1. Could you describe yourself a little bit? Where are you from? How old are you? What do you do for a living? What kind of music do you mostly listen to?
- Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- 50 years old.
- IT and Production Technician.
- Primarily hard and classic rock, but I enjoy all styles except for reggae and country.
2. As a music lover, do you still buy CDs or vinyl records? Why or why not?
I buy CDs only, having sold off most of my vinyl fairly recently. I avoid buying digital download versions because I still like buying a physical, high resolution version--I guess it's part of a holdover from my vinyl purchasing habits.
3. What would encourage you to pay for music if it is currently not the case? Is customized content relevant to you (special editions, bonus tracks, one-on-one with artist, etc)? Would you pay extra for this? why?
I don't think customized content would have any appeal to me—maybe it was available on CD, but even then, not so much.
4. Do you feel that file sharing software are cannibalizing music sales or on the contrary, promoting them?
Both. No question that it helps promote a lot of artists, but I'm certain there's a decent percentage of cases where the person who receives music through file sharing doesn't pay for it. That's not to say they won't buy anything, but it's not likely they'll run out to get a legit paid copy to replace what they've obtained for free.
5. Until the end of the 90's, the music industry had been based on a business model that didn't include the Internet. Nowadays, things are a lot more different. How do you feel about the new ways of providing and selling music, such as ITunes, Rhapsody or Spotify? Do you use them?
I'm only familiar with iTunes, but again, not really crazy about digital downloads. In fact, I'm filling in gaps in my music library and since I'm looking at relatively older music (e.g. 1970s—80s), the cost of an actual CD from Amazon is usually in the same price range. About the only time I use the iTunes store is when someone gives me a gift card for a holiday or birthday gift.
6. How do you mainly discover new music and artists today? What kind of channels do you mainly use (Radio, Shows, Spotify, Youtube, etc.)? Could you describe the different processes you adopt to discover new artists?
Since Amazon also has digital downloads for sale, I use them to browse samples of artists to decide whether to buy their CD or not. Also, I subscribe to a few podcasts, like Talking Metal, which has introduced me to a few new bands that I like. Additionally, I check out different discussions/recommendations on music forums like MusicBanter.com; members typically will post a YouTube link of whatever band they're commenting on.
7. Do you follow artists that you like through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? Do you try to connect with them, by commenting or "liking" their posts? If so, why?
No, I tend to avoid all forms of social media.
8. Are you a member of an online community about music? If so, what do you get from being part of this community?
I participate in a few online discussion forums, mostly guitar/bass-related ones. I'm primarily a bass player, so I find out about a lot of talented bassists or other musicians that I might not find about otherwise, even in a more mainstream discussion group. I also rely on these forums for exchange of information on equipment, electronics or even just music trivia.
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