Compared to other CMG posters

[slofstra]

The "mean" is the middle amount, not quite the same as the "average", but fair to say, the mean is the amount spent by the average CMG poster.

This is really a question in group psychology; I'm not asking anyone how much they actually spend.

[maestrob]

HI, Henry!

I guess I spend roughly the average, whether it's for gifts or for myself. Because of space limitations, I have to be careful about the quantity, but the quality is high!

I'm nowhere near what Lance or Chalkie spend, however......

[Lance]

I am embarrassed to say I am way over the mean or top. HOWEVER, of my own accord, I am being especially careful more recently (this past year), realizing my (still fairly youthful) age, and the mess/collection that someone is going to have to take care of/clean up once I say goodbye, if you know what I mean. As mentioned, I do not need another Beethoven 9, Brahms 4, Schumann 4, but will stick to piano concertos, piano recitals, lieder/song recitals, and certain instrumental recitals. Even operas, for the most part, are not on the lists at this point. Regarding my own primary focus—piano music/recitals—even those artists are selected with great care (Volodos, Hamelin, Hough, etc., are at the top, and, of course, historical musicians such as Schnabel if they find anything heretofore unreleased).

[jbuck919]

Way, way below average.

[HoustonDavid]

Definitely less than the mean. The recession and Medicare's infamous doughnut hole have left
me in a budget pinch. Thankfully, my eligibility for V.A. benefits should kick in shortly, which will
change my budget significantly, and I can continue to fill in the remaining holes in my modest
collection.

[Prometheus]

I voted for less than average.
In the middle of last year I would have been above the average. I bought a lot of things online because it seemed every time I browsed that items would sell out or the now popular "this item has been discontinued by the manufacturer" would be listed. So I bought a large amount of cds to end 2009 and have not made an online purchase in 2010 and won't until I listen to all that I have bought so far.
I have only bought a few cds in person this year and those were at Half Price Books and thus quite cheap.

[piston]

Much less. In fact, I haven't ordered or purchased any CDs since last December.

[CharmNewton]

What is the mean spending? Do we know?

John

[ContrapunctusIX]

I would venture to guess I spend more than the mean, but not quite as much as those at the high-end. I'm looking at you, Chalkie and Lance.

[Lance]

I was also curious about that. I wonder if there is a way to make this determination. I think veteran collectors are still spending more $$$ than the younger set, say those under the age of 25. Just an educated guess.

What is the mean spending? Do we know?

John

[RebLem]

I think my total income is probably considerably below the mean--it amounts, at this point, to a net income after taxes of $2886 month, which includes a good health insurance package--I spend considerably more than average on CDs. Probably, it averages out to about a hundred dollars a month or more. No way I can compete with Chalkie or Lance, on this forum, or Harry or Sgt Rock over at GMG.

[Lance]

Well, Reb ... I'm not sure what your "family" status is, but if you're single or married with no kids, you could live fairly comfortably on near $3,000/month (after taxes) as long as it wasn't NYC, or some other major city. If' you're single, it's even better as much of your disposable income can be spent on concerts, entertainment, vacations, and CDs/books/DVDs, etc., unless you have a large debt of some kind. So, $100/month is $1200 annually, which means you are greatly assisting the record industry!

I think my total income is probably considerably below the mean--it amounts, at this point, to a net income after taxes of $2886 month, which includes a good health insurance package--I spend considerably more than average on CDs. Probably, it averages out to about a hundred dollars a month or more. No way I can compete with Chalkie or Lance, on this forum, or Harry or Sgt Rock over at GMG.

[Guitarist]

I buy about 15 CDs (mostly SACDs) a month. I also sell some on Amazon, so it partially evens out!

[slofstra]

What is the mean spending? Do we know?

John

SSShhhh!

[RebLem]

Well, Reb ... I'm not sure what your "family" status is, but if you're single or married with no kids, you could live fairly comfortably on near $3,000/month (after taxes) as long as it wasn't NYC, or some other major city. If' you're single, it's even better as much of your disposable income can be spent on concerts, entertainment, vacations, and CDs/books/DVDs, etc., unless you have a large debt of some kind. So, $100/month is $1200 annually, which means you are greatly assisting the record industry!

I think my total income is probably considerably below the mean--it amounts, at this point, to a net income after taxes of $2886 month, which includes a good health insurance package--I spend considerably more than average on CDs. Probably, it averages out to about a hundred dollars a month or more. No way I can compete with Chalkie or Lance, on this forum, or Harry or Sgt Rock over at GMG.

I am single with no debt, not even a mortgage debt, other than a car loan for my 2008 Toyota Scion xB, which I got new in 9/2007. I got a 48 month loan @ $446.70 a month, one of the few payments I make monthly by automatic EFT from the bank. My last payment, ironically enough, will be on September 11, 2011.

I am single, never married, and live with my dog Scout and my computer Alice in a condo. I am trying to save for a detached house because this place is too small for all my records and books. I do have medicare and health insurance, including a prescription drug benefit without a doughnut hole, a vision and a dental benefit from the State of Illinois, my former employer, but my copays and vitamin supplements (all prescribed by my doc, I do not self-medicate) still run me about $15-1800 a year.

[Ken]

Right now I'm purchasing only about one CD per month. In the past this rate was much, much higher---but I tend to buy in spurts. This said, I don't feel as though less purchasing is acting as a hindrance to my enjoyment of the music.

I've also learned how to stop worrying and love YouTube.

[Fergus]

I would say that I would have been spending around the mean up to January of this year. I then drastically reduced my spending on new CDs solely in an attempt to clear the backlog of CDs that I had bought but had not listened to....this pile was constant and is now reduced to six boxsets and 12 CDs.

[Ricordanza]

I'm certainly below the mean, mainly because I feel no compulsion to buy more than one version of the same work (or one version in CD and one version for download to my iPod). There are a handful of exceptions, such as the five recordings (CD in boldface) I have of the Liszt Sonata in B Minor (Anievas, Argerich, Gilels, Horowitz, Wang), but for the most part, if I've acquired a CD I like of a particular work, it's permanently removed from my wish list.

[hangos]

I'm certainly below the mean, mainly because I feel no compulsion to buy more than one version of the same work (or one version in CD and one version for download to my iPod). There are a handful of exceptions, such as the five recordings (CD in boldface) I have of the Liszt Sonata in B Minor (Anievas, Argerich, Gilels, Horowitz, Wang), but for the most part, if I've acquired a CD I like of a particular work, it's permanently removed from my wish list.

Now that is what I call sensible!
Martin

[stenka razin]

I am a collector and that means that almost everything that is issued that appeals to me monthly, I obtain for my collection. I have been doing this for almost my entire adult life. My wife and family are supportive and want me to be happy. I am a very lucky man.

[MJWal]

As a very poor pensioner, I buy 2-4 CDs per month. I also buy (low-priced) books and DVDs. Otherwise I download quite legally historical recordings from a number of on-line resources like Neal's Historical Classical Recordings Corner.

[Jack Kelso]

My wife and I buy new recordings (or re-issued older ones) almost on a weekly basis. While she mainly prefers the 19th-century symphonic tradition, I still manage to get anything from Purcell to 21st-century composers with whom I'm not yet familiar.

We don't have to scrimp and save---even though we're both retired and no longer have to work.

Tschüß,
Jack

[Corlyss_D]

The "mean" is the middle amount, not quite the same as the "average", but fair to say, the mean is the amount spent by the average CMG poster.

This is really a question in group psychology; I'm not asking anyone how much they actually spend.

Since I don't know what the mean or average is for others, how would I know???? My spending is a lot more selective than it used to be with no stores to browse in.

[fishgrit]

I am absolutely not prepared to answer this question - it may incriminate me. I am a recovering CD addict. I have my compulsion more or less under control and although I still lustfully pour over the review mags I no longer smuggle CDs into the house and hide credit card statements from my wife. Jeremy

[Lance]

Hmm ... sounds familiar since I"ve been through Jeremy's routine in times/years gone by, i.e. feeling guilty about buying more and more recordings. Currently, I usually do NOT buy in 1- or 2-CD lots ... it is generally many items at once. Therefore my own purchases have dwindled considerably, especially in 2009 and 2010 thus far because there really isn't that many new releases that are of personal interest to me (in comparison to the good old LP days in the 1960s and 1970s). When a big box does arrive these days, I smile and enjoy opening the box and checking over each carefully selected acquisition. Among the last things to arrive was a 35-CD boxed set of all of Alfred Brendel's Vox/Turnabout/Vanguard recordings (now on Brilliant Classics). Though I knew most of these performances from LPs or subsequent CDs (I didn't have all of the Vox Beethoven sonatas on CD but did on LP, for example), I was very happy to have Brendel's early work in the digital format. I was pleased with the digital processing I heard and felt this was a most worthwhile addition since I personally prefer much of Brendel's work to his later work on the Philips label. One has to weigh the reasons one wants to have something even if one is familiar with it. (Besides, at about $1.25/USD per CD, who is going to grumble? It's almost a gift!)

I am absolutely not prepared to answer this question - it may incriminate me. I am a recovering CD addict. I have my compulsion more or less under control and although I still lustfully pour over the review mags I no longer smuggle CDs into the house and hide credit card statements from my wife. Jeremy

[Lance]

I note that "less than the mean" is at 58%, meaning more than half are NOT spending money on buying CDs. That number is sure to rise with the passage of time. Younger folk are interested in downloading (I am not), and as we, the older generation, begins to depart to the Great Beyond, buying habits, music carriers (i.e. tapes, LPs, CDs) will change with time. I am totally honest when I say that I am very pleased that I haved lived during the best of the LP and CD era. We have lived and enjoyed well!

[slofstra]

I note that "less than the mean" is at 58%, meaning more than half are NOT spending money on buying CDs. That number is sure to rise with the passage of time. Younger folk are interested in downloading (I am not), and as we, the older generation, begins to depart to the Great Beyond, buying habits, music carriers (i.e. tapes, LPs, CDs) will change with time. I am totally honest when I say that I am very pleased that I haved lived during the best of the LP and CD era. We have lived and enjoyed well!

Actually 69% are less than or equal to mean. Which of course is impossible. The mean is exactly the half way point. Which means about 15-20% of you are spending more than average but think you're spending less than average. This is not to make you feel bad about spending more rather than less. I just wanted to point out that the mean spending of CMG contributors on CDs is lower than we tend to think it is. In any case, it's not what you spend but what you get out of it.

The poll result is the reverse of what you get when you ask parents whether their kids are smarter than average. Most will say that their kids are. Of course, only half actually are smarter than average. In this case, the reverse effect seems to have occurred. Kinda refreshing actually.
Perhaps the result points out that some of us have a diminished view of ourselves in relation to the more zealous collectors on the board, and may be deprecating what we have to contribute also. But that might be a stretch. After all, I only asked about CD spending habits.

[fishgrit]

Among the last things to arrive was a 35-CD boxed set of all of Alfred Brendel's Vox/Turnabout/Vanguard recordings (now on Brilliant Classics). Though I knew most of these performances from LPs or subsequent CDs (I didn't have all of the Vox Beethoven sonatas on CD but did on LP, for example), I was very happy to have Brendel's early work in the digital format. I was pleased with the digital processing I heard and felt this was a most worthwhile addition since I personally prefer much of Brendel's work to his later work on the Philips label. One has to weigh the reasons one wants to have something even if one is familiar with it. (Besides, at about $1.25/USD per CD, who is going to grumble? It's almost a gift!)

Oh Lance you've tempted me. Where did you find the set at that price? Jeremy

[josé echenique]

Between February and March I bought 38 cds and 11 dvds. But between November and December last year, I bought 62 cds. Most of them from Amazon Deutschland and especially JPC.