Who buys singles and, if so, are you insane?

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Or just a waster of money? (unless we're talking 99¢ downloads, in which case it mostly evens out).

― Scaredy Cat, Wednesday, 27 August 2003 14:59 (twenty-two years ago)

singles rock hard. I mean, why buy some album by Beyonce Knowles which will almost certainly have loads of shite power ballads on it when you can just buy the single?

― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:01 (twenty-two years ago)

...thing is, DV's assessment of that album is pretty accurate.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I like to buy 7"s sometimes. I do a weekly radio show, so it does make sense in a way for me to spend $25 on 4 singles than on one album that I'll play one song from. Sometimes.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:02 (twenty-two years ago)

So, are the Beyonce singles for 10 years down the road when you've become nostalgiac and they've finally stopped playing the songs on the radio?

― Scaredy Cat, Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah I buy them occasionally, if I don't think I'll be buying the album or out of curiosity or because I want the mixes or something. I buy a lot less now I have a CD Burner though. Compilations are better!

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:04 (twenty-two years ago)

suspect premise: in the case of "Are you ready for love?", there is no album, just a 12" vinyl EP that'll probably cost an arm and a leg second hand these days

but i take yr point about relative cost of CD singles and full-length CDs - i did wait until virgin were selling off a tATu single for 99p before i bought it

― zebedee (zebedee), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:07 (twenty-two years ago)

The best thing to do with Beyoncé is to download the first four songs off the album, burn them onto a CD, and you now have one of the greatest EPs ever released.

― Angus Gordon (angusg), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:08 (twenty-two years ago)

7" singles is really the only decent format for dancehall. By the time an album is released, the songs are dead and lots don't ever make it to albums.

― cybele (cybele), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm a sucker for the tactile artefact. And, unlike some folks, I don't take my computer with me everywhere I go.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:14 (twenty-two years ago)

most of the singles i love were never released on album

― gareth (gareth), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

So, do you have the largest music collection in the world if you buy lots of singles? Where do you put it all?

I tried to get into the 7" thing when I was in college. You know, with some punkish bands, that can add up to 6 or 8 songs on one 7". But, it's still so incredibly short. I have some good 7", but it's just so pointless to put on one short little record to me. I guess I'm not a "sit down and listen to this song" kind of guy.

― Scaredy Cat, Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

I buy tons of singles from the "10 for €1" bin.

― Siegbran (eofor), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I love singles.

while i'm not sure i'd ever actually put one out again (the 7" has become the demo tape of the 'oughts) i love buying / playing them. Most of the records i 'collect' in any real capacity are dub records, and singles rule the school.

As far as Beyonce and stuff like that goes, that's strictly download for me, but that's more about not wanting to contribute to the corporate death machine than any other aesthetic reason.

Plus, there are some GREAT classic indie / punk 7"s - Heavens to Betsy's "These Monsters Are Real" and Gas Huffer's "Shrill Beats of Shrimp" are two of my favorite 7"s ever, and I NEVER listen to either of those bands otherwise.

PLUS, you got the SPLIT 7" to consider, a great way to discover a new band via a band you already like.

Classic, all around. Ask any DJ which he prefers - spinning an LP track or spinning one of them 45rpm 12" singles that sound 100x better.

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

i dont buy that many records. plus, out of the ones i no longer really like, i would say the majority are albums. often the single comes down to "i like!", and the album "i might like!"

― gareth (gareth), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm a sucker for the tactile artefact. And, unlike some folks, I don't take my computer with me everywhere I go.
but you do lug your turntable to the beach, right? You seem like a beach kinda guy, and all.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't buy singles, but I've found that I have a "singles mentality" now that I have an iPod. It's completely changed my listening habits, and not necessarily for the better. I'm playing few CDs and buying even fewer.

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Similar reasons to those discussed above. Mostly hip hop / R+B coz I realized that I have too many hip hop albums that are too much filler. Since i switched to 12" my spending has gone down but I've got more decent tucnes. Dance stuff I tend to buy on compilations rahter than 12"s coz of the cost. Hip hop / R+B 12"s are £3 if you get them in the first week, whereas dance stuff is always much more expensive so best to buy it compiled - plus mixing is more important in dance than hip hop i reckon. Also, i don't have a soundcard so I can't download, but even if i did i'd still want the records coz they sound better - and more convenient for listening at home

― Robin Goad (rgoad), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:47 (twenty-two years ago)

and yes, buying singles does take up lots of space, but u get nice artifacts as someone said and u can pretend to be a dj if u like too

― Robin Goad (rgoad), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:49 (twenty-two years ago)

i bought loads of singles last week for the first time in EONS

i got:

Grafiti - What Is The Problem
Underworld - Dinosaur Adventure 3D
Futureshock - Pride's Paranoia
Har Mar Superstar - EZ Pass
Goldfrapp - Train
Uncut - Midnight

now can anyone guess why?

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

hey, what does INOX mean?

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:55 (twenty-two years ago)

I generally wait for the latest batch of pop compilations to come out (the wait's never very long), trouble is the songs I like are usually scattered across many different comps which have a lot of unwanted shite on, and then... there's tears.

I don't like ~~Bentleys~~ singles they cost too much.

― David Merryweather (DavidM), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:55 (twenty-two years ago)

(i bought them for the videos, btw)

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 16:02 (twenty-two years ago)

"Singles remind me of kisses. Albums remind me of plans."

― d.w., Wednesday, 27 August 2003 16:20 (twenty-two years ago)

i find cd singles rather odd, some weird contraption that reminds me of that GREAT 7". i still love playing my vinyl singles. on the other hand i never could imagine playing cd singles. too expensive and too friggin'time consuming (and silence) to put another cd single in the stereo.

― nathalie (nathalie), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 17:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm with DV: unless I plan on waiting for the inevitable sale-price knockdown of a pop album, or if I only like one released song off a particular record, the single is the way to go. In a lot of cases, too, the single version or radio edit is vastly superior to the album mix - Radio 4's "Dance to the underground" single has Tim O'Heir producing, whom I prefer to the DFA (I actually bought that one on import because I couldn't bear to wait for it), the version of "Girlfriend" on 'Nsync's "Celebrity" may be a Neptunes production but lacks Nelly and is all in all pretty dull.

For no particular reason, I stopped using download software a year or so ago, and it's a hassle when you're trying to make a compilation tape and the song you want to use only exists on your hard drive. Plus the sensation of ownership r0xx0rz.

I don't buy 7" singles any more, though I probably would if hideous coloured vinyl made a comeback.

― cis (cis), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 19:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Why did this discussion go from 'singles' to specifically 7"?? Anyway, what about all the remixes and b-sides? It seems like a decent EP or single is a worthwhile purchase from time to time, plus as Gareth said there are plenty of songs that aren't really on proper albums (until the best-ofs come out, if they do) but are def. good songs.

― Ally-zay (mlescaut), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 20:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Isn't the 7'' a type of single?

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 20:28 (twenty-two years ago)

i tend to just download tracks rather than buy singles

― robin (robin), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Julio, type of single /= singles en total (actually I was totally freaked out by Horace's joke about turntables on the beach because I could see it and it featured hipsters and my god)

― Ally-zay (mlescaut), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

LPs are rubbish

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 21:46 (twenty-two years ago)

they make no sense

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 21:46 (twenty-two years ago)

singles can be trouble and are often a waste of money but yet i still seem to buy heaps of them. plus gareth OTM all the way up there about many singles never making it to an album. plus don't forget resale value for rare debut singles!!

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 23:07 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm cool with singles, EPs, albums, compilations. as a music video enthusiast i think singles are still providing a valuable purpose when they include the video - plus you get the remixes and what have you - useful for DJs, whether on vinyl or CD (though I would expect downloading the remixes and bonus tracks at a decent quality and then actually filling up a CD with material is becoming more popular), even though I only buy around ten a year now (and about the same number for albums). DVD singles are a bit of a waste of the format though, considering their capacity and what else you could do with them.

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 23:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Again with the unused capacity anxiety.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 23:16 (twenty-two years ago)

heh, well if you can have quality AND quantity then why not?

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 23:18 (twenty-two years ago)

i only get unused capacity anxiety when i've paid 4 pounds for 2 songs.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 23:21 (twenty-two years ago)

if hideous coloured vinyl made a comeback

they never went away.

and i HATE singles that include the video, they're a pest to rip and the video quality sucks anyway

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 23:23 (twenty-two years ago)

the 'autoplay' nature of them is annoying but the quality has improved a lot. i was impressed by the quality of the clips from the Grafiti and Futureshock singles. i may have bought them on DVD if they were available and DVD was actually versatile enough to let you copy the material onto your hard drive as easily as with a CD.

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 23:32 (twenty-two years ago)

I buy CD singles if they're cheap. VERY cheap. I buy 7"s on occasion cos they're cute and I'm living in the past. And I buy 12"s if they have cool b-sides.

I have WAY too many cassingles from 1989 to 1993. What the fuck was I thinking?

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 23:36 (twenty-two years ago)

LPs make no sense, eh, Mark S.?!?!? Is there such a thing as a CONCEPT SINGLE? Oh yeah, I guess every single one of them. Heh, heh. Nevermind. The Bullocks. It's Nirvana's smash hit album.

― Scaredy Cat, Thursday, 28 August 2003 00:14 (twenty-two years ago)

The Beyonce album doesn't have a power ballad on it, btw.

― Sean (Sean), Thursday, 28 August 2003 00:40 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

have just spent the morning / aftrenoon throwing out just about every last one of my cd singles*. soulseeked the songs i really will miss, sod the rest. cd singles = work of the devil. i was never romantially inclined towards any single format like our forbearers seemed to be about the 7". if any i'd say the cassingle was the one i liked best in a c30 c60 c90 go sort of way.

to hell with the cd single for all eternity.

* kept the pet shop boys ones.

― piscesboy, Sunday, 4 September 2005 14:42 (twenty years ago)

vinyl singles are the best sounding formats

― me, Sunday, 4 September 2005 15:02 (twenty years ago)

well 12"s yeah and the best looking and feeling records to have in your hand and the best to suddenly find in a shop...

but all of that is long gone in this nu digi era.

― piscesboy, Sunday, 4 September 2005 15:39 (twenty years ago)

What did you throw away piscesboy, I'm sure some ilxors would take them off your hands?

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Sunday, 4 September 2005 19:42 (twenty years ago)

but all of that is long gone in this nu digi era.

not yet.

http://flexx.be/

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Sunday, 4 September 2005 19:44 (twenty years ago)

No. If I didn't buy the albums, how would I ever know what the skits were?

― js (honestengine), Sunday, 4 September 2005 19:50 (twenty years ago)

seriously u wouldnt want it. all sorts of crap-dance stuff predominantly from 97 98 99 when a) i suddenly got money for the first time and b) there was no net so i bought a shedload of stuff. bleeuur, orrible records, orrible mid 20's times. yuck.
i despise the late 90's with an absolute pasion.

― piscesboy, Sunday, 4 September 2005 19:58 (twenty years ago)

I still buy as many CD singles as I can afford. I enjoy owning the physical artefact, I like the covers, I like collecting records, and I like having the b-sides and remixes in the best sound quality as AIFF files instead of scouring the net for some low bit-rate mp3s with the wrong track titles.

Yes, I'm probably dangerously close to starring in "High Fidelity 2".

― John Hunter, Sunday, 4 September 2005 21:36 (twenty years ago)

As a DJ I'd be insane NOT to buy vinyl singles. You've been told about sound quality and probably cannot understand the need to actually touch the record itself, so let me direct you to Ebay and the astronomic prices those items are reaching, especially when still sealed. That's where the real insane buyers are, actually.

So it makes sense to buy two copies even. CD singles were such a total marketing ripoff from the start, and the novelty 2-inch wide or weird shaped disc thing died real fast too.

― blunt (blunt), Sunday, 4 September 2005 21:54 (twenty years ago)

i'm trying to do what piscesboy is doing but it takes a while when you have as many cd singles as i do. the pile of 'to rip then sell/dispose of' is currently 600 cds deep.

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Sunday, 4 September 2005 22:21 (twenty years ago)

of course the big surprise in doing this is finding out there's a demand for gay dad cd singles (esp cd2's!)

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Sunday, 4 September 2005 22:22 (twenty years ago)

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