Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Where do you get yours?

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  • Martin Lindberg,

    I'm interested to know where you get your cultural stuff -- not just music, but books, ebooks, comics, video etc -- and in y'all sharing with the group who you are in those places.

    The A.V. Club is a pretty good site for finding out about all those things and I tend to check in there fairly often.

    BTW, that Beatles re-dub is teh awesome!

    Stockholm • Since Jul 2009 • 802 posts Report

  • John Armstrong,

    My online purchasing is almost entirely limited to music. My current favourite sites for discovering new stuff are soundcloud, as mentioned by Russell, and discogs, which I use as an enormous musical family tree, invaluable for tracing the work and connections of artists I already enjoy.

    Hamilton • Since Nov 2007 • 136 posts Report

  • John Armstrong, in reply to John Armstrong,

    I really am a techno turkey. I'll try this:

    http://www.discogs.com/

    Hamilton • Since Nov 2007 • 136 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to John Armstrong,

    I really am a techno turkey. I’ll try this:

    http://www.discogs.com/

    You didn’t actually put a link in there. Fixed it for you now.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Hebe,

    The latest: Penny Lane last weekend for a CD for the boys (Beatles White album). I could swear some of the customers have been in the same position since the original shop opened.

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report

  • Phil Light, in reply to Martin Lindberg,

    Yeah AV Club is pretty reliable for good music. The responses to reviews are usually good for a laugh and/or reasonable discussion as well.

    Since Sep 2011 • 4 posts Report

  • Tom Beard,

    I'll be Mr Square and say that it's mostly iTunes for me. Half the time I can't be bothered firing up my laptop, buying through another site (though I have used Bandcamp and Bleep), loading the files into iTunes and syncing, so just buying via the iPhone app is much easier.

    One thing that's surprised me is how much YouTube has become the default music service for a lot of people I know, even if there's no video. That's partly because it's available at work, whereas Soundcloud and a lot of streaming sites are blocked. Friday night work drinks now involve people crowding around someone's PC and making requests for the next song. I've been known to subvert the MOR playlist with some Squarepusher and YACHT, but I think my colleagues really started to worry when I selected the uncut video for Soft Cell's "Sex Dwarf".

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report

  • Peter Darlington,

    This post is very handy as I've been a bit of a music buying nomad since eMusic blew itself up. Partly hence, Russell and my conversation yesterday.

    I'll be Mr Square and say that it's mostly iTunes for me.

    Yes I use iTunes a bit as sometimes they have identical items from other online services available cheaper for some reason. Not happy with the usability of the site though or the damn M4a files.

    One thing that's surprised me is how much YouTube has become the default music service for a lot of people I know, even if there's no video.

    Yep, my kids play a lot of tunes straight off YouTube. It's only the keepers that they nick...

    Nelson • Since Nov 2006 • 949 posts Report

  • Carol Green,

    I get some magazines issues from Zinio, works nicely on iPad but can also access them on my laptop. Cheaper than the print versions and I don't end with a big stack of mags that I don't know what to do with.

    Auckland • Since Jul 2008 • 53 posts Report

  • ppjamieson,

    Books from Mightyape.co.nz Fishpond.co.nz thebookdepository.co.nz

    christchurch • Since May 2012 • 2 posts Report

  • Martin Lindberg, in reply to Peter Darlington,

    or the damn M4a files

    Can I ask what problems you have with m4a-files?

    Stockholm • Since Jul 2009 • 802 posts Report

  • Dave Patrick,

    Most of my online buying is music, although games and books have also featured. If I like music, I want to own the CD / LP, hence I don't do iTunes. I tend to use Amazon a bit, lots of eBay, some MusicStack, but also independent sites, which is where most of the obscure stuff I like comes from. RateYourMusic is a really good site for discographies, related artists, lists, "best of"s, etc - no music, but an active user base and some very knowledgeable people on all sorts of music. I also hang out in a couple of forums for specific music genres.

    Locally, Amplifier is really good for keeping track of new stuff, and I've bought quite a few tickets through Under the Radar.

    For books, it has to be the Book Depository - I don't actually do much in the way of keeping up with books, apart from reading the reviews in the paper and the Listener. Apparently Good Reads does the same things for books as discogs and rateyourmusic does for music.

    Rangiora, Te Wai Pounamu • Since Nov 2006 • 261 posts Report

  • Hebe,

    Mainly CCC libraries for reading material -- if they don't have it I request it be bought. Or online all over.

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report

  • Tom Beard, in reply to Peter Darlington,

    Yep, my kids play a lot of tunes straight off YouTube. It's only the keepers that they nick...

    It took me a while to realise that I didn't actually own the last LCD Soundsystem album, because I was playing Home, Dance Yrself Clean and Drunk Girls so often on YouTube. Now that I've bought the album through iTunes, I've found that I've only played it a couple of times. Not sure what that says.

    And while we're on the subject of YouTube, I realise that about 80% of the video content I've consumed through all media (including broadcast TV) over the last year has been uploaded by the golden god known as Nick From Fulham.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen,

    I just don't buy much music any more. We have a selection of vinyl bought when it was new. We have slightly more CDs than fit in our CD racks (why is there never quite enough room?). And we have some concerts on Blu-ray. But because we don't listen to much random music (can't at work, don't at home) we just no longer hear anything new that we really like.

    Our last music purchase came via a facebook recommendation!

    Books I buy almost exclusively from Amazon kindle (US) now and read on my iPad, my partner buys some from the Whitcouls app because stupid book distribution rules prevent her buying things she wants from kindle US.

    I find fiction books by author linkages and by looking at the nebula and hugo awards and by looking at some of the amazon lists. Also I get some new authors that I like from Analog magazine.

    Movies I buy from Amazon UK and suggestions mostly from IMDB.

    And also I get books and music suggestions from my friends, because the people I like as people also have overlapping tastes in culture.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Emma Hart, in reply to Dave Patrick,

    For books, it has to be the Book Depository

    My book-buying has alarmingly increased since I started using The Book Depository. What I want is always in stock, and cheap, and delivered for free and very promptly. Now I need to buy bookshelves...

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Emma Hart,

    Now I need to buy bookshelves

    Which is one reason I love my iPad. I love real paper but we either have to buy a new house or go electronic.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Emma Hart, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    Which is one reason I love my iPad.

    I'll use that for stuff I would previously have got through the library. But things I want to re-read, or stuff like the Jim Butcher series that's currently being read by three members of my family, I'll buy in dead-tree format.

    Also, I can't use the iPad in the bath.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Carol Green,

    I get some magazines issues from Zinio, works nicely on iPad but can also access them on my laptop. Cheaper than the print versions and I don’t end with a big stack of mags that I don’t know what to do with.

    I subscribed to Harpers via Zinio for a while, but I got pissed off with the fact that it's all just A4 PDFs of the print version, which aren't actually that easy to read.

    But what I can wholeheartedly recommend is print subs to the New Yorker and Vanity Fair. They're cheap (VF is $5 to $6 an issue) and you can enter your subscriber number at iTunes and get the tablet versions into the bargain. If only Entertainment Weekly did the same ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Geoff Lealand,

    Call me old-fashioned (as some do), but I buy music on those round,, shiny things that come in plastic cases. Nothing more enjoyable than rummaging through the New/Recommended racks at Marbecks.
    For movies, I use moviemail-online UK. Just received a 5 DVD metal box of Mark Cousin's "The Story of Film: An Odyssey" from them. It is so bloody good I have ordered another set, to give to a friend. Not all that expensive at 37 pounds for 5 discs.
    Book Depository for books

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report

  • Ian Dalziel,

    And that rare thing, a Beatles re-rub that shouldn’t be drowned in a bucket:

    and here is a you tube snippet on the making of the original... and the fact that it appeared recently on Mad Men - for a mere quarter million dollars! *
    I'll leave as a link to boingboing as that is a place I get info about new music, books - what is weird fiction - and comics and other fun stuff...
    like: man vs goose light sabre fight

    *and I'll drop my current obsessive link (again) here as well - an iconically pedestrian webcam - best viewed at night when the tourists are out in London...
    ... and yes Sofie, you are right,
    I don't get out much!
    ;- )

    I'm staying in for Sherlock Holmes tonight and hopefully going out to Fetus Productions tomorrow night...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report

  • Rob Hosking,

    Main thing for me is books -always bought a lot second hand, and I'm buying more at abebooks.com, an international secondhand books site which acts as a gateway for secondhand book shops around the world.

    Never had a bad experience. I've even been able to buy out of print NZ books which have popped up in some obscure store in the middle of the US.

    South Roseneath • Since Nov 2006 • 830 posts Report

  • Peter Darlington, in reply to Martin Lindberg,

    Can I ask what problems you have with m4a-files?

    Just the DRM. Like MP3s that can be transported without prejudice and played in multiple players.

    Nelson • Since Nov 2006 • 949 posts Report

  • Peter Darlington, in reply to Emma Hart,

    My book-buying has alarmingly increased since I started using The Book Depository. What I want is always in stock, and cheap, and delivered for free and very promptly.

    Yes, damn their eyes!

    Nelson • Since Nov 2006 • 949 posts Report

  • Peter Darlington, in reply to Geoff Lealand,

    Call me old-fashioned (as some do), but I buy music on those round,, shiny things that come in plastic cases.

    If you look on my Web Twitter page you'll see our CD shelves in the background, stacked to the gunnels. All that plastic, started to depress me after a while. I'm happy to buy online rather than CD.

    Vinyl on the other hand, I still have some head room there! #waxrules

    Nelson • Since Nov 2006 • 949 posts Report

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