Take on mp3, 2 years late.

Thru various distributors and full-time BT activists, I have quick access to mp3s, HK news shows, and sometimes, DVD movies.

During the past few years, when mp3 and downloading have allegedly crumbled the music industry, I have kept buying albums. Every one of the albums were bought after I have listened to their mp3 versions. If we can buy a TV, test it for 2 weeks, and have a full refund if we aren't satisfied, I think mp3 is my trial period. Because no refund is allowed on music CDs, I will use mp3s.

I haven't bought many Chinese CDs, much fewer than English ones. First of all, majority of Chinese CDs aren't good at all. It's a waste of time to even listen to them once. I can't distinguish between A to B to C, because they're all produced by the same people. Second reason, there's no second reason.

I haven't bought many CDs. Every year I only buy 5 or 6. Most CDs have a good song, ONE good song. My acceptance level is 3: if there're 3 good songs, I'm willing to dough out $15. That's $5/song. That's sacrificing a bubble tea per song. If there's only 1 good song, then it's $15/song, too much for my take.

Using this equation, James Blunt's "Back to Bedlam" is a good buy. There're 5 top notch songs: You're Beautiful, Wisemen, Goodbye my Lover, Tears and Rain, So Long Jimmy; and the rest are OK songs. It comes to ~$1.5/song. Bargain!