Opinions about Used CDs?

[DragonNyght]

I'm curious to know what people's opinions are about buying used CDs?

There's been a lot of discussion on these boards about downloading MP3s or buying bootleg copies of CDs. Some people think it's OK, doesn't matter, doesn't hurt, etc. Some others say it's not supporting the artist at all (which obviously is true).

So then, how is buying a used CD any different than, say, downloading the MP3s? I can understand why people disapprove of buying pirated copies because you are supporting illegal activities. I guess my question stems more from the argument of "You're not supporting the artist." I mean, if you think about it, when you buy a used CD, is that still supporting the artist, even though the artist isn't getting a dime of that sale?

I hate to start up debates like this, but I really am curious as to what people think.

[Mustin]

I've gone on a big music reform.

I used to buy used CDs. And I still will, but only if I can't find it new.

You're right - it's not different than .MP3s. You're not giving money to the artist - you're giving money to the person who sold the album to the store, and then you give the store money. That's it.

I'm not down with it personally, but I don't care what other people do, really.

[Chudah]

I've never really had a problem with downloading MP3's as long as they're not available elsewhere (although I really don't do that so much, myself). As for buying used CD's, for me it's more of a collector's thing to actually have the CD with the liners and all the neat artwork, as well as the music.

My only real gripe is with buying bootlegs. Not only are you NOT supporting the artists, but supporting the bootleggers (which hurts the artists).

[Almasy Marquis]

I hate music!


Edit to contribute to the conversation: I'm cool with buying used stuff, but I -prefer- to get it from the source.

[Cloud Strife]

I hardly ever buy CDs period. I like older 80s rock mainly and just burn those CDs. Ones like the WWE soundtracks, newer Bon Jovi, and Evanesence I buy upon release :D Which reminds me, I still need to find an extra source of $18 to by TVBoS :?

[orkybash]

I'll buy them if I can't find it otherwise AND I can't get the MP3s. The only reason I buy CDs (well, normally... there *are* exceptions) is so I can support the artist. If it comes down to MP3s versus used CDs, though, knowing that the artist doesn't get money no matter what, I go for the less expensive option: MP3s!

[Ace!]

I buy a great deal of used products, books, video games, CDs, movies.

In fact I will often wait until something becomes used before I buy it. This is because I live in poverty. I read too fast, which leads me to buy books far too often.

I am also a collector. So I never use the library, as usually I want to hold on to the books once I'm done with them. Having a huge personal library comes in handy, especially at three in the morning when you're pulling an essay out of your ass and need some random texts to draw connections from.

I will buy products new if I want the artist to have my support, especially when I feel it is deserved and underappreciated. This is why I bought Beyond Good and Evil new, why I bought the PMM and OUS albums new and why I buy every release of things like McSweeny's Quarterly and the works of lesser known authors.

To a degree this issue can be compared to piracy, but at the same time if a product is purchased used the creator has already recieved the money for said product. At one point in time.

Personally I thank every god in the book for used bookstores. While the best ones have recently been chased out of P-Town, there are still a few nooks that extend deep into the depths of a small building, somehow creating so much space out of so little. The smell of the pages, the dark nature of the narrow hallways, the stacks upon stacks of old books. I love it all. Shopping for used books is not like shopping for anything else. It is an experience. It is an adventure.

And every once in a while you come across a treasure. Like a First Public Edition of Seven Pillars of Wisdom, 1928 for seventeen dollars.

[Vuffster]

I buy new whever possible, but obviously for a lot of old soundtracks (especially limited editions) and games, that's not an option. The artists definitely get more when more new copies are sold, and I like knowing that nobody else has messed with them and that they're in pristine condition, so that's my reasoning. The whole debate about whether the artist is getting money when you buy used is why used game sales are so heavily discouraged and regulated (Or are they even banned?) over in Japan. In some ways, it's not that different from buying it new if the original owner doesn't keep a copy/MP3s/whatever; it's kinda like a friend just picking it up for you and you paying him back. However, it's better for everyone to buy new if and when they can.

[sempaimiles]

I buy new when I have the means and the cash. If I find something i reaaaaaaaalllly want, and have no way of getting it throuh legal means, I will download it or burn it. No shame.


-Miles

[Iskandar]

I don't really care; I've bought perhaps 10 used CDs in my whole life. It doesn't bother me as long as the previous owner didn't rip the CD into mp3s. Zero sum is where it's at.

[squaretex]

I guess I never really thought about it before. I'm the kind of person who LOVES to go to used CD/Game/DVD shops, because you never know what goodies you'll stumble across.

[Azar]

I buy used cd's, usually only if they cost like over $50 for a single cd or if they are listed "obsolete. I had to buy Brave Fencer Musashi used, Majora's Mask Orchestrations Used, etc. I also bought Final Fantasy Tactics Advance used, but only because it was cheaper. Like me, cheap. :D

[Anonymous]

I try to buy things cheap but new so many games go down to half their price in less than a month, that happened with Robotech Battlecry, Legaia 2 Duel Saga, Beyond Good & Evil and Rogue Ops, jus to name a few.
I don buy used, last bought used was Saga Frontier II for $7 an it din work to wel.
Sides, that fact that Im using somethin someoen else already used creeps me out as if Id raided their corpse or somethin.
An new smeel jus kix ass, bro.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Well, I used to never buy used CDs...however, I'm buying Baroquiel's used bootleg copy of the Grandia OST...because that's the only way I can get ahold of it. Normally I wouldn't buy either a bootleg or a used CD, but...desperate times call for desperate measures.