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Post by gamleman on Sept 3, 2021 17:53:11 GMT
Ed Sheeran has CD, vinyl and cassette releases, but not as many variations as ABBA. I imagine his clientele will go more for downloads and streaming than the physical releases.
I have decided to stop ordering the ABBA album now - I think I now have enough copies across the three formats. I would be surprised if the editions with individual members on the covers sell well - I think that was going too far, plus I'm not keen on those ABBAtar photos and think the ABBAtars in the ISHFIY video are much better, much more ABBA.
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Post by Michal on Sept 3, 2021 17:58:08 GMT
I would be surprised if the editions with individual members on the covers sell well - I think that was going too far Who knows. I haven't bought them but the German Voyage site showed the bundle of all four ABBATars CDs as well as the individual Agnetha CD as already sold out. So there might be interest in them after all. |
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Post by onlyabba4meagain on Sept 3, 2021 18:23:01 GMT
The Rubber Ball Man -- ABBA's 2 Singles are also in the UK Sales Top 100 today.
'ISHFIY' is at No.9 and 'Don't Shut Me Down' is at No.11. It is a lack of Streams,
that stopped either Single getting in today's Main Top 100. As well as there being
no Physical's yesterday. Also, it was stupid to Release on a Thursday. You are not
supposed to do that. It is called a 'Death' time to Release. Every time an Act does
it, they don't do as well, as they could have. You end up with too few Sales on the
Thursday, to make a Friday Chart impact. Also, you lose those Thursday Sales, when
the next Friday's Chart comes around. I don't know what made ABBA Release on a
Thursday. A huge mistake. Luckily, an ABBA Christmas Themed Single, ('Little Things'?),
will be a far bigger Hit. Christmas Singles always get Millions upon Millions of Streams.
Which is why Christmas Hits by Mariah Carey, Wham!, Wizzard, Slade, Boney M, and
many more Old Acts, are Top 20 Hits again, every November/December, in the UK. So,
I am certain of a big Christmas Single for ABBA.
Also, I now hear that Adele may Release her New Album on the same day as ABBA's!
Well, her last Album - '25', (2015) - sold UK 800,307 copies, in Week 1! Plus, what Ed
Sheeran calls, his previous Studio Album - 'Divide', (2017), sold 671,542 UK copies, in
Week 1! I find it incredible, that ABBA waited 40 Years, to Release a New Album, then
they choose a Release Date, that is around the time that Adele and Ed Sheeran plan to
Release their New Albums - today's 2 Biggest Acts! Surely, a more sensible ABBA Release
Date could have been selected? (Remember - Adele and Ed are huge, everywhere. So the
ABBA Album will not easily, get to No.1 - anywhere).
However, the ABBA Album does not have to get to No.1 in November. There is also December
and January. After all, Ed and Adele, are not forever at No.1, in the Album Charts. Besides, in
the UK, 4 ABBA Albums made No.1 more than once. They were: 'Greatest Hits', (twice in 1976).
'Arrival', (twice in 1977). 'Greatest Hits Vol 2', (Once in 1979 and once in 1980). Finally, there
was 'ABBA Gold' - No.1 in 1992, and 4 Returns to No.1! (3 times in 1999, once in 2008). So,
November 2021, is not the only chance for 'Voyage' to make No.1.
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Post by madonnabba on Sept 3, 2021 18:29:39 GMT
So does that mean you only have to listen to the first few seconds of a song rather than whole song to count towards the chart. Ed is good but not that good to dominate today's charts. Singles charts devalued considerably with streaming.
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Post by abbafun on Sept 3, 2021 18:30:08 GMT
In light of everyting going on right now,
especially with what we can order here in there, etc.
I thought it prudent to advise all about possible bogus on line shops that have and will continue to pop up that will/are offering ABBA logoed merchandise, mostly fashion, that might not live up to expectations.
One example is a site located in China called "Fash3dstyle" that offers Adidas and high top styled running shoes for sale, another is "colorfulshirt.com" from the USA.
The sites might be real or not, especially when it comes to after sale customer service, you could end up out of pocket, so buyer beware!
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Post by Michal on Sept 3, 2021 18:52:42 GMT
The Rubber Ball Man -- ABBA's 2 Singles are also in the UK Sales Top 100 today. 'ISHFIY' is at No.9 and 'Don't Shut Me Down' is at No.11. It is a lack of Streams, that stopped either Single getting in today's Main Top 100. As well as there being no Physical's yesterday. Also, it was stupid to Release on a Thursday. You are not supposed to do that. It is called a 'Death' time to Release. Every time an Act does it, they don't do as well, as they could have. You end up with too few Sales on the Thursday, to make a Friday Chart impact. Also, you lose those Thursday Sales, when the next Friday's Chart comes around. I don't know what made ABBA Release on a Thursday. A huge mistake. Luckily, an ABBA Christmas Themed Single, ('Little Things'?), will be a far bigger Hit. Christmas Singles always get Millions upon Millions of Streams. Which is why Christmas Hits by Mariah Carey, Wham!, Wizzard, Slade, Boney M, and many more Old Acts, are Top 20 Hits again, every November/December, in the UK. So, I am certain of a big Christmas Single for ABBA. Also, I now hear that Adele may Release her New Album on the same day as ABBA's! Well, her last Album - '25', (2015) - sold UK 800,307 copies, in Week 1! Plus, what Ed Sheeran calls, his previous Studio Album - 'Divide', (2017), sold 671,542 UK copies, in Week 1! I find it incredible, that ABBA waited 40 Years, to Release a New Album, then they choose a Release Date, that is around the time that Adele and Ed Sheeran plan to Release their New Albums - today's 2 Biggest Acts! Surely, a more sensible ABBA Release Date could have been selected? (Remember - Adele and Ed are huge, everywhere. So the ABBA Album will not easily, get to No.1 - anywhere). However, the ABBA Album does not have to get to No.1 in November. There is also December and January. After all, Ed and Adele, are not forever at No.1, in the Album Charts. Besides, in the UK, 4 ABBA Albums made No.1 more than once. They were: 'Greatest Hits', (twice in 1976). 'Arrival', (twice in 1977). 'Greatest Hits Vol 2', (Once in 1979 and once in 1980). Finally, there was 'ABBA Gold' - No.1 in 1992, and 4 Returns to No.1! (3 times in 1999, once in 2008). So, November 2021, is not the only chance for 'Voyage' to make No.1. But the singles were not released yesterday, were they? They were available for streaming from the end of the live London stream, but all the physical formats are released in the beginning of next week I think. So it should not be a problem or am I wrong? As for the album release timing... maybe they are confident that they can still make it to No.1 and don't want to be laughed at by the critics for playing it safe. Or they really want to compete with the most popular artists of today. Or maybe they don't really care for the chart results at all. |
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Post by onlyabba4meagain on Sept 3, 2021 19:16:21 GMT
Michal -- I'm pretty sure that ABBA, and a great many of their Fans, are expecting at least
1 No.1 out of these ABBA Releases. If they don't get any, it will be because 'Old' Acts, just
cannot compete with Singles Charts Streaming. It would be far easier, for 'Voyage' to get to No.1.
ABBA do rather well with 'ABBA Gold' Streams. It us just incredible to me, that ABBA would put
out a New Album, just as Ed Sheeran and Adele, are close to Releasing theirs. 40 Years, to select
a 100% easy ride to No.1, and they do so just as the World's 2 biggest Acts, will be Releasing
their New Albums. Astonishing. Some Fans think that 'Voyage' may displace Ed's Album at No.1 -
for 1 Week. We will see. It is far from certain. However, there will be later Months for ABBA to get
to No.1. Some Fans think, that if 'Voyage', cannot get there in November, then it never will.
I know that the 2 ABBA Songs are Top 10 Downloads - Globally - but, that does not guarantee
Top 10 Hits, in the Weekly Singles Chart. The Main UK Singles Chart has various components,
but the biggest is Streaming. Something that Old Acts struggle to get enough of. Which is
why Madonna has had 63 Top 10 UK Singles, but none since 2009. Her last Single stalled
at No.87, in 2019. That is how hard it is. Downloads are actually rather low now. You can
be No.1, in 50 Countries Downloads Charts. It does not mean that your Downloads are huge,
or that your Single, will do well in Weekly Singles Charts. (This is a fact, that many People
cannot grasp. That Downloads are now only a fraction, of what they once were).
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Post by The Rubber Ball Man on Sept 3, 2021 19:42:47 GMT
Ignore the thread “The new ABBA'S sing, it's beautiful” created by gabrijoan82. There’s a dodgy spam link in it
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2021 19:45:39 GMT
I love both songs, ishfiy has been going around in my head for 24 hours! Now dsmd is going that way too! I so hope Voyage will make number 1 on release, but it could also get there at Christmas, especially if they release the Christmas song as a single, why wouldn't they!? Is the fan cheering on ishfiy on the cd's can anyone tell me? Looking at various reviews and comments on you tube etc, it all looks really positive, any concerns I may have had have disappeared, I can't wait to hear all the songs! I wonder if there will be another single release just before the album release? Or any snippets of album tracks teased over the next few weeks? Agnetha and Frida sound so good together still and as said in a previous post, I don't know how Frida reaches those low notes, it's hard! Credit where it's due to these ladies, 70+ and still great!
It's been a very long time since I have had a "can't get this melody out of my head" moment! They've delivered in every way!
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Post by Michal on Sept 3, 2021 19:48:50 GMT
Downloads are actually rather low now. You can be No.1, in 50 Countries Downloads Charts. It does not mean that your Downloads are huge, or that your Single, will do well in Weekly Singles Charts. (This is a fact, that many People cannot grasp. That Downloads are now only a fraction, of what they once were). That doesn't surprise me. I have never downloaded a single song. I either buy a physical copy or just listen to it on YouTube (or now Spotify). I somehow never understood why somebody would pay for a downloaded song. But the physical sales will be huge in the first week, I suppose, if all pre-orders are counted, won't they? |
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Post by HOMETIME on Sept 3, 2021 20:54:06 GMT
Downloads are actually rather low now. You can be No.1, in 50 Countries Downloads Charts. It does not mean that your Downloads are huge, or that your Single, will do well in Weekly Singles Charts. (This is a fact, that many People cannot grasp. That Downloads are now only a fraction, of what they once were). That doesn't surprise me. I have never downloaded a single song. I either buy a physical copy or just listen to it on YouTube (or now Spotify). I somehow never understood why somebody would pay for a downloaded song. But the physical sales will be huge in the first week, I suppose, if all pre-orders are counted, won't they? Downloads predate streaming. At first, it allowed buyers to add them to devices like iPods (I so miss my iPod!) or to play them at will on their computers, or burn them onto CD for roadtrips, mixtapes etc. Streaming came along and basically conditioned people to expect music for free. One stream = a fraction of one cent/one penny for the artist. For wealthy megastars that's not the biggest problem they'll face. For smaller acts (including super-tiny acts like me), it means you can spend more on making music than you'll earn back. The streaming sites - especially Spotify - are under increasing pressure to play fair. Small acts tend to direct listeners to sites like Bandcamp, where listeners are far more likely to do the decent thing and pay for a download. You're right about the download charts. ABBA have been at No.1 and No.2 all day in the Irish iTunes chart (the tracks keep swapping places). Having reached No.4, No.7 and No.5 respectively with my first three singles, I know that the position is utterly meaningless when the sales are so incredibly low (you honestly wouldn't believe how few downloads it takes - it's so bad that it's rumoured that the iTunes store will close soon). So ABBA will be relying on the combined impact of downloads, streaming and physical sales to crack the singles chart. The songs' appearance on editorial playlists on the streaming sites will determine the longevity of their chart run. Playlist users and subscribers tend to be reasonably lazy about moving from one playlist to another and often keep long lists playing on a loop. Especially in coffee shops, gyms etc. Colin has spoken about the single charts far more eloquently than I could. But my heart tells me that the album chart is where we'll see any real glory - Adele and Ed notwithstanding. |
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Post by The Rubber Ball Man on Sept 3, 2021 21:29:17 GMT
There’s a brilliant MPH Extended edit of Don’t Shut Me Down.
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Post by daronjulian on Sept 3, 2021 22:04:42 GMT
Like a lot of people on here I have gone slightly mad with buying things after watching the broadcast last night.
I have bought the yellow, green, orange & white vinyl. The picture discs designs I am disappointed with, they should have had the official logo and album name included
for the sake of a professional presentation job.
Only got nine weeks to wait until the postman arrives with a grimace. "Not you again, he will say. "What the f*ck have you been buying this time?"
As for the picture discs being sold out, there will be more pressed I reckon, if the demand is there Universal will manufacture more of them.
In October we will find out what the Happy New Year coloured vinyl is going to be this time around. Does anybody on here have relaible info on The Visitors anniversary box set? If that is going ahead like previous box sets issues we should be seeing images within the next month. Unless somebody out there knows any different?
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Post by abbafanie on Sept 3, 2021 22:59:50 GMT
Seating plan for the ABBA Arena has been uploaded to Ticketmaster, for anyone looking to get to know the sections before pre-sale!  |
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Post by abbafun on Sept 4, 2021 2:16:05 GMT
To Doranjulian,
The Visitors 40th issue is probably not
going to be issued until sometime in 2022.
As I understand it, the individual that specializes in the 45rmp half speed re-mastering at Abbey Road Studios has not yet been commissioned by Universal to remaster the Visitors album.
Universal would likley not release only part of anniversary issue,ie: coloured vinyl and the picture disc only.
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Post by Michal on Sept 4, 2021 5:10:46 GMT
HOMETIME, don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those who expect music for free. I just need something to hold in my hands, when I pay for it, if you know what I mean  For example I don't buy e-books either. I used to rip my CDs to mp3 to use it in the ways you use downloaded tracks. And I find something that I like on YouTube, I usually buy a physical copy afterwards. So I can't imagine a world where all music will be just streamed, downloaded etc. In a way I now understand why physical releases come a bit later - you have to stream the songs to actually hear them before your physical copies arrive - a clever move from ABBA and Universal I suppose (I play the songs almost nonstop now, hope it helps  )
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Post by tagaytay on Sept 4, 2021 5:13:01 GMT
i'm just coming to realize the meaning of it all. ABBA are reunited. they can be seen together in public and media events and it shouldnt be a big deal anymore. They have made a new album. They liked the result and i think if it does well sales-wise, they might make another.... the voyage series of concerts will have a life of its own and will be there till people get tired of it i guess then other artists can use the venue. in the meanwhile they can write songs and go to the studio and record without being bothered. is frida back in sweden for good? i know she helps in promoting the cultural activities of zermatt in switzerland where she lives.
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Post by Michal on Sept 4, 2021 5:36:52 GMT
They have made a new album. They liked the result and i think if it does well sales-wise, they might make another.... ...the voyage series of concerts will have a life of its own and will be there till people get tired of it... I don't think they will record another one. I guess this is the last goodbye - and what a way to say goodbye! I haven't expected it would ever happen and I think we should ask no more. Now it's time maybe to release something from the vaults and that's it, I suppose, ABBA's journey is over and they deserve some rest As for the concerts... somebody here said that it's sort of locked, as the ABBA members performed all of the songs themselves in the studio (to get the moves right etc.) so I wonder how flexible the whole concept is - will it be exactly the same concert evening after evening? Who would bother to see it more than once or twice then? If there's no variation whatsoever, it really gets boring after second viewing (I mean, if you know, that "Frida" will move from this place to that place during the performance of Dancing Queen every evening, the vocals are precisely the same... it's not much exciting to see it repeatedly). But maybe the technology allows for more. Once they have all the moves saved to computers, the artificial intelligence can make something different of them? Are they able to change costumes? The order of songs? I think this will be crucial for the longevity of the project. |
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Post by Michal on Sept 4, 2021 5:40:46 GMT
Also, in the video for I Still Have Faith In You, did anyone notice the out-take from the Mamma Mia video where Frida appears to rest her head on Agnetha’s shoulder and Agnetha rolls her eyes? Surely there are better outtakes that that? The Happy New Year ones for a start. Again it looked awkward. I liked it. Obviously Frida had fluffed her words for the nth time while lip-synching and Agnetha was exasperated and thinking "how long is this bloody video going to take to finish!!" I liked that one too. I guess if it wasn't cut off, we could have seen fits of laughter from both ladies afterwards |
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Post by tagaytay on Sept 4, 2021 5:56:33 GMT
I liked it. Obviously Frida had fluffed her words for the nth time while lip-synching and Agnetha was exasperated and thinking "how long is this bloody video going to take to finish!!" I liked that one too. I guess if it wasn't cut off, we could have seen fits of laughter from both ladies afterwards and agnetha seems to be moving her shoulder away just before frida rests on it. in the gimme gimme gimme outtake, agnetha's face of happy surprise can brighten my day anytime, i wonder what frida told her?
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Post by Michal on Sept 4, 2021 7:18:33 GMT
Something just crossed my ming... do you think that Agnetha composed a song for the Voyage album? Wouldn't it be nice if the last ABBA album contained one of her compositions like their first album did?
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Post by Alan on Sept 4, 2021 7:32:10 GMT
That doesn't surprise me. I have never downloaded a single song. I either buy a physical copy or just listen to it on YouTube (or now Spotify). I somehow never understood why somebody would pay for a downloaded song. I can’t remember the last time I paid for a download. Possibly Agnetha’s When You Really Loved Someone in 2013, even though I then bought the physical formats of the single. There was something deeply unsatisfying about downloading. You were paying your money and not seeing anything physical for it. I wasn’t in the least bit surprised that it turned out to be a short-lived thing until streaming took over. I still buy CDs in order to download into my iTunes and then onto my phone. If that facility was ever removed, I think it could further hasten the end of the CD. It’s extremely rare that I actually play a CD. I don’t use Spotify or any streaming site apart from YouTube. Another way that physical CD sales are being kept alive is by offering signed copies. Many artists do this and I wondered if ABBA might, but instead they’ve gone down the road of multiple editions. I’m fine with that, though I do think the number of different coloured vinyls is a bit excessive. The CD may have multiple covers and presentations but ultimately the discs inside are exactly the same. As we saw with that albums box last year, coloured vinyls can be hit-and-miss. Some look better than others. Hopefully none of these will look like the dreadful ABBA or Super Trouper vinyls in that box! |
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Post by Michal on Sept 4, 2021 7:35:28 GMT
One more thing... is there some limit for streams by an individual (or one IP address - no idea how it works really) to be counted? I mean, if I let the songs play on a loop 24 hours a day, it's approximately 160 streams a day. I think it wouldn't be fair if all of them were reflected in the charts (but hey, let's do that anyway ) |
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Post by Michal on Sept 4, 2021 7:39:57 GMT
That doesn't surprise me. I have never downloaded a single song. I either buy a physical copy or just listen to it on YouTube (or now Spotify). I somehow never understood why somebody would pay for a downloaded song. Another way that physical CD sales are being kept alive is by offering signed copies. Many artists do this and I wondered if ABBA might Actually I hoped they would. Bengans usually offers signed copies of albums by Scandinavian artists, when pre-ordered. They had Benny's signed cards for Piano and some BAO releases and a very limited amount of Agnetha's signed cards for A (I missed that one unfortunately). So I was really hoping they may have copies of Voyage signed by all four. It doesn't seem they will though. Probably the ABBA members decided against it because they see the signed items resold on eBay for inflated prices... |
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Post by gamleman on Sept 4, 2021 8:33:22 GMT
On the subject of downloads, I don't think it's too much to ask ABBA fans to download the two singles for the benefit of the charts, even those who don't normally download - after all, it's only £2 (although I acknowledge, perhaps not an insignificant sum if you're on benefits or on a pension). I did it yesterday to contribute to the full-week's chart next Friday and immediately wrote them to CD to listen to them on my Hi-Fi system.
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Post by daronjulian on Sept 4, 2021 8:42:04 GMT
To Doranjulian, The Visitors 40th issue is probably not going to be issued until sometime in 2022. As I understand it, the individual that specializes in the 45rmp half speed re-mastering at Abbey Road Studios has not yet been commissioned by Universal to remaster the Visitors album. Universal would likley not release only part of anniversary issue,ie: coloured vinyl and the picture disc only. So we might not even get the Happy New Year coloured vinyl issue then? Disappointing if that is the case as it would have been a welcome addition to my collection. Always next year though... |
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Post by daronjulian on Sept 4, 2021 8:44:45 GMT
Having ordered the coloured vinyls and not bothered with the dodgy design of the picture discs. I am hoping they do another release in time for Christmas and maybe get both coloured vinyl/picture disc option for that. Image uploaded would have been beetter design option for the picture discs. But that is just my personal opinion.  |
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Post by daronjulian on Sept 4, 2021 8:51:03 GMT
Having ordered the coloured vinyls and not bothered with the dodgy design of the picture discs. I am hoping they do another release in time for Christmas and maybe get both coloured vinyl/picture disc option for that. Image uploaded would have been better design option for the picture discs. But that is just my personal opinion.  |
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Post by daronjulian on Sept 4, 2021 8:52:41 GMT
Having ordered the coloured vinyls and not bothered with the dodgy design of the picture discs. I am hoping they do another release in time for Christmas and maybe get both coloured vinyl/picture disc option for that. Image uploaded would have been better design option for the picture discs. But that is just my personal opinion. |
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Post by onlyabba4meagain on Sept 4, 2021 10:02:30 GMT
In an On-Line Article, (today), The Official UK Charts Company is already speculating if 'Little Things' can give ABBA their 1st UK Christmas No.1 Single: LINK TO THE ABBA ARTICLE link The Article gives 'Voyage' 40,000 UK Orders, to Noon on Friday. Today's 'The Sun' gives it 50,000. But, today's 'Daily Mirror' says over 500,000! The 500,000 figure sounds more like it - after all over the Media hype, about ABBA, in the past 48 Hours. 40,000 and 50,000 seem far too low. Album Sales are now so low, (for most Artists), that Olivia Rodrigo's 'Sour' is currently 2021's UK Best Seller. It has been in the Top 5, for 15 Weeks - 5 of them at No.1. Its 2021 Sale? 290,750! ABBA's Album will beat that in just 1 or 2 Weeks on Sale... |
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For example I don't buy e-books either. I used to rip my CDs to mp3 to use it in the ways you use downloaded tracks. And I find something that I like on YouTube, I usually buy a physical copy afterwards. So I can't imagine a world where all music will be just streamed, downloaded etc. In a way I now understand why physical releases come a bit later - you have to stream the songs to actually hear them before your physical copies arrive - a clever move from ABBA and Universal I suppose (I play the songs almost nonstop now, hope it helps 
)
