buying too much music?

[3-LockBox]

Does the amount of money you spend on music ever scare you?

I know it does me. Even though I've enjoyed all the music I've purchased this year, I can't help but feel guilty about it sometimes. No, I'm not taking food off the table or skipping car payments, but I can't help but think that this 'hobby' is getting a little outta hand. Of course, I'm sure my expenditures pale in comparison to some of you

Not looking for actual numbers or anything. Just wondering aloud.

[ForeverAutumn]

Does the amount of money you spend on music ever scare you?

I know it does me. Even though I've enjoyed all the music I've purchased this year, I can't help but feel guilty about it sometimes. No, I'm not taking food off the table or skipping car payments, but I can't help but think that this 'hobby' is getting a little outta hand. Of course, I'm sure my expenditures pale in comparison to some of you

Not looking for actual numbers or anything. Just wondering aloud.

What the Hel....? I just went to reply to Davey's post and Davey's post had magically disappeared. I've read two other posts by him recently that are now MIA. How many others have vanished?

I've never actually kept track but I don't think that I spend a lot on music (a lot is, of course, a relative term ). Although, I'll bet if I told some of my friends how much I spend, they'd be shocked. But I'll also bet that some of them spend more at Starbucks or for greens fees in a year than I spend on CDs and at least I have something to show for my money that lasts longer than their caffiene highs and bad golf games.

[3-LockBox]

But I'll also bet that some of them spend more at Starbucks or for greens fees in a year than I spend on CDs and at least I have something to show for my money that lasts longer than their caffiene highs and bad golf games.

excellent points

I feel better now

[Mike]

Well I 'acquire' a lot of music but not always purchase a lot, but then it's all relative my acquisitions still outstrip friends CD buying.

Since I've been round here I definitely purchase more than I used to, but I'll dabble in all sorts of different genres where as before I was pretty narrow in what I bought.

I guess it comes down to what you can afford. I'm happy with the numbers I buy and don't feel as though I have to sacrifice anything, I don't have any real expensive hobbies, fast cars/bikes, smoking etc. Even the wife doesn't comment anymore when there's a thump through the letter box, she just whinges when we run short of storage.

And in real terms CD's are much cheaper than they used to be so CD v income I'm spending less.

ps Strange things happening round here I've spotted a few missing posts and just had to re-register to send a reply.

Cheers
Mike

[Finch Platte]

6,376,344

7.5

99

10,424

9 3/4

fp

[Bernd]

Does the amount of money you spend on music ever scare you?

I know it does me. Even though I've enjoyed all the music I've purchased this year, I can't help but feel guilty about it sometimes. No, I'm not taking food off the table or skipping car payments, but I can't help but think that this 'hobby' is getting a little outta hand. Of course, I'm sure my expenditures pale in comparison to some of you

Not looking for actual numbers or anything. Just wondering aloud.

Hi,
The normal priced items I buy don't worry me, it's those expensive audiophile recordings that make me feel a little uneasy. But then again I don't really have any other vices. It could be worth. I could find myself without any money to buy any new music-now where was that order form.


Bernd

[BinFrog]

When I think about all of the money I have spent on Rush and Pearl Jam alone it scares me. CDs, singles, bootlegs, bootleg trading, concert tickets, gas, hotel rooms, airfare to Seattle in 2002 for PJ shows, posters, memorabilia, books, t-shirts, etc. Both bands over the past 15 years...maybe $10,000? Scary.

[ForeverAutumn]

Even the wife doesn't comment anymore when there's a thump through the letter box, she just whinges when we run short of storage.

Cheers
Mike

That made me laugh. I ran out of storage and came home two weeks ago with a second CD storage unit to match the one we already have. Now Hubby and I have to move all the furniture around in our den to make room for it.

[GMichael]

Spend too much on music? Is that possible?
As FA and Bernd have pointed out, the amount spent on CD's ect is small compared to other hobbies. I spend more on gas each week than I spend on CD's. And I get to play those CD's over and over. The gas is gone forever. I used to spend $100 a week on table time playing pool. Gone. Put thousands into a Harley, insurance, more gas, all gone except whatever the Harley could be sold for. I used to smoke 2 packs of cigs a day before I quit in 92. Now they cost $5 a pack or more. That's a whole lot more than I ever spent on music.
So no, we aren't spending too much on it. As long as you feed the kids and pay the bills.

[Dave_G]

I buy music as much as possible and have since about 1974.

It's hard to find the stuff I like in stores anymore so I do a lot of on-line buying and spend a lot of dough on ebay.

But I don't like having to wait...

I still have not bought the four Steve Hackett remasters, I want them badly, but I have been getting stuff I don't have yet first...

I waste a lot of money on junk and beer and so forth, buy the children stuff, and am so glad that I don't have a car payment.

I have another cd rack to fill!

Dave

[Troy]

I waste a lot of money on junk and beer and so forth, buy the children stuff, and am so glad that I don't have a car payment.

So you are a junkie now?

[Mr MidFi]

When you compare it to how much I spend each year on beer and wine, music seems pretty reasonable.

My wife and I take one big vacation trip per year. That one trip always costs more than all of our annual CD/DVD/MP3 purchases combined...by a wide margin.

[BarryL]

Does the amount of money you spend on music ever scare you?

I've been on a non-spending spree lately, but I'm getting ready to gear up again. Mostly I've been buying just new releases by some of the bands I love, and those have been scarce lately.

But I'm getting an itch to acquire some material from earlier years that are starting to find their way to CD, and to fill in some spots in my classical prog collection.

I guess I've gotten to the point where most of what I want I already have, and I resist upgrading to each new iteration of quality that comes out. I'm not rushing to replace stuff I have with new remasters or 5.1 mixes.

[Dave_G]

This thread cost me $55.00

I just ordered the first four Steve Hackett remasters.

$55/4 = $13.75 USD each for UK Import pressings so I am pleased with my purchase.

Dave

[Dave_G]

Oh yeth next up is the Nearfest set as well as the 5th Archive Alive disk.

(Hackett)

The audio quality of these sets is excellent.

Dave

[Dusty Chalk]

I need something like this for my CD collection. Does that answer your question?

[PDK]

Someone once told me that the only writing that will bring me money is a ransom note. Now I just need to compose one with three-part harmony and my music obsession might finally see some serious returns...

Yes, I've occassionally been concerned with what I've spent on my music habit. I've slowed down a bit but its not anything I'm getting away from. The actual music depreciates very quickly because so much of it will never be that collectible. But, it's part of my big jukebox that I get to enjoy.

The other part of the music habit for me is playing it. I've not come close to breaking even but that's not really the point. However, I've got a handful of guitars that are appreciating in value. We're quite disciplined with the rest of our lives so I'm confident that she'll still need me and feed me when I'm 64 (or 94...).

I bought my first 45 (Aerosmith's Walk this Way) in 1975 at the ripe old age of eight. A week later, I followed it up with my first lp (Steppenwolf's For Ladies Only). It has been a steady habit ever since. I do regret getting rid of my vinyl in the early 90s because it was too cumbersome to keep moving. Milk crates just weren't meant to be dragged across international borders!

I began buying CDs in 1987 and have amassed an immense collection. I have about a thousand readily accessible and literally have a couple dozen bankers boxes full of cds in storage - about a third are in my family's London flat and the rest in my utility room of my current house. It's not accurate to try to apply a dollar value to what I've spent because a great many of them are promos. I still pick up a handful a month. I've started to consume quite a bit from iTunes because of the convenience and the fact that I've pretty much always got an iPod near me. Helpful hint: harddrive space has never been cheaper!

Going through the stack from 2005 to prepare my "Best of", I counted 112 new releases. I think I paid for about half of them. The rest were promos / review copies, or gifts. This was down from 2004 and I expect 2006 to be about the same. I'm one of those people that actually buy CDs in airports...

I'm convinced my ears will give out before my wallet does so I look forward to several more decades of music accumulation...

[newtrix1]

6,376,344

7.5

99

10,424

9 3/4

fp

Have you heard the remastered version; 9.75? Imo 9 3/4 is not as great as 10 though (it get's a bit fragmented toward the end), but still a good little number.

[opt80]

I spend a lot but like FA said I don't beat up a little white ball,nor do I drink or smoke.
As Tozer and JD will attest to,I am very boring. I buy a lot from www.mymusic.com

The staff at work are always sorting the mail and throwing little boxes my way.
I have friends that go to bars after work and spend the equivalent of two cds on booze.

I have nothing against them but drinking my money is not my cup of Pabst or Molson

Alan

[Finch Platte]

Have you heard the remastered version; 9.75? Imo 9 3/4 is not as great as 10 though (it get's a bit fragmented toward the end), but still a good little number.

I'm sorry, I don't go for that new-fangled stuff much. It just doesn't sound as good.

fp

[Bernd]

I spend a lot but like FA said I don't beat up a little white ball,nor do I drink or smoke.
As Tozer and JD will attest to,I am very boring. I buy a lot from www.mymusic.com

The staff at work are always sorting the mail and throwing little boxes my way.
I have friends that go to bars after work and spend the equivalent of two cds on booze.

I have nothing against them but drinking my money is not my cup of Pabst or Molson

Alan

Totally agree with you-even though I am enjoying my third cool beer at the moment.
All music for this week is bought and paid for.

Bernd

[Woochifer]

In high school and college, I was a music collecting fiend. After bills and basic expenses, I spent much of what remained on LPs and CDs. It was easy back then because I wasn't yet old enough to get into most live music clubs and bars. I was also a concert director in college, so I got a lot of demo tapes, press kits, and guest list passes to feed my music needs.

In recent years, I've been going in phases. When I primarily went out to clubs to check out local bands, I did not buy a lot of CDs during that time because funds that would have gone to CDs instead went to cover charges, drinks, and dinner out with friends 5-6 nights a week. At that point, my music purchases became more sporatic.

After I bought my first DVD player five years ago, I also curtailed my CD spending so that I could focus on populating my DVD collection. Along the way, I also bought some DVD-Audio discs so I could enjoy the 5.1 DD and DTS surround music tracks, and some of Classic Records' 96/24 PCM discs that featured stunning remasters. Once I got most of the DVD titles I was interested in, I started looking to my music collection again, and there are holes aplenty! Kind of overwhelming to consider the amount of music that I need to catch up on, because I focused so much of my attention on the DVD collection!

Now that I've bought most of the "must buy" DVDs from my wish list, my DVD buying has tailed off. And much of last year, I was buying more CDs. But, then came my fateful plunge into the world of SACD. Now, I've been on a wild spending spree to populate my SACD collection. For certain titles such as DSOTM and the San Francisco Symphony's Mahler series, I've wanted to hear them in multichannel for a long time and they were among the first items that got knocked off the wish list. But, along the way I've been discovering other titles, and that discovery process has been rewarding (for me personally, and for the record stores and record labels financially!).