"Preview All" is so key to my everyday lately. I've been craving for new music a lot a lot lately, so I hit the Amazon and get tastes of all these different albums, as needed. I still have this DRM aversion to buying music on iTunes so I've never gotten anything from there besides free items -- even though I know I heard that they were stripping the DRM (for the more part??); Amazon has always been DRM-free, so that's the only place I've ever actually bought digital music. The sound quality sounds good to me, so that helps. I can't really remember a difference with the iTunes ones I have because I think they were all before they started selling them at the higher bitrate....
I also don't like to preview from iTunes because the program just seems so bloated... Amazon, I can just pull up in a browser and it's snappy. I can also use the Amazon MP3 app on my phone, which is so clutch and convenient. I suppose it's the same as if I still used an iPhone, but I guess that just evens out. Either way, that's better than having to use a computer to preview/listen when you're just casually browsing before bed. There are other differences with the phones, but that's a different post unto itself..
Unlike a lot of people, I've been trying to pirate/steal less music, but that obviously comes with a cost. A plus side, however, is that I'm a bit more discerning as to what it is I actually take the money to purchase and the time to listen through. That isn't to say that everything is a homerun - there will be times when I think I'm totally into something, but it'll just be for that short amount of time. This is where the previewing is very helpful. As tempted as I am to just get the album, I'll preview the hell out of it to see if I really want it - over the course of days. I'll also YouTube videos from the artists/albums and see if that changes/encourages how I feel, in addition to biographical research. These things come along with being frugal, but on *this* side of legality!
The research, in turn, sort of helps but also clouds the decision-making process. It will inevitably lead to other similar bands and then I'll have to research and preview them to see who I like more! It all gets very involved, trying to get the best banger for my buck. Are you already fatigued just reading my process? Want to just stop and not even bother anymore? Look at the savings in that now! Nah, I know - you'll just say, "Forget that; I'll just download it!" And that's your choice. I'm just saying, for my own purposes, going back to the old (some would say outdated) ways of music consumption adds a little more value to what it is I eventually choose to purchase than the more disposable culture of piracy. There is an argument that I'm missing out on a lot of music by not just downloading and downloading all there is out there. You're right. But as the principle dictates: scarcity adds value. And that's all I'm saying. Maybe I'm getting old, but I'm basically just trying to slow down in a society of 'more, more, more' and this is just one of the aspects in which I'm doing so.
It's really difficult, though, to not get caught up in the hype of things and just keep gathering - I guess that's where discipline comes into play. One thing I will download, however, are DJ mixes/mixtapes. I'm not feeling bad over that one.
A phone difference that bears mentioning as it relates to the subject at hand is that my phone has playlists, but doesn't sync with my iTunes playlists. It has led me to listen to more whole albums, probably adding to my discerning taste in what I purchase/download. In time, I'll create playlists, but as of now, I prefer to just look for good albums.
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