How Often Do You Buy CDs by Bands/Artists You've Never Heard?

Hey Rukrym!

Oh, I do. And I will have to agree it's a "label" thing. If even two or three of my favorite bands are already signed under that label, chances are, other bands on that label will be just as original, or good. So, that's a very good point you brought up. On occasion, I'll admit also -- I'll purchase a CD on impulse if the album's title, or a few of the song titles just strike me as interesting (as I'm walking around a record store). To me, that's already a sign of good song-writing. Maybe that's silly. But I haven't been wrong. I did that with the first Belle & Sebastian album I bought: "The Boy with The Arab Strap". I've been a collector of their albums since. edit: But like everyone else, I've been doing my music purchases a lot more online lately.

edit: Yes! Sub Pop is a definite favorite. Also, alien8recordings, Jade Tree records, and Empty Records

I don't do that very often, but I have bought many many many of my albums based on only hearing one track, and I haven't really been disappointed yet. Here are some albums I bought before hearing the band:

-The Compleat Eater - Eater

-Generation X - Generation X

-(I'm) Stranded - The Saints

-Go Girl Crazy - The Dictators

-Don't Push Me Around - The Zeros

-Weird World Vol. 1 - The Weirdos

--(For the above two and Eater I had heard low quality 30 second sound clips from one song each, so cross them off if that counts)--

-Greatest Hits Vol. 1 (1964-1966) - The Yardbirds

And actually that looks like it. I'm still not opposed to the idea, but a lot of the times before I buy a CD someone sends me a track or two. Personally if I'm pretty sure I'm going to like a CD, I don't want to hear it before I buy it. Because when I first started buying CD's I had been real big into downloading so I'd have heard most or all of theCD before and it was nice it had better quiality and I love liner notes and having the music as a physical entity, but there was no surprise. So now if I plan on buying a band's CDs I avoid them like the plague so when I buy the music it's all fresh and new.

I do. I buy around 4 or 5 CDs a week so it'd be too time-consuming to seek them all out, and a lot of them are obscure. It's the only way to truly familiarise yourself with new styles and genres. It's incredible, the number of albums I've listened to once and thought they were no good, only for it to become one of my favourite albums. Or had a change of heart about an album years later. Perhaps that's why I do it, because I know from experience it can work. It allows to have an extremely diverse collection of music; surely you'd just get bored if you kept buying music that was 'safe'? I can't be that pensive. If I see a record I think I might buy in a record store, I do it, I don't have to go home and research the bloody thing. I'll assess it for myself, and if I don't like, at least I've experienced something from it.

Take reading for example, very rarely have people read even a small fragment of a book before they buy it. They go purely by critical opinion, past experiences and interests in the content. I just apply the same philosophy to music. I've no prejudices about genre and am open to anything. A name dropped on a forum*, a band name you like the sound of...it could be your knew favourite band.

I guess I can afford to do this because I spend a large proportion of my discretionary income on music. I've got 2000+ CDs.

*Montag mentioned RateYourMusic. The quality of the lists/diversity of opinions is excellent there.

Normally, I have to have heard either a song or two, or several 30 second samples of songs.

But I did buy without hearing the 4 Rainbow albums I bought.

I bought the 1995 album because I knew Candice Night had co-written most of the lyrics, and the first 3 original albums based on Darth Maul's song recommendations.

And it all started because I got into Blackmore's Night!

The '95 album is great, and so far I've listened to a bit of the first of the other albums, and for the most part, I like what I hear :)

Well, usually, a new album by a band, they release a single first which usually reveals the "style" of the album. Sometimes, the rest of the tracks can be completely different though! I will listen to a couple of the songs I don't know, but not them all, because I wouldn't want to spoil the album.

The next album I'm going to buy is the new Bullet For My Valentine album, - Scream Aim Fire. I have heard two of the songs from it, one being a single. It sounds awesome, so I'll be sure to buy the album!

I guess there's a lot more I could say, but that should answer it.

How it's happened so far: if its a band I am unfamiliar with but have recented a good recommendation, my brother'll (he is music director a radio station) have the cd for me to copy.

And there are some albums that I've never heard anything off of, but liked the band's other album/s, so i'll pick it up (such as Sigur Ros's ( ), Type O Negative's Bloody Kisses, Modest Mouse's Moon and Antartica, and Flaming Lip's Soft Bulletin). The best instance has been ( ), definitely, then Bloody Kisses. the other two are good, but i dont listen to them that often.

I need to hear some of the band's/artist's songs before i buy any of their CDs. I did once buy a record (not a CD, this was a LONG time ago) without hearing anything from it, but i already had a couple of albums by that band anyway so i had a good idea of what the album would sound like.

Hi Rukrym!

I wouldn't say often but the times I have I've been super pleased. It used to be more in the past, like Sookie said, for now I do not have the money to squander due to those damn "adult" responsibilites but occasionally I'll do it for poops and giggles. Probably the best one I can think of was in London in 1989 while visiting my family when I picked up Surfer Rosa by The Pixies because it looked interesting. That one definitely was a good choice. Back then there was no internet to check albums on or really any magazines to read up on new and fresh sounds. You just had to go with your gut feeling and hope for the best.

I have. Probably not as much as I should since there's so much music I want to buy, but I have before. I got into two of my favorite bands, Muse and Interpol, this way.

That said, I usually prefer to hear one or two of the songs that are on an album before buying it, just to be sure that I'll like something about it. Recommendations are great too, but again, I usually look up a band before buying it. Heck, once I even bought something because I loved the cover art.

Rarely.

The last time was over the summer. I was at a record store I normally go to, and stumbled across an album by The Nitwitz called 'Dark Side of the Spoon'. I really just bought it for the cover, which looks like the dark side of the moon cover, except, instead of the triangle, there is a spoon.

I love the album. It's a strange, funny punk album, which are some of my favorites.