and bide your time, Prair.
Eg. I paid $33 for Franz Ferdinand's second album (fortunately it was via gift voucher). Saw it the next day in HMV for $12. I was not a Happy Little Vegemite.

Assuming you live in a city, keep your eyes peeled for those "Dirt Cheap CD" stores. You can often pick up a lot of new, relatively recent stuff for $10.

To return to the topic: The Town and the City - Los Lobos; Rockford - Cheap Trick; White bread, Black Beer - Scritti Politti.

I went out and bought Modern Times by Bob Dylan, took me all day to track it down in my town (which was strange because I live in Mississippi, and aren't we supposed to adore Folk music?). I also bought The Life Pursuit by Belle and Sebastian, as well as Return to the Sea by Islands. And I got Return to Cookie Mountain by TV on the Radio, even after I torrented it after it was leaked.

Those were all the albums I personally bought but I also received At War With the Mystics by The Flaming Lips and The Greatest by Cat Power as gifts. Most of the albums I got were great so yay for me.

If I had to rank them though:

1. Modern Times - Bob Dylan
2. The Life Pursuit - Belle and Sebastian
3. Return to Cookie Mountain - TV on the Radio
4. Return to the Sea - Islands (only because I haven't listened to it as much)