Music Banter - View Single Post - How many times do you listen to a new album before moving on?

Geekoid · 06-27-2012, 11:37 AM

That's an interesting question, because another variant could be whether you purchase or download an album.
I have a process:

If there's an album that looks promising, or that catches my attention, I make sure I listen to it at least 3 times before deciding whether I like it (unless it's something I know I won't get into after the first listen). Usually streamed via Grooveshark or played on YouTube, if available.

If I end up liking it, I make the purchase, and listen to it once or twice on my computer, once or twice through speakers, and a couple more times on my iPod (to see how those experiences differ).

Then, if the album has stood up to all these tests, it completely depends on the album and how much I connect with it. Much of my listening has to do with mood, so if an album doesn't fit my current mood, I'll end up avoiding it for a while. If my mood changes right after I get an album, there's usually an awkward phase where I almost feel as if made a mistake in buying it in the first place, but I usually get over it. If I don't, it probably won't get played very often after that, and I imagine bills and coins being washed into a gutter somewhere.

So, long story short, I give every album at least 7 plays on average for boot camp. It doesn't happen often that I buy entire albums, anyway, as I'm more of a cherry picker, going on a song-by-song basis after hearing the album in its entirety once.

06-27-2012, 11:37 AM	#6 (permalink)
Geekoid Music Addict Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 171	That's an interesting question, because another variant could be whether you purchase or download an album. I have a process: If there's an album that looks promising, or that catches my attention, I make sure I listen to it at least 3 times before deciding whether I like it (unless it's something I know I won't get into after the first listen). Usually streamed via Grooveshark or played on YouTube, if available. If I end up liking it, I make the purchase, and listen to it once or twice on my computer, once or twice through speakers, and a couple more times on my iPod (to see how those experiences differ). Then, if the album has stood up to all these tests, it completely depends on the album and how much I connect with it. Much of my listening has to do with mood, so if an album doesn't fit my current mood, I'll end up avoiding it for a while. If my mood changes right after I get an album, there's usually an awkward phase where I almost feel as if made a mistake in buying it in the first place, but I usually get over it. If I don't, it probably won't get played very often after that, and I imagine bills and coins being washed into a gutter somewhere. So, long story short, I give every album at least 7 plays on average for boot camp. It doesn't happen often that I buy entire albums, anyway, as I'm more of a cherry picker, going on a song-by-song basis after hearing the album in its entirety once.