Too much music?

Anyone else feel that their constant need for new music is some form of addiction? When is enough enough? I think about all the money I've spent over the years, cannot possibly listen to all the CDs I have bought, and yet find myself in a music store or online buying more music. Do I really need to have the latest Stryper CD (as an example) when I could just listen to the few I already own, or the latest release from that new band that everyone is talking about?

If you have felt this way and have any insight I would appreciate it. What actions have you taken to control the pull of the collectors bug?

It could be and it's something I have to watch in my life.  In high school I did let it cross the line and become an idol.  I never want to go down that road again.

Yes, it is a hobby.  It is a collection.  I see my CD collection no different than someone who collects stamps, coins, comic books, Star Wars paraphernalia, etc.  Music is better because unlike a stamp or coin, you can use a CD without damaging the collection.  If God has blessed you with the money to support the hobby, why not?

When does a CD pay for itself?  A movie can be quantified: A DVD/Blu Ray "pays for itself" when I've watched it enough to make the "per cost" view less than the cost of a rental (anyone remember renting videos?).  A CD/record/cassette is harder to quantify that way.  I don't know how many times I have to listen to a CD for it to be "worth it."  I'm a nerd: I have a Spreadsheet with every CD/tape I own and how much I paid for it if I know.  Then add in listening to a few songs of it on iTunes.  It gets complicated.  And no, I don't have the time to listen to everything either.

The actions I've taken to control the bug: first, I budget.  I don't overspend.  I've complained on other threads that I don't have the money for all of the music coming out this year.  Second I limit it (for lots of reasons, not just financial) to Christian-friendly rock and metal.  I don't collect mainstream metal.  With very few exceptions I don't buy non-rock.  Also, I thrift shop as much as I can.  Not just thrift stores, but on E-bay too I bargain hunt.

I find Spotify helps too. Not only is it a good way to preview albums, but it's also a good way to listen to new (and old) music. Now granted, not EVERYTHING is on there, not even by established artists (they only have the first 6 dio albums for example), but it's still an effective way.

Pretty much everything eatbugs said, spot on. Made some really good points, and yes it's a collection like anything else. I don't have any other hobbies that cost money constantly so yeah, I go on spending binges with music but I take breaks. I'm hoping to reach a point where I only have to keep up with the new releases from the bands I really like (and new bands). There are still a handful of older releases I really want.

We wouldn't have all this awesome music if we don't support the artists. As long as you can afford it and don't go broke or hinder your households' livelihood, I say go for it. Music can be an investment too as people will always collect physical releases and pay more for rare stuff years down the road. Godspeed and happy collecting.

Thanks for the responses. The best suggestion for me is to set a budget. I will start that immediately. If I can keep to that it will keep it in check.

I can quit any time I want to. I just don't want to.

deathisgain wrote:I can quit any time I want to. I just don't want to.

 

Kind of true for me.  Two summers ago I went on vacation for a week, didn't listen to music for the week and didn't even miss it.  I think if I had some other hobby to occupy me I could drop it.

I've also called music "my porn."  It's my late night guilty pleasure.  Too many guys up at 2:30 AM are on the computer for not-very-Christian reasons (or they're talking to Jake from State Farm).  I'm on the Christian Metal Realm talking music.

With all the over-indulgence of everything that we Americans do, pretty much our way of life would be considered an addiction.  The hours we spend online, binge watching Netflix, buying music, etc.  We don't really know how to be satisfied with only just a little.

I stopped collecting music years ago at this point. For 9.99/month I get anything I want on Spotify, and my tastes are far too broad to have time or resources to get what what I want. When the opportunities arise, I support the artists by attending live shows.

I have a budget of £5 a month, so that really focuses the mind on what you REALLY want!

Yes even Christian music can become an idol in our lives. We have to stop and reflect on whats truly important sometimes to snap ourselves out of it.

I second the idea of using Spotify to preview albums. I've heard a few lately that I've been curious about, and after listening I'm thankful I didn't buy the album.

I've kind of hit a plateau as far as collecting music. I pick up a CD here and there, but I have nowhere near the collecting bug that I used to have. It also helps (sadly) that bands are producing music that isn't an automatic buy for me. For example, unless the new Tourniquet album is a grand slam out of the park, I'll probably pass on it. I bought Antiseptic Bloodbath and can count on one hand the number of times I've listened to it.

Yep, I do need to use platforms that let me preview the music first, but it can be hard being a completist. That's why I prefer bands that have only released one album. 

I may have too much music, but I just added three new albums to the coolection today!!!!

The budget is really helping, plus some birthday money which I added to it.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

I've often thought of starting a topic like this.

I went through a period long ago of illegally downloading heaps of metal. At some point I felt convicted to rectify this and started purchasing the CDs. As they started flooding in I soon realised how ridiculous it was - to check out a band I'd download their entire discography, but I didn't really need all 5 albums of some obscure band of tangential interest to me.

Similarly at the end of each year I check out the 'best of' lists and do intense listening to find those I consider gems. There are many very good albums but each year it gets harder and harder to find great ones, and my purchase count drops. I'm a collector with fomo by nature but getting better at evaluating how many listens across my life each new purchase is really going to get.

I'm not really a completist. And honestly, now that I've started listening to some music on Spotify, I'm glad I'm not. There are some bands that have 1 or 2 good albums followed by several albums of meh.

Great topic Erasmus!

The fact that everyone here is here at all means music is obviously a somewhat large part of our lives/thoughts - and therefore has relatively high potential for becoming an idol.  There are some good practical ways to protect ourselves from this, as mentioned.  Budgeting definitely helps.  For example, I have a $25/month budget (with rollover haha!).  I also regularly purge my collection of music I no longer listen to.  Additionally, every so often I will just not listen to any music for an entire day.  That's a nice way to "re-center" oneself and use that silence for prayer.  For me, that's probably the biggest help.  Or if I'm driving, sometimes I'll even just turn off the music for the rest of my drive if I'm feeling like it's taking too much of my attention/thoughts.  The temptation for it becoming an idol is always there so I've found it helpful to somewhat regularly reset myself haha.

I'm kinda surprised that there are a few folks here who have so much music that they can never listen to all of it.  Is it just for completion/collection's sake then?  I suppose there's nothing inherently wrong with that, though it might require some further introspection or "heart searching" for motives and such.

Something I haven't put a whole ton of thought into is WHY do I like this music so much?  Putting that in context of what our role as Christians is on this earth, where does music fit?  I need to do some more pondering on that.

I'll answer your questions and thoughts out of order.  Yes, I have a huge amount of music: I have no idea how long it would take to listen to all of it without repeating.  Yes, it is "just" for collection's sake.  I made the analogy at the top of this thread to stamp or coin collecting.  ANY collection is a good hobby as long as the idol thing is avoided, and I agree with most of your advice on that.

On the purge: there are two keys to an awesome library (music, books, any collection).  First, don't acquire junk.  Don't get something just for the sake of adding it.  Don't be the bookworm who can't walk into a used bookstore without buying something.  If there's nothing good to get then don't get it!  Second, once you have it, don't get rid of it.  Unless you failed in key #1 there is no need to purge the collection.  I suppose in the context of idolatry if you have to purge to prevent this then yes, if your music collection causes you to sin...you know what to do.

Why do we like music?  Maybe this is a whole new thread.  What is the purpose of ANY art in life?  My two cents is that it provides beauty to life (despite what my wife thinks of most of my music collection  ).  If we were all doctors, construction workers, plumbers, teachers, or any other skilled tradesmen and there were no artists (including actors, comedians, etc.) then we would live in a sterile society of "cold machines."  Christians can and should provide art for the world as much as anyone.  A related question to ask is what is the role of any hobby in our role as Christians on this Earth?

Also, it's not a good idea to buy an album  just because it's rare. For example, It's pretty well known that Katy Perry was originally a Christian pop singer under her real name of Katy Hudson. The one album under that name is quite rare. Anyway, I went to a pawn shop a few weeks ago and saw it on the shelves. For a second I considered buying it, but then I figured if I dont like her secular stuff, why would I want to own her Christian stuff? I'm sure the lyrics were positive, but the music's probably the same style. I'd rather spend money on stuff I like, rather than hold onto something i'll never listen to.

^Ironically, I just saw a headline somewhere that Katy has gone back to Catholicism.

On that thought, the reason some titles are rare is because they didn't sell that well to begin with. You have to ask yourself why it didn't sell. In some cases it might have been the record label, distribution etc. Other times though, it might be rare because it wasn't that good, and people didn't buy it when it came out.

I can't think of the last time I have gone a day without listening to music. Not praying to God or reading his word regularly. 

So it was a good experience to have just gone away on family vacation and my iPod stopped working. Plus the budget is working a treat.

That's actually a pretty good question, because music has been a big part of my life since I was a kid. It may not be an idol but the chances for it to become one are always there.

alldatndensum wrote:With all the over-indulgence of everything that we Americans do, pretty much our way of life would be considered an addiction.  The hours we spend online, binge watching Netflix, buying music, etc.  We don't really know how to be satisfied with only just a little.

That extends to Canada too.

Listening to music is dangerous for me. I think it might well damage my hearing to be listening all the time, even if it's not too loud. I'm working a desk job with low human interaction, so I have my headphones on pretty much all the time. I'm trying to get into the habit of listening to Scripture or sermons instead, since I keep telling myself I have no time to read. My work is mostly mindless (drawing things in 2D AutoCAD), so I can actually listen to what I'm hearing.

Financially, I know I spent more than I should've on CDs (that I don't even listen to anymore) when I was younger. (I should probably get selling some CDs... living in Canada makes it a challenge to ship economically, though.) Nowadays, I use Apple Music streaming to listen to albums I want, and I buy the ones I really like. Streaming bothers me when it comes to artistic revenue, but on the other hand, I just don't have the money to listen to things. Anyway, they should be giving away the music for exposure