It's so lonely here. What's going on in here?!

[Psyclon]

That sounds more gloomy than an wise life advice!

Don't worry, "everything fades" aside, I also am the one that has their files locally. No Spotify, no Youtube playlist, no Clouds, no Terms of Service that are bothersome, no boycotts or embargos that can harm, not even physical media that can be lost/damage/fade (disk rot).
I even change my backup disks frequently (about 5-7 years) to avoid digital dementia. Even my movies are stored in MP4 or MKV due to licensing issues.

Maybe that is also why LMT is so addictive: Pure FOMO.

[kpmhill]

Just a reminder for those interested in recovering their creative work on LMT -- most of these lost pages can be easily viewed using the wayback internet archives.

Do you have any tips for this? I’ve tried it in the past, and I spent 10 minutes on it just now. No luck. I get lots of messages like “Hrm. The Wayback Machine has not archived that URL.” I poked around and found nothing at all.

[Greta]

It happened when the forums went down and 2-3 years were lost.

Yes, I must admit that it was a great trauma for me too and at the beginning I was feeling a bit lost and disappointed.
No one should think that they are the only ones who have lost the fruit of their great efforts...

But after getting over the initial shock, I thought "what the heck, we're still here".

Users here should know this site is run by people who are not professional in the sector, people who do their best to manage in the best way they can.
Some shortcomings here and there, but we're all guided by the love for this music and we are all committed to keep this place alive.

I, for one, would be grateful we're still here despite many misadventures.

[kpmhill]

…I also am the one that has their files locally. No Spotify, no Youtube playlist, no Clouds, no Terms of Service that are bothersome, no boycotts or embargos that can harm, not even physical media that can be lost/damage/fade (disk rot).
I even change my backup disks frequently (about 5-7 years) to avoid digital dementia. Even my movies are stored in MP4 or MKV due to licensing issues.

I do this as well. (Except I do use cloud storage, but as part of my redundant backup strategy- not as primary storage) I’ve lost no important local files in decades of computer use. It does take ongoing effort to protect my data, but it’s been worth it. Unfortunately, the lost posts on LMT contain all sorts of raw text, images & organization that can’t be recovered, and going forward, they can’t be backed up independently unless you save web archives or PDF files on an ongoing basis for every thread you participate in.

[tonyc1971]

I'd agree with what Retronic and Greta have mentioned.  Over the years, I've found the forum busier this time of year as in the UK the weather is naff, cold and wet.  So, many find more time to look in on the forum.  As for the weekends, I'm usually busy with the family, but if I get the chance, I'll look in and make a comment and maybe upload a file where I can.  I find it goes quieter in the summer months, but appreciate we have members from all over the world.

There have been so many album requests over the last 12 months, so suspect many members, including the lurkers have got what they wanted and over the last few years a massive shift on providing new rips in a lossless format which is what many strive for.  My interest hasn't dropped at all but it does come in waves.  Some nights I'll be on here for a good hour or so looking at posts I've missed previously.  Sometimes, I don't come online for days.  That said, in the summer I find myself away from the computer more and in the garden enjoying the warm weather.  That mixed with my role within motorsport, it gets very busy in the summer and peaks with the Grand Prix in July and I'm too tired to look when I get a moment to myself.

I for one am very thankful for what everyone does within the community.  Even when this post came out, having looked who was online, there was a fair few showing which has also happened today.  Members are there and viewing, but not always commenting.

[Retronic]

I tend to come by multiple times every day but for a couple of minutes at a time.   In the first early days I read every post whereas now I have a quick scan.  I enjoy popping by and when we are down I miss the routine.

[Don M Yowp]

In my case, I've shared all I have to share. I'm retired now and my pension doesn't cover basic expenses, let alone importing vinyl from a foreign country.

I don't have a lot to say, and would rather read and learn. I'm also iffy about making requests as I don't want to impose on anyone.

Yowp
https://yowpyowp.blogspot.com

[Bronic]

This forum is centered around sharing music and collecting. For this very reason I think it is less active and kinda cold.

A lot albums thankfully are constantly shared, and while the replies are polite, very little opinion is given about the albums themselves by the users. There is little exchange of perceptions so even though I see familiar names on most threads I barely know their preferences. Also the way music consumption works nowadays is very individualistic.

I used to be part of a progressive rock forum where no files were shared and discussions were very passionate even about very obscure things. It was a lot of fun but the forum imploded itself after some years of constant user bickering. This forum is the way it is probably for good.

[danthemusiclover]

A lot of the music shared here makes me feel good, before I hardly listened to music, only artists like Mike Oldfield, The Chemical Brothers, Roísín Murphy... But, when I discovered this forum, I expanded my musical knowledge, discovering great musicians and arrangers from all over the world, thanks to the people who make an effort every day to publish things in this place.

Although one thing that I don't understand and that makes me feel bad is that the information that is saved ends up being deleted and it is necessary to update links so as not to lose that information. As happened with Zippyshare, the platform closed forever and the only thing we have left is Mega, Pixeldrain, Wetransfer, Mediafire... Which also works for us but for a limited time.

And I recommend using a terabyte memory to store everything you want to keep forever (I use a 4 TB one). 

Lately I've entered the forum a lot, either out of boredom or because I feel tired or sad, to recharge my batteries, I see the new posts and when they talk about interesting topics, or share new things, my self-esteem increases a lot.

Now I am going through a phase that is taking its toll on me and this site is helping me a lot to move forward. Because it's like the only place where I feel comfortable, where everyone understands me, I practically listen to music all day. And for me being in this forum is and has been one of the best discoveries of my life.

I can't live without music, and without LMT!!

[Retronic]

Music and collecting definitely connect people which can only be a positive thing.  We are what we are.  The forum has run for over 12 years so a lot has been said but the disagreements I can count on one hand.
Also, it might surprise some of you but the forum was not set up as a sharing forum.  At the time I was trying to ID a load of tracks and visiting multiple forums daily- the-breaks, verygoodplus, Prisoner Cell Block H, The Sweeney and The Famous 5 all had discussions about library music and I simply wanted to bring the discussion to one place.   My motivation wasn't to collect rips but to find tracks by searching out the gaps in my vinyl stash.   Sharing was always a part of it from the start but not the purpose.

[Psyclon]

[...] Very little opinion is given about the albums themselves by the users. There is little exchange of perceptions so even though I see familiar names on most threads I barely know their preferences. Also the way music consumption works nowadays is very individualistic.

I used to be part of a progressive rock forum where no files were shared and discussions were very passionate even about very obscure things. It was a lot of fun but the forum imploded itself after some years of constant user bickering. This forum is the way it is probably for good.

That is one of the few "disagreements" Retronic was mentioning. The "stamp collector™" debate a few months ago was exactly regarding that. For passionate people like the LMTers with bookshelves full of LPs, they often just share them and that's it. I still find this ambivalence of passion to own, record, purchase these albums, spending so much time just to not really talk about it is very strange but I won't dig any deeper than that. But it's also something that is lacking somewhat. I personally don't think any bickering would come up with the people around here. I know what you mean - I had my own share of unhinged and unproven statements regards lossy encoding or music equipment, CD vs LP et cetera myself - but I don't really expect anyone to go full berserk here. It takes two for bickering at least . . .

[nidostar]

I understand what Bronic is saying. When acknowledging shares I often try to give a brief assessment of the music. At the same time, though, I avoid offering too brutal a critique so as to offend someone who has taken the trouble to upload and share some music that they like. We are all different and while drawn together by the common theme of library music there is a vast diversity of music genres out there which obviously won't appeal to everyone. For my part I avoid most library music from the mid eighties onwards because, to me, it all sounds the same and rather characterless though I will still give it a listen just in case there are some unexpected gems out there.

The Stamp Collector Debate of 2023 (I love that!) did actually wake us all up and get digits to keyboards. At times it appeared to get a little heated but this forum is in English and we mustn't forget that it is not everyone's first language so inevitably there will be words or expressions creeping in that may unintentionally seem offensive. 

We have also had interesting discussions about the wisdom of excessively high bit/sample rates and the virtues of FLAC over lossy. A few more on the technical side of ripping will always be welcome I think. I love that Psyclon refers to his "own share of unhinged and unproven statements" on these subjects. Though I'm not entirely clear whether he is referring to his own statements or those of fellow members! Whatever, his robust, Germanic style helps keep us awake and often helps to further a specific discussion. Like this.

[Psyclon]

I might've given brutal statements of some records like that one that has way too much treble (in the mastering) and I usually explain in the very post why I think certain tracks fall short. The reason why I do that is simple: I have enough trust in this forum's users and their maturity and ability to cope with such statements. Also I am expecting that I post something, it's obviously my very personal statement. I do not post it in the name of someone else or in any to force my opinion onto someone.

I am born 1990 but to this day I have avoided onwing a smartphone and social media. Good old landline and a €2,500 powerhose of a PC, but once I leave my desk, I leave it all behind. I read physical newspapers daily and listen to (library) music to avoid all the unhinged garbage that is going on in the world and the ever faster-spinning spiral of hate and disrespect I work as a head of department in retail (hypermarket) and I have enough dumb people around me every day. The culture on the internet is already so fragile that posting 5 different disclaimers before stating an opinion waters said opinion down so much that I ask myself why do I even bother to post it if I am basically backing out of any debate by the fear of "upsetting someone".

Nobody here was unhinged, Nidostar. Ever. So far, whenever I got into an argument, I analyzed what's being said between the lines (bad mood being filtered out), picked up many information on why certain people see it that way. About my "MP3s are much more your brain, ears and audio systems can handle" posts for example gave me some insight and showed me limits and issues in my way of looking at that subject. I used that input from other users to refine my posts more for the future to include certain believes or research about them. It's like a big pot on your stove: You have your sauce and you think it tastes great, but a few sprinkles of other people's ideas can make it better.

I do not want to stir up old drama, but again, I think we can be a bit upfront about it. The and only time I got a bit irritated is when I stated that recording a vinyl at 24 bits is a waste of space because it's usually 10-13 bits and Greta, instead of acknowledging my very post, ask more or less "why do I care??" while she being against upscaling herself and often stating about upscaled MP3 shares being bad - and recording twice the bitrate a vinyl record can contain is nothing but upscaling by filling the non-existant audio information with digital noise - just rubbed me the wrong way for - I think - understandable reasons. Or when someone says he wants to dig deeper in the HIBOU label and I post how to download the official MP3s from the website, said user just outrights skips my post and thanks anyone else while leaving my post out while actually being on-topic is also veryoff-putting and rather disrespectufl. I have been raised to be thankful even whatever I just got/heard is not exactly what I was on about. Being brushed off despite being helfpul on-topic, having sources, common sense and scientific facts at hand is stubborn and that can trigger. It is about my own maturity then to contain myself though and to work on my own attitude issues though.

The unhinged discussions were often when terrible DJs come up with biased claims about speaker wires added with ad hominem attacks, or when I mention I have a BOSE and PANASONIC system that I am just "an idiot" for not buying what said user has in their chain. Just recently I saw a guy on Quora talking about how awesome his 1980s LP deck is and how bad digital and how stupid people are preferring CDs and computer files - that showed me how fast things can get out of control. But nobody here on LMT has this attitude, not even remotely.

Unlike other certain people here, I do not ignore anyone after an argument, because that is what creates your own little bubble and takes away critical thinking. I value my LMT membership and I'd wish to offer a few more CD releases in the near future.

[stackjackson]

Music and collecting definitely connect people which can only be a positive thing.  We are what we are.  The forum has run for over 12 years so a lot has been said but the disagreements I can count on one hand.
Also, it might surprise some of you but the forum was not set up as a sharing forum.  At the time I was trying to ID a load of tracks and visiting multiple forums daily- the-breaks, verygoodplus, Prisoner Cell Block H, The Sweeney and The Famous 5 all had discussions about library music and I simply wanted to bring the discussion to one place.   My motivation wasn't to collect rips but to find tracks by searching out the gaps in my vinyl stash.   Sharing was always a part of it from the start but not the purpose.

👍

[danthemusiclover]

I don't like conflicts and fights at all, so to speak. I really don't think there's anything to fight about here, this place is made to bring up interesting topics related to music, share, make requests, help identify songs and among other things. I want this to be a peaceful place. 

Psyclon, I will be eagerly awaiting your CD releases.