How you like your music, and what music you like best is a matter of personal taste. Some people are strong advocates of vinyl, while others are more enthusiastic about CDs. MP3s and other electronic music formats are the preferred format of many, but there are still people who listen to 8 tracks and cassettes, as well.

The advantages to MP3s and electronic music files are both immediate and obvious. If space is at a premium, you'll be pleased that a portable device the size of a deck of cards can carry thousands of songs. If you always resented buying an entire CD just to get a single song that you wanted, you'll also be delighted with the flexibility of purchasing music electronically. When buying music electronically you can generally pay for a single song or any combination of songs from an album at a per-song price.

However, CDs are still by far the most common format for music. They have a cleaner sound than vinyl, and eliminate the pops and crackles heard on a record. They're also smaller, sturdier and more convenient; you can pop a CD in and choose which tracks you want to listen to instantly, instead of having to flip a record that only fits four to six songs on a side.

While LP production has dwindled to a very small percentage of music production, there is still a demand for new vinyl, as well as for old copies of albums. Some audio enthusiasts claim that they can hear the sounds of electricity on a CD, and that vinyl provides a truer bass sound. Jazz and classical are the two genres in which the LP trade is still most common, but there is also a flourishing movement in new indie rock vinyl, as well.