Where do you get your music?

Since technology ushered in an era of large-scale file-sharing via torrents and peer-to-peer programs, many find it difficult to rationalize paying for music despite copyright infringement laws.

One particular music lifestyle is the undergrad “realist.”

“It has been years since I bought a new CD because I don’t want to spend $15 or $20 on something that some millionaire artist probably won’t even see that much profit from,” IU student and audiophile Adrian Jenkins said. “I buy used CDs or albums to support local scenes but download just about everything else.”

Jenkins is a full-time student and works a part-time job.

“If I paid for all the music I wanted to hear, I wouldn’t be able to listen to nearly as much,” he said.

Without file-sharing, restricted budgets likely mean restricted listening. One can always stream music online, but access is limited to a computer and Internet source.

Another common musical lifestyle is that of the collector.

“Having an album on vinyl or CD is like having a piece of history to me,” Bloomington resident Donna Nieva said while standing outside of Bloomington store TD’s CDs & LPs.

TD’s, like other record stores, knows that for collectors, there’s intrigue in a tangible recording that’s absent in digital copies.

Tearing away the shrink-wrap, fumbling with the tape that seems mortared to its case, prying the disc from the clutches of the jacket — these are all important to the listener as well.

TD’s is one of many local music shops in Bloomington. This particular store is located in the Kirkwood Manor, next door to Moon Stones, Soma Coffee House & Juice Bar and The Laughing Planet Cafe.

Recordings of all types of music can be found in the underground nook. There are multiple sections, including jazz, popular, bluegrass, metal, classical and even local.

The store handles mail orders to supply the customers with more obscure titles, buys and trades for used recordings and even has a consignment option for local bands.

“I often like to preview songs online before I purchase them,” Nieva said. “I like to buy albums, but I don’t want to buy a record if there are only going to be a few good songs on it and the price is high.”

Another musical lifestyle is that of the musical puritan, the copyright upholder.

These individuals don’t listen to any music that isn’t gained through direct purchase — not even burned CDs or playlists from friends.

Such diligent consumers are hard to find and, in a college town, possibly nonexistent.

For people with wide tastes in music, purchasing every desired album could run up a considerable budget.

“I understand the copyright laws and why they exist, but I feel like piracy is a response to high prices,” Jenkins said. “It’s nice to own records, but when you think about it, the prices aren’t really that reasonable. People aren’t just going to stop listening to new music.”

For music fans on a budget, one can only hope accessibility remains within reach among current copyright battles between the enormous record labels and consumers.