It wasn’t a New Years resolution as such, but I have recently decided to not download stuff all the time and to do my best to start getting media through the proper channels. Up until now, my rule has been that if I am able to get it for real, with money, then I will do. This was great in Japan because nothing is available and so I was downloading everything from tv and movies to magazines and newspapers. Here in Germany, it *is* possible to get the media I want and so there is little excuse for not paying for it.
I’ve started buying real magazines from the international bookshops, and have rediscovered how nice it is to read it on paper as opposed to in a pdf. Sure, 5 Euros for one thin magazine is quite steep, but as a once-in-a-while treat, it’s ok I think.
As for music, I’m going back to using CDs. Whenever I’m over Mr’s place, he’ll have some cd playing in the background and I think there’s something nice about going off to your room, picking out a cd and then just listening to it in full. This, as opposed to having a mixed up playlist on iTunes. I’ve not bought a cd in… gosh … probably 10 years. It might have been Maroon 5′s first album. But yesterday I went into Saturn and despite the inflated prices, bought a gorgeous Regina Spektor album. It’s quite exciting to have it there in the flesh to put on.
Now for films and tv. I’m toying with the idea of joining LoveFilm. I go to Sneak Preview every week so I don’t really want to watch any more films, but I quite often sit and watch tv series. I’m revisiting The Inbetweeners and Gavin and Stacey with Mr, and it’d be nice to do so in a legal way. I started on Downton Abbey a few weeks ago since I was in Japan when it started so completely missed the boat. In the shops here it’s between 18 and 25 Euros – which I think is way, way too much for a 7 episode first series. On iTunes it’s 3 Euros an episode. Again, I’m not willing for pay that much.
I guess it’s very much a 1st world problem – it takes time and effort to get something legally when you can just download it and have it there in minutes. But I think it is time now that I have the money and the means to do so, to really make an effort to pay for things properly. And so far, it feels really good to be good.
