What are your listening habits for music you own?

[eljr]

I noticed that some folks in the music threads tend to never spin the same disc twice. I also know that some have a hard time getting to music that they have bought to give a listen. Particularly box sets.

Heck, I regularly pass on box sets because I know I just can't consume it.

My style is to become a bit intimate with whatever I buy. This demands several listens of an album before I shelve it or continue to leave it in my rotation.

Also, I always listen from first to last note of an album. On occasion I will listen to a single disc of a three disc set but that tends to be the exception and generally there is some continuity to it. Like today, the first two discs of a 3 CD set were recorded at one venue, the last disc at a different venue, So I just put on the one disc from the second venue.

That said, I think I am remiss for adapting the "style" of listening I have.

After all, part of the enjoyment is having the "collection." At least for me. And needing to listen several times to what you buy really cuts down on what you buy.

If you can't get to everything, so what? It's yours and you love owning it. It's in your library. How rewarding!

So what is your style? Do you always spin everything you buy ASAP?

Do you insist on evaluating it over several listens like me?

Do you avoid box sets, love them and always listen to all immediately?

Buy give a listen and sell?

How important is your "library" to you? Is having a library part of the enjoyment or is it strictly utilitarian and your are all about streaming now and wish it always existed?

 

[sberger]

Anything new pretty much gets a listen within a day or 2 of purchase. Then it goes into the collection and when it gets listened to again just depends. Frankly new cd's have a better chance of repeat play sooner then lp's do because most cd's get ripped for streaming, and I have much less of them, I have several thousand lp's and once they get in the stacks their repeat play becomes more random.

And typically I only buy boxes that don't have a multitude of alternate takes of the same songs.

 

[4-2-7]

I buy for the collection and library,some titles might not even be for me per-se but it's there for others when they come over.

I come home with far to many records to play them all immediately and I can even forget I have them once filed.

I will listen to 12" singles and DJ songs and also get lost in a whole album wishing it would never end. Mood plays a big part in this as does the choice of music I put on. I might have thought I wanted to listen to something and then pull it after the first song.

I have lots of sealed records that I'll listen to when I get the time, and if someone wants to open it that's cool. Kinda like a wine cellar, when you open it, it's dependent on a variety of things and just because you bought it doesn't meen it has to be open immediately.

I buy box sets as they tend to be limited and unique, could contain hard to get material.

My biggest problem is deciding on what to listen to and remembering I have something.

 

[Condorsat]

Listening habits ... we'll yea ... okay. CHANGE is the first thing that comes to mind. Subscription online streaming was a game changer. I'm listening to more albums/artists I have not heard before than at any point in my life (many are just one off's). Don't feel the need to own every album I like anymore.

Most vinyl LP's I own get spun ... but sometimes they will sit for a while. I can think of some LP's that sat for 30 years (unopened) ... no hurry.

CD's ... okay now those sit a while ... I've got many CD's to get though at some point. I like box sets and don't feel the need to listen to every album ... I'll get around to it ... or not.

Collecting media is more about bargain hunting (I enjoy it like a hobby in itself) ... listening is separate to me ... w/ legacy inventory (LP's & CD) and streaming ... there's always something to cue up.

 

[jgannon]

I noticed that some folks in the music threads tend to never spin the same disc twice. I also know that some have a hard time getting to music that they have bought to give a listen. Particularly box sets.

Heck, I regularly pass on box sets because I know I just can't consume it.

My style is to become a bit intimate with whatever I buy. This demands several listens of an album before I shelve it or continue to leave it in my rotation.

Also, I always listen from first to last note of an album. On occasion I will listen to a single disc of a three disc set but that tends to be the exception and generally there is some continuity to it. Like today, the first two discs of a 3 CD set were recorded at one venue, the last disc at a different venue, So I just put on the one disc from the second venue.

That said, I think I am remiss for adapting the "style" of listening I have.

After all, part of the enjoyment is having the "collection." At least for me. And needing to listen several times to what you buy really cuts down on what you buy.

If you can't get to everything, so what? It's yours and you love owning it. It's in your library. How rewarding!

So what is your style? Do you always spin everything you buy ASAP?

Do you insist on evaluating it over several listens like me?

Do you avoid box sets, love them and always listen to all immediately?

Buy give a listen and sell?

How important is your "library" to you? Is having a library part of the enjoyment or is it strictly utilitarian and your are all about streaming now and wish it always existed?

Excellent post. There are as many listening styles probably as there are as many people who are doing the listening. And the bottom line is that there are no rules or correct ways to listen to anything. Go about it the way you want.

You should absolutey NOT feel "remiss" (or is the word remorseful?) for your style of listening. IMO, yours is a very enlightened way of listening. There is nothing wrong with listening to something once and then moving onto something else, if that's how you feel. But there are times I love to listen to something over and over. Or I keep an album on the record player for a couple of days and play it every now and then.

I also agree with you about large collections of music. It can be hard to absorb all that at once. Years ago in the 78 era, you bought one record and got with that. You bonded with it. Same thing with 45s and later LPs. With LPs there was more music to listen to, but not so much that it would take a while to get to the 30th song in the set. There's too much music on a CD, IMO. It's great to have all of it, but I may listen to just a part of it for awhile and then move on the rest later.

Regarding the playlists, I've come to the conclusion that posting regularly there doesn't work for me, because in order to do so, it requires me to move on to another record or CD earlier than I may like. It's silly when you think about it. Sometimes I get the feeling that people are putting something up to display diversity and keep up with the "pace" of the playlist, rather, than playing music at their own pace. Would they be moving on to the next recording that quickly if they weren't posting?

You follow your instincts and your heart, eljr. What you're doing sounds great.

BTW, I STILL have LPs that I picked up in bulk at thrift or a sale YEARS AGO, that I haven't sat down and listened to! When I was growing up, I picked up music that meant something to me, and it was often one record at a time. I played things over and over. Over time I got more and more, until I eventually had a collection. I never set out to build a collection. It got built because I just kept buying music I loved. Also, I've never collected to get a complete set of any label or artist, nor simply bought a record because it had good audio quality. The bottom line was always the music.

 

[eljr]

Great replies 4-2-7, seberger and Condorsat.

I buy for the collection and library,some titles might not even be for me per-se but it's there for others when they come over.

love it!

I have lots of sealed records that I'll listen to when I get the time, and if someone wants to open it that's cool. Kinda like a wine cellar, when you open it, it's dependent on a variety of things and just because you bought it doesn't meen it has to be open immediately.

Best analogy ever on an audio board.

Collecting media is more about bargain hunting (I enjoy it like a hobby in itself) ... listening is separate to me ... w/ legacy inventory (LP's & CD) and streaming ... there's always something to cue up.

Just the kind of thing I was wondering about, thanks!

 

[N8Nagel]

I'm definitely an album listener. Mostly CDs due to convenience. I rip them all to FLAC and have them on a media server at home and on a portable hard drive for at work. LPs are more of a "special occasion" thing due to the fact that they can only be listened to where they physically are, but I still maintain that a civilized house needs at least one working turntable.

 

[eljr]

The replies so far made me realize how "anal" I am. I have never bought a record/cd at a thrift or in bulk (except boxed sets)

Each purchase is considered and thought out. Studied.

Geez, I just realized that is what I do with my entire life. Always considered, always too much thinking.

That's got to be tough for the other half!

..................................................

So I guess our hobby is but a manifestation of who we are in whole.

Seems I need to loosen up on both my audio purchases and rigidity in life in general.

 

[hi*ball]

Listening habit:

Bring record home. Make sure record is not warped. Clean and re-sleeve record.

I will leave new records separate from the rest of the collection for a while, sort of a "new stuff" pile to pull from and play a few times before it gets mixed in with the rest. I don't usually buy more than 10 records at a time, so this works pretty good.

 

[4-2-7]

Collecting media is more about bargain hunting (I enjoy it like a hobby in itself)

I look at buying records as "Opportunity Buying" and don't really care if it's really a bargan. Quality might not be on the bargan side of the equation when it comes to records. When I go to the record store I never know what I'm comming home with. I'll also buy many dups as I'm trying to get the best of the best, not to mention not all pressings and masterings are the same.

 

[jgannon]

The replies so far made me realize how "anal" I am. I have never bought a record/cd at a thrift or in bulk (except boxed sets)

Each purchase is considered and thought out. Studied.

Geez, I just realized that is what I do with my entire life. Always considered, always too much thinking.

That's got to be tough for the other half!

..................................................

So I guess our hobby is but a manifestation of who we are in whole.

Seems I need to loosen up on both my audio purchases and rigidity in life in general.

LOL There's nothing wrong with bulk purchases, but I think you made some good points about the pace of listening to something. You could also buy a lot of stuff and bounce around too. However the spirit moves you. We all feel different ways at different times.

 

[N8Nagel]

The replies so far made me realize how "anal" I am. I have never bought a record/cd at a thrift or in bulk (except boxed sets)

Each purchase is considered and thought out. Studied.

Geez, I just realized that is what I do with my entire life. Always considered, always too much thinking.

That's got to be tough for the other half!

..................................................

So I guess our hobby is but a manifestation of who we are in whole.

Seems I need to loosen up on both my audio purchases and rigidity in life in general.

I'm definitely the opposite... if I walk into a used record store or Goodwill on half price day, it's almost a lock that I'm going to walk out with at least 10 CDs. Variety is the spice of life and all that. Cheap entertainment... blow $20 and grow my library and probably find at least one in that whole stack that I well and truly love (latest: don't remember the name of the album but the artist is Leo Kottke, sounds absolutely fantastic through HRT MS ii+/Luxman/Wharfedale setup. Need to find some time when there's nobody else around (or nobody else around that is trying to sleep or doesn't like Leo Kottke)

It saddens me that I can only find 10 CDs in a pile of 2-300 that I think I may want to listen to someday however...!

It saddens me even more when I find one of my all time favorite albums in a Goodwill bin... so I guess I can't win...

 

[Ethan25]

I go through phases. I usually listen to my Christmas music twice a year....July to try to cool off and then November through December. Several bands get routine listens whenever I feel bored (when nothing new has come out in a while)....this would include Phil Keaggy, Blitzen Trapper, THe SHins, My Morning Jacket, The Black Keys and Glass Harp. WHen I get a new album, if it's something I've been looking forward to, I will listen for several days to a week solid, to the point where I memorize everything off the album and can sing it no problem. I have a one hour ride to and from work in the mornings and have an office that's shut off from the world most days so I get about 10 hours of listening in per day, 5 days a week.

I am a sucker for special vinyl.

 

[SA-708]

At work during the work day, I listen to MP3s off of the hard drive of my desktop computer. These are ripped CDs and downloads from LP download cards. New music gets transferred (downloaded or ripped) on a regular basis on my home computer, and the files brought in to work. Early each morning I create a play list for the day (by album or EP, not by track) and have that low in the background throughout the day.

After hours or on weekends in the office, I do have a turntable there as well as the one at home. Both locations have a short (20 or less) stack of unlistened records, and I choose from that stack or the other records that I have already spun. Once records make it to the turntable, they usually get played a few times across a few days before they are removed.

In some cases, a new release LP will get its first listen via the downloaded file, either on my Zune or on my work computer. I usually only buy a few LPs or CDs at a time, some online but most from the local record store and used book store.

 

[Condorsat]

I look at buying records as "Opportunity Buying" and don't really care if it's really a bargan. Quality might not be on the bargan side of the equation when it comes to records. When I go to the record store I never know what I'm comming home with. I'll also buy many dups as I'm trying to get the best of the best, not to mention not all pressings and masterings are the same.

Can actually relate to everything you are saying (more in the past than now) ... when I use the word bargain ... it's relative. I walk home w/ some $20 used records that I consider bargains.

I use to go to a record store and not know what I was going to come home with. Not any more ... Streaming and today's vinyl market realities have changed that ... it's just the way it is for me now. I'm more selective.

 

[BlindBoyGrnt]

Great idea for a thread eljr, and great contributions from all who've responded.

I try to keep a mix of familiar and new. Lately It's been more live music than usual. I prefer a natural sound with minimal production wizardry, the ideal being the ambient sound of the old Mercury Living Presence recordings.

 

[SA-708]

I use to go to a record store and not know what I was going to come home with. Not any more ... Streaming and today's vinyl market realities have changed that ... it's just the way it is for me now. I'm more selective.

For new releases, I usually walk in the door knowing what I will buy, and it is often something I preordered. One of the guys at the local record store knows what I tend to like, and I have bought albums on his recommendation unheard, and not been disappointed. Last one was the recent Full of Hell & Merzbow collaboration.

I'm also not immune to crate digging and seeing what I can find, and purchasing a cheap used LP on a whim.

 

[eljr]

WHen I get a new album, if it's something I've been looking forward to, I will listen for several days to a week solid, to the point where I memorize everything off the album and can sing it no problem. I have a one hour ride to and from work in the mornings and have an office that's shut off from the world most days so I get about 10 hours of listening in per day, 5 days a week.

I am a sucker for special vinyl.

sounds like me back in school

 

[eljr]

Great idea for a thread eljr, and great contributions from all who've responded.

I try to keep a mix of familiar and new. Lately It's been more live music than usual. I prefer a natural sound with minimal production wizardry, the ideal being the ambient sound of the old Mercury Living Presence recordings.

Oh man, you had to mention this? I already have the 60 disc Living Stereo Collection in my basket. I was going back and forth on it until I read a few posts in this thread. Made it seem silly for me not to get it.

Now this!!!!!!!!!!!

55 discs I believe?

This thread is gonna cost me a bundle!

But you guys with your libraries, something for everyone, I'll get to it one day and wine cellars mentalities have won me over!

 

[Ricktptman]

In my younger days, I trolled thrift stores/record shops every day on my lunch hour. Later I got so busy that it became impossible. Now, I'm pretty focused on what I know is worth shelf/HD/ space. In the early days there was no such thing as "too many" of anything. Now, it feels "about" right. I've lost count of how many LP's I have. I have hundreds of tapes (RTR/Cassette-mostly type II & IV, but also over a hundred "boots" of Maynard Ferguson's live concerts from the late '70's forward-sent to me by friends and students) and the CD's run well into the thousands, not counting downloads. At this point it's more about listening to what I have vs. seeking out the fifth reissue copy of "Witches' Brew". Some records I keep buying because they are desert island favorites. For example, "Blood, Sweat & Tears 4" is about to be re-released on vinyl by Friday Music. I don't need it, but I'll probably eventually buy it anyway. Long overdue for reissue, there was a TON of talent in that group......