How do you purchase music?

What.cd, paid for with precious ratio lol.

This is so incredibly true.

"Study finds pirates spend 30% more on music than non-sharers":

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/10/17/study-finds-pirates-spend-30-more-on-music-than-non-sharers/

Also, I grew up in the pre-'Internet Music' 80s and early-to-mid 90s. My friends and I would tape copies of albums we wanted from each other. Then I'd tape/burn music I'd borrow from the library.

My music collection is now probably 70% copied/downloaded for free and 30% CDs bought, from Amazon and eBay.

I think what a lot of the anti-free downloading people seem to ignore is that:

1) Home-taping has been going on for decades and didn't kill music;

2) Many people download music that, if the ability to download for free or copy in other ways didn't exist, they wouldn't buy. Contrary to @snowfaller's comparison, working for free has a cost that not paying for the download of one cheesy pop song (or ten) does not.

I almost always buy mp3s from bandcamp, occasionally (if I drunk enough, 'cause I dont have any optical drive or cd player :D ) I buy cds directly from the bands at shows

I buy CDs from Amazon, the record labels, or the one remaining local records store we have here. I was buying digital music from Amazon (and I was once a member of eMusic), but their recent restrictive policies are making me unhappy, so I haven't bought any mp3s from them since the summer. Oh well, I prefer a physical item anyway.

The entitlement/free music kids on this thread are making me sick, and their "arguments" are bizarre beyond belief. I wonder how many of them are willing to work for free. They have no idea how the world works or how musicians live.

I buy vinyle and cd's from my local independent record store ( Lunch Box Records). I also us Itunes.

Some albums I have to physicaly buy or I don't feel like I really have it.

^ Not to mention a good chunk of that stuff is free. :D

I always buy vinyl. Unless it's only available on CD. Sometimes from Ebay, from dealers who email me their lists, and from local shops and thrift stores/charity shops. If I want to put something on the MP3 player (one needs to drown out other people's noise when using public transport) I have a turntable that records vinyl to my computer.