I think that the advent of online music distribution affects the calculus of music purchasing more significantly for us VGM fans than for other music consumers.  For the latter, the choice is generally between the iTunes version of an album for $10 and the CD version of same for $15.  The question of whether liner notes and freedom from DRM are worth a $5 premium could easily be decided either way.  For us, however, the choice is between the iTunes version of a video game soundtrack for $10 and the CD version of same for $30.  Whether having music in a tangible and unrestricted format is worth a 200% premium is a harder question.

Complicating the question is the ability to make a lossy conversion from encrypted iTunes store format to CD audio to some other compressed format like MP3.  And then there's a question of whether such a conversion is a violation of the iTunes store TOS.  Parts 8(b) and 9(b)(vii) of the TOS would seem to make both affirmative and negative answers colorable.  One could also consider whether a roundabout conversion to an unprotected format violates the DMCA, but that applies only to those of us in the U.S., and even then, compliance with egregiously bad law is, I submit, not an issue worthy of much consideration.

The decision would be much easier with respect to Amazon's recently opened MP3 store, except that said store doesn't have much in the way of video game soundtracks.

I like my method:

1. Find mp3's through other means than buying them.
2. Buy the CD if I like them.

What's iTunes?

Not really, there are really a few reasons why having music in a tangible format will always be the better option in my book:

1) DLed material has no resale value; interacting with other buyers/sellers is cool.

2) Music DL's defeat the whole idea of collecting if anything... what's the appeal of having a bunch of mp3's (legal or otherwise) on a generic, burned disc? I personally don't call that much of a collection; give me something with an official seal of approval.

3. The Japanese put a hell of a lot more work into the presentation of their music releases than most other cultures - when I buy an album I'm buying more than music, I'm buying a multifaceted product unlike mp3's.

iTunes nor any other mp3 store has ever influenced my VGM purchasing, and I doubt it ever will. I don't plan on ever making use of such services because I'm such an advocate for a hard copies.

Wow, the first two replies in this thread were EXACTLY what I was thinking.

Perfectly put.

Also, I should edit this to reflect a future post since I can time travel:

I do download songs or an album to make sure that it's suited to my tastes, and then I immediately delete and either forget about the album or make the purchase. I'm not kidding; whatever is on my hard drive is also on my CD shelf. I am a nut like that.

Have you actually listened to an mp3 from iTunes (or anywhere else) and the actual CD?  It's not much, but you do hear more when listening to the CD.  At least, to me, it sounds richer. 

If iTunes gave the option of downloading the original .wav file or something else, that might make me think twice.

dont care about any downloadable tunes, besides for sampling purposes.
i need a cd, artwork and great packaging altogether. im not going to buy a pack of nothing.  this counts not only for music, but for everything else.

It has started to influence me when it comes to doujin music. Lots of circles now are moving to download services rather than reprints. That means if I see a doujin album I want on YJA I bid on it, or I try to get them as they are released.

Other than that, not so much...

I suspected that iTunes would be inconsequential to most of you, but I had not expected the unanimity of the responses to this thread.  I consider myself to have the collector's gene, but even so, I buy music for the purpose of listening to it, not so that I can have a trophy of my purchase to display on my shelf.  If I happen to buy an album in physical format, then I handle the disc, liner notes, and jewel case with figurative velvet gloves, but after I've ripped the music, the case goes into a drawer and out of sight for perpetuity.  If not for the DRM issue, I would gladly buy downloadable versions of albums to save money and spare myself the ritual of opening and ripping music.  Given a choice between spending $30 on one physical album or three downloadable albums, I would make the choice which would give me three times as much music for the same price.

As for the matter of sound quality, I can appreciate that audiophiles can discern the difference between CD audio and compressed audio, but I rarely give full attention to the listening experience.  Music is in most cases an accompaniment to some other thing that I am doing, e.g., driving, reading the Internet.

The turning point for me was when I got my mp3 player with a big ol' hard drive. Physical CDs seem like such an inefficient waste of space now. That said, I've never bought an mp3. I think it's largely a control issue - not only DRM stuff, but encoding variables. Let's face it, pirate groups rip better quality audio than Apple does.

I think I've used iTunes maybe... once.

Does this include out of print albums that go for $150 or more used? Game Music Concert series, Dracula New Classic, Super Metroid Sound in Action, etc.

Digital distribution hasn't affected me yet, but that's mostly because I can still buy stuff on CD.  Given the choice, I will continue to go with CDs since I like the collecting aspect, the artwork, the packaging, the higher sound quality, and the theoretically greater permanence.  The big question is whether or not I would buy digitally distributed game music if it was the only way to get it.

Digital distribution would actually be good if they provided in any good quality (192kbps, anyway? At least?)

But I'm not going to pay as much as I would for the actual CD itself, if I'm not going to get a hardcopy, album art, insert, etc.

Napster and iTunes can go f--- themselves.

.

Count me in with the "I like physical copies" crowd.  I like looking at the artwork, reading liner notes, etc..  Also it just seems weird to pay money for a product I can't actually hold.  The only thing changing my mind on that is the Wii's virtual console.  It prevents me from having to hook up separate systems to play old games (plus component out is nice to have for old gmaes).  That inconvenience isn't an issue with CDs, though, since they will all play in the same player.

Never purchased anything on iTunes in my life. Hasn't influenced me at all.

A very interesting discussion in this thread, and questions that have preoccupied me a lot the last few years. Forgive me if the answer is a bit long, I want to elaborate on a few points...

Personally, I have never used iTunes, and I probably never will. The only time I've actually payed for downloadable music was a month back when I got the new Saul Williams album, which was only available as a download from his website. You could get it for free, or pay a voluntary fee of $5. I've never had any personal problems with being a pirate, but I was in a good mood and thought "Why not?". I doubt I would have payed if it was much higher than that, though.

As for the collection aspect... I recognize so much many people have been saying in this thread, but the spell is starting to wear off on me. From 1996 to a few months into 2006, I used to be a VGM collector as dedicated as any other, so I fully understand it. But the fact that I largely stopped buying CDs around then is based on the slow-growing realization that I was just throwing out money (and in the case of game music: lots of it) for a hollow and very fleeting pleasure, and the amount of money wasn't consistent with the amount of "pleasure" gained. The change in my buying-habits probably wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the fact that my music-listening preferences had altered. The key word would be "computer". For some reason it took a long time to realize it, but in the end I couldn't deny to myself the fact that I practically never actually *listened* to the actual physical CDs on my CD-player after buying and ripping them to the computer. Basically, I have all this plastic (100+ official VGM albums) sitting on my shelf that I practically never use, since every time I try listening on my CD-player, I end up feeling like a cumbersome dinosaur. Listening on the computer is just so much easier and smoother when it comes to mixing playlists, changing albums, etc. And since I use my computer a lot for a lot of different purposes, that's where I most often listen to music too. The CD-player has grown increasingly foreign, antiquated, and obsolete to me.

And as for quality, this is really a moot point, as its become pretty easy to find good-quality rips of most albums that honestly sound indistinguishable from the original CDs (and the CDs I still buy I rip in lossless FLAC, so no problem there). And as for the virtue of the album art and other physical properties of an actual copy... Yeah, I recognize that this is a draw, but not a strong one for me anymore. It *would* be if I felt the urge to take out the CD art on a regular basis just to look at it, and if doing so gave me pleasure. As it is, it doesn't really give me pleasure anymore (not $30 worth of it in any case!), and somehow - if I'm to be honest with myself - I doubt that it ever really did. The few odd times I actually take out my Super Metroid - Sound In Action or Phantasy Star Collection 1 (which happens maybe once every 6 months), it sure as hell isn't to admire the booklet or artwork (which in the cases of both those albums are pretty dull and unremarkable, and really not worth $200). Its more to confirm a weird feeling of ownership and "I was there, I bought this, I have it". Does anyone else recognize this? Maybe many of you enjoy taking out your physical copies and looking at them at a semi-regular basis, but the justification for paying $30 and upwards for that fuzzy feeling is growing increasingly thin for me, especially since its so easy to find most game music on the net now, which frees up those $30+ per CD to be used for something that I will enjoy more than just leaving it at a shelf until I decide to sell it a few years later. Or just leaving it at the shelf to justify that I bought the thing to begin with.

Some comments to previous posts:

And that is a *bad* thing? How about music DLs having freed us from having to buy a lot of albums that proved to be crappy rip-offs? Most recently, it saved me from shelling out money for that lukewarm, p---y-assed Rockman rock arrange CD (which I probably would have done a few years ago).

Um... To listen to the actual music, perhaps...? There's no appeal in having files on a burned disc per se, the appeal lies in the music than can be derived from the disc. After all, the ultimate point of any music format (data file or original CD) is to derive enjoyment from listening to the music, right?

How about a medal and a pat on the head?

Must be a rigorous system to constantly keep up with. So you don't listen to music rips of unreleased soundtracks/tracks and such?

Yeah, I've compared mp3 rips and original CDs often, and I can't really notice much difference, practically none at all if you go over 192 kbps. As hard drives grow bigger and internet connections grow faster, people are gradually going to start switching to lossless audio formats such as FLAC, so this will be a moot point anyway.

Never considered that this might be a placebo effect? I can only speak for myself, but I've noticed I have a tendency to try to persuade myself when I've bought something that the money wasn't wasted in vain, "this IS good, dammit!" Maybe its just me. But I seem to recall this from a book I read on social psychology... I don't have it anymore, but I think they called the principle "commitment and consistency" - you commit to something, then you do your best to persuade yourself on different levels that you've made the right choice (this is especially potent if money has been involved).

On the other hand, it might just be me trying to justify that reading that book wasn't a waste of time by trying to integrate the term in my reasoning.

Agreed, but DC++ and uTorrent rocks.

So you've never bought insurance, or any service that wasn't immediately tangible? If you think about it, we all do buy a lot of stuff/services we can't actually "hold".

Same here.

Agreed. And as rein pointed out, "the ritual of opening and ripping music" seems more and more like such an inefficient waste of time.

All of this said, though, I still haven't shaken off this habit yet, and I doubt I really ever will. Last month I bought the Dracula X Chronicles OST, and next month I'll probably get the Silent Hill Zero OST. So yes, I'm a hypocrite to a certain degree, but then, who isn't?

Did I say buy every mother lovin' CD you come across blindly? No. If you want to check out a album by getting the mp3s first, cool, no problem I do it to. Still, make an effort to buy what you actually like on disc.

This was more aimed at ppl who never pay for their music... ppl who amass huge mp3 "collections" but never buy a single CD and only would if there was a gun to their head.

Actually, I want a scooby snack too but thanks for the boost, I really needed some stupid dreck and asinine replies to my posts today.

Actually, Zane's not alone here. I only keep the albums I personally own on my HD while the remainder - rips, dubs and DLs - are backed up on disc so I can access them when I need to refer to them when I really need to (like if I need to make a purchase decision.) It's not really a "holier-than-thou" thing but I tend to listen to albums I own more than anything. As a decision it's not as deliberate as it seems... it just something I do out of habit.

I usually keep CD-Rs of game rips that I pop in to listen to when the mood strikes, but I don't keep them on my HD. It's not too rigorous because I don't have a lot coming in/out anymore. It's a good system for me.

Its funny that you blast people who download music but never buy CDs, yet you admit to downloading yourself. If you download music yourself, you have crossed the line and contributed to the "defeat of the idea of collecting" yourself, haven't you?

Where are we to draw the line? To what degree is downloading for the purpose of sampling justified? If I download lots of music, but only find say 2 albums per year that I really want to buy, am I in the wrong?

Sorry, my intention wasn't to offend. I just found the sentence I quoted humorous. Why do you need a "seal of approval" on something, and furthermore, *someone else's* seal of approval? Sounds pretty subservient to me. But whatever floats your boat..

I'm curious, after you sell a CD, do you promptly delete your own rip of that as well? It seems you would have to if you would be consistent with "whatever is on my hard drive is also on my CD shelf".

Yes, I do. Once I decide to put something in my "to-sell" pile I delete the music from my computer.

.

I agree with the first two posts as well, but I do appreciate things like the Square Enix Official Bootleg series.  If it wasn't for iTunes, it's likely that the other music staff at SQEX wouldn't be able to express their musical ideas.  iTunes gives them a cheap venue to release their music, and so far, it has been pretty good stuff in my opinion.

I doubt, however, I'd ever buy a major soundtrack on there.  As it stands, the companies are still very sloppy with their online material.  Not enough information, no proper tagging, etc. 

I hope they eventually move in the direction of DirectSong (Jeremy Soule's download service), where they provide 256kbps files with high resolution cover/package art that can be printed to make a pretty sweet looking package.

Okay, so you're saying that these artists are writing music to be heard in other venues besides the game it was written for?  I hate to sound cynical, but I don't think that was the point at all.  Ususally, if you develop something while working for any corporation, that corporation owns all the rights to said development.  I would assume that the same thing applies to Square Enix - that they own all rights, code, music, etc...  So, if anyone's making a quick buck, it's Square, and we all know how (as of lately) Square likes its quick bucks!

Oh, and cheap?!  I believe each track is $0.99 (US dollars) so there's no difference between a 2-3 minute town theme and a 4-5 second "sleep" jingle.  I hardly consider that cheap.

That's not what I'm saying at all.

The Official Bootleg Series is not associated with any video game.  It features the synthesizer operators and sound editors on the SQEX sound teams composing 3-5 minute electronic tracks, ranging from IDM to ambient.  Therefore, it'd be harder for these individual artists to release their music to a wide audience without the help of SQEX and iTunes.

Even if they don't make money from the sale on iTunes, they still have the satisfaction that people are listening to their music.  They're paid a salary, anyway, so if SQEX has them on the clock when they're writing that music, then good for them.

These "collections" range from 4-6 tracks, and are sold for $3.99 for the whole set.  Should check it out.

Quit acting like the world is going to %^$%ing end because of moral decay. If it makes you feel any better, go ahead and verbally nail me to some two by fours. I've done some things in my time i'm not too proud of but I really doubt I'm going to hell for having a few too many mp3's.

Alright, I respect a man of his word. But why, though? Sorry, I seem to be pissing off some people here, but I'm really curious... If you even paid for the music once, why not keep at least an mp3 rip after you sell the CD? Sounds weird IMO. If you lost a CD, would you also delete the rip?

It doesn't seem like you can explain it to yourself, either. I'm not acting like the world is going to end, I just pointed out some things based on my previous thoughts on the subject.

You certainly don't need to explain yourself to me. But when you say stuff like "Still, make an effort to buy what you actually like on disc", then you can't expect me not to reply if I disagree with you. With an commanding imperative like that sentence, who here is acting like the world is gonna end...? I don't buy most of the CDs I download nowadays even if I happen to like parts of them, because the amount they cost isn't equivalent to the enjoyment I'll get from them (there are just too many CDs out there with some great tracks and lots of crappy filler), and they'll just take up shelf space - "I don't have to explain myself to you".

Sorry for the double post, you edited your post to remove some stuff and add this, so I missed it.

I think you misunderstood me. What I was arguing for was that you don't have to buy everything you download. I think its just a positive thing that you have "a few too many mp3s". That's why I wrote "Where are we to draw the line? To what degree is downloading for the purpose of sampling justified? If I download lots of music, but only find say 2 albums per year that I really want to buy, am I in the wrong?", to show that it is absurd to criticize some people for downloading mp3s while doing so yourself. It really isn't possible to draw a line in the sand and say "X amounts of downloads for sampling purposes are OK, but Y amounts aren't". If anyone has any theory as to how to draw this line please present it. In the meantime, don't try to act all high and mighty - we all download music, folks, and once you've downloaded and listened to an album you've forfeited the right to "morally judge" other people downloading.

That's just how I do things. I also put Taco Bell taco sauce on my pizza crust. Why? Because I like the way it tastes, just how I like a nice, clean music folder that mirrors my CD collection.

Also, I'd never lose a CD. I take very good care of my stuff; either it's in my computer, my CD player or my shelf.

Edit:

Well, thank you. I try my best (even if my word is totally nutso).

Alright. It seems like a lot of our music listening/acquiring habits are based on what we've always been used to, so when we try to think about those habits and maybe change them, it can be hard and frustrating. I know it has been for me, but I feel I'm richer now (both figuratively and literally) by having re-appraised my habits to better fit my actual needs and wants.

How about if a CD was stolen? Alright, I'll stop now.

My issue with digitally delivered music (or anything intangible) is that it's more likely to get lost in history. Purely digital data has a rather short media lifetime already, and all the ensuing DMCA and alike legislations in most countries will make any digital data having an even shorter lifetime. There were already some scientific studies expecting our age to be the least informative to the posterity since the huge amount of information is also disappearing too fast to be preservable.

Other than this philosophical point of view I'm honestly not sure if I even care either way. =P

I agree with ya, Daniel (including your opinion of that rubbish Rockman album). For what it's worth, my approach to digital music is pretty much exactly the opposite of Zane's - I've struggled with concerns of disk space for years, so I've come to delete anything I <i>do</i> have a physical copy of to eliminate redundancy.

I look at it this way...It's like a queue with what I buy. Obviously, I can't buy everything I want in one shot after I sample it...If I grab 20 albums (or say, the discographies of 2-3 bands), the ones I like more have greater priority when it comes to laying money down. Some of them are going to be on that queue for a long time, just because my financial resources are limited and there are just better artists and albums ahead of them. What's the benefit to me? Owning a hard copy that I don't have to worry about if my computer crashes, the packaging and kind of knowing I gave money to people who legitimately earned it (especially independent artists, which I slightly prioritize on, since they need to get paid worse than their established, big-name counterparts). Record companies would be wise to realize potential buyers have a lot more power now than in the past, so they can't keep crap stocks of mostly Greatest Hits albums in stock for us impulsive, but selective buyers (see: Wal-Mart) and cheaper CD prices are a must...$12 for an album I even half-enjoy is the sweet spot right now, much less one I thoroughly love. Seriously...All those years of $20+ for individual albums, it felt f---ing GOOD to walk out of a store with both Painkiller and City of Evil in tow for about $22.

iTunes...I don't think it's entirely bad. If a group puts out a single I like and wants 99 cents for it, that's entirely within reason to me. But past that, I'd never get to buying entire albums like that. I think most of that is them trying to hook the new generations that grow up with the internet and think of online file purchases as "the norm". So I feel like part of a lost generation, but I can just shrug and keep plugging away on buying CD's without too many problems.

That said, I can say, without hesitation, my VGM collecting days are done. I just have more important things to listen to/move on to. VGM kind of helped me find what I wanted out of music, has a lot of good memories and unique scores and there's still much I'll never ditch or forget, but with nostalgia no longer a factor, few composers I even care about anymore (either indifference or ones falling out of favor and lack of worthwhile new blood), the realization of just how much material I was stripping out of albums to get to the "good stuff" and an abundance of styles I can't even begin to start caring less about (and I'd be lying if I said there were more than 1-2 albums released this year* even worth buying used, much less new), it's time to move on. Even the CD's I have aren't as untouchable as they were a few years ago (even A year ago)...I NEVER thought I'd sell FFX OST or Legend of Mana or Dewprism, but I just didn't listen to them anymore or care about what they were the music to, so I don't miss them as much as I thought I would. I guess I was always afraid of not having enough music, but now that I have plenty of artists to fall back on, it's actually pretty enlightening to strip out that nasty bias and just look (and listen!) to the music. Really, you have Marty Friedman's "Loudspeaker" on one end for $15 and Rockman Rock Arrange on the other end for $30...It ain't even close to a fair fight if I'm in the market for a hot new instrumental rock album (actually, I just prefer to pretend Loudspeaker is the REAL Vol. 1 of Guilty Gear Overture's score).

That said, I'm very proud of the Phantasy Star Collection 1 sitting on my shelf (and the Rockman 1-6 set, which I gravely overpaid for back when the supply was supposed to be extremely limited). They've earned the right to be there, 20 times over and aren't going anywhere. They were beyond worth it. And most of the stuff I really know I like (and have always liked) just sounds all the more better, just from knowing how it stacks up against an entire world of music and not just VGM. So now I can say I've listened to and regularly enjoy the works of nearly every major shredder worth a damn and Guilty Gear X Heavy Rock Tracks is STILL one of the greatest pure rock albums ever released. So my pool of good metal ends up a bit deeper than your average metalhead without the VGM experience or one who never fathom listening to VGM. It also sounds better than it ever has to me now. Same for chip music, which sounds wonderfully distinct and unique, as opposed to ancient and just sort of a placeholder for real instruments.

So...Giving power to the listener is a good thing. Keeps them happy and buying music they like (and helps them figure out what's out there better), so they buy more of what they like. The people that don't pay for music they like AT ALL and never will...That's where the issue comes in.

*only for new music...this was an EXCELLENT year for classic VGM releases, make no mistake! Wonderboy on CD makes me a happy goldfish!