Are CDs on the way out?

[Elliot Thompson]

Exactly, when Tower closed I had no choice but to shop on line.
And yes I buy several CD's a week not one or two a month.

I think many may not realise that there are those who will easily spend $120 - $220 a week on music. Those are the ones who are buying online these days which, Tower Records & Virgin Megastore lost as customers.

MySpace is flocked with aspiring artists. These musicians are selling their media (whether downloads or CD) online.

The first CD I purchased online was 10 years ago and, by 2005, I was buying wav files. This may sound new to many Audiokarma members however, this is the standard shopping of young adults today. They are the driving force of music sales.

Best Regards,

 

[mrt2]

CDs are still a big part of my agenda.Sounds like the some exodus when everyone was dumping their vinyl.Like dspang said more for me.

That is where I have been for the last 3 years or so, buying anything and everything I could find on cd if I thought I might eventually want it. IMO lps are hugely overrated and cds underrated in the marketplace. 15 years ago, it was the reverse, with lps going for cheap and cds seen as the premium product.

 

[mrt2]

What ramifications does this have? The end of albums. People cherry pick digital files out of albums. A few artists have openly said they're no longer going to produce albums, only singles.

Of course, this doesn't work for everyone, but, I believe, this is a fairly small audience. These people are the reason the LP has come back into style. They're tangible. They have great cover art. They actually have some resell value, which I argue digital files really do not. Personally, I feel like my future as a music listener will be deeper into the LP format with a few digital files here and there.

CDs ultimately won't hold up to the LP format, even if CDs are inherently better. They lack the LP's tangibility. You'll be able to get the same files online. There is money to be made in LPs, I believe, for a long time, to niche markets, who want tangible liner notes, actual albums, and a deeper connection to the music.

My 2 cents.

I agree that we will probably see the end of albums for a lot of music. When a band has a couple of singles, they will just release them.

I disagree with your point about the lp and the so called "deeper connection to the music." What's up with that? I grew up with lps. To me, there is absolutely no mystique to lps. It was and is a commodity, a piece of black plastic in a cardboard sleeve, nothing more. The magic is in the music, and that can be excellent on lp, as well as on cd. Frankly, some of the best artwork and liner notes I own are part of cd box sets, some of which are lp size.

 

[SBEEZ]

The magic is in the music, and that can be excellent on lp, as well as on cd.

We listen to music with our ears. Yet, hearing is only one of our senses.
In my opinion, the greatest experiences are those that require ALL of our senses.

The tangibility of the CD and LP are their greatest weaknesses, yet their greatest assets.

 

[mrt2]

We listen to music with our ears. Yet, hearing is only one of our senses.
In my opinion, the greatest experiences are those that require ALL of our senses.

The tangibility of the CD and LP are their greatest weaknesses, yet their greatest assets.

But cds and lps are equally tangible, both can be collected etc... I must be out of step with other music collectors but to me, the thing that is really tangible about the lp medium are turntables. A really well made table is a thing of beauty, and the money you pay is evident in the build quality of the table.

CD players are mostly just black or silver boxes, and it is a leap of faith (which I have taken) to spend $1,000 or more on a black box that looks identical to a $300 box.

And yet, I keep coming across lp collectors, young and old, that put all their money into their records and comparably little into their tables.

 

[eljr]

I think many may not realise that there are those who will easily spend $120 - $220 a week on music. Those are the ones who are buying online these days which, Tower Records & Virgin Megastore lost as customers.

MySpace is flocked with aspiring artists. These musicians are selling their media (whether downloads or CD) online.

The first CD I purchased online was 10 years ago and, by 2005, I was buying wav files. This may sound new to many Audiokarma members however, this is the standard shopping of young adults today. They are the driving force of music sales.

Best Regards,

CD Baby is great for new bands. I am sure you are familiar.
I just purchased a new computer last week which will be dedicated to music downloads.
If folks are happy with BB and Walmart so be it. I would be lost.
I do buy allot at FYE but forget finding anything new that is not mass market there.

 

[andy]

CDs are still the number one music format in terms of dollars spent.

 

[Elliot Thompson]

CDs are still the number one music format in terms of dollars spent.

You may want to do a little research before assuming that. :thmbsp:

http://www.google.com/search?client...wnload+sales&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Best Regards,

 

[blackfly]

I go to maybe 10 independent record stores around here on a regular basis, most of those that are surviving seem to be existing on the appeal and popularity of vinyl among the 20/30 somethings. That's the only reason I go there, though I did pick up 10 CDs the other day for $2 a piece, because the store was downsizing its CD inventory in favor of vinyl.

CD is irrevlevant but still holding on because it is still higher quality than most downloads. When downloads are routinely of a higher resolution, what's the point of having a CD? The packaging is usually terrible anyway.

CD's are not irrelevant. The fact most have many of them (far more than LP's in their heyday) means that there will always be players for them. If I am so wrong then companies would of stopped making turntables a long time ago, and they are still around.

I think you are wrong about the downloads too, even if they are equal quality. I buy CD's A LOT and most are from the internet as the ones I am looking for are now considered "obscure". But when you buy a CD it is mine, mine alone and is not rented. So long the disc is in good shape (and only I touch them and they NEVER go in the car) it will play forever, providing you have a player for them. And my CDP has a new laser, a new spare and spare belts. It is safe to say I could get 30 years out of my CDP as is. The sound is excellent, so why get rid of it all? Just to get the same music on files that I can easily rip when the technology is there? What happens if the harddrive or storage device fails? You have to download again... not so with CD's.

And with modern DACs people are finding CDs sounding better and better, especially with upsampling. I myself would not be looking for a new CDP, but a new DAC for sure. Ideally, if your CDP has digital outs then you can simply plug in a new DAC and get the benefits of the developments in the DAC. Remember, the download still needs a DAC to translate the files to music, so the crucial link in the chain is the DAC. Probably explains why the DAC is becoming the "must have" item.

I will ONLY download or use a server if it allows me to get HIGH RES downloads of my music. Otherwise I am just wasting my money on digital files I already have.

Either way, the future for the CD looks good. It is not going to be like the days of yore, but if you are looking to make a collection to last, now is the time.

 

[SBEEZ]

But cds and lps are equally tangible, both can be collected etc... I must be out of step with other music collectors but to me, the thing that is really tangible about the lp medium are turntables. A really well made table is a thing of beauty, and the money you pay is evident in the build quality of the table.

CD players are mostly just black or silver boxes, and it is a leap of faith (which I have taken) to spend $1,000 or more on a black box that looks identical to a $300 box.

And yet, I keep coming across lp collectors, young and old, that put all their money into their records and comparably little into their tables.

Collecting LPs is similar to doing drugs in a lot of ways. So addicting! Maybe it's from hallucinigenic mold spores on all of those thrift store albums.

You have a very good point here. I guess it matters weather you're interested holistically in the hobby or only the record collecting. Personally, I'm trying to find a good balance in the two.

It's also very easy to spend money in small increments, even though it may add up to a lot over time.

 

[Elliot Thompson]

CD Baby is great for new bands. I am sure you are familiar.
I just purchased a new computer last week which will be dedicated to music downloads.
If folks are happy with BB and Walmart so be it. I would be lost.
I do buy allot at FYE but forget finding anything new that is not mass market there.

That is precisely the difference between a shop that specialises in music to a store that just sells music. :yes:

If top 40 is your cup of tea, walmart is fine. If you need an import...

Best Regards,

 

[mrt2]

Collecting LPs is similar to doing drugs in a lot of ways. So addicting! Maybe it's from hallucinigenic mold spores on all of those thrift store albums.

You have a very good point here. I guess it matters weather you're interested holistically in the hobby or only the record collecting. Personally, I'm trying to find a good balance in the two.

It's also very easy to spend money in small increments, even though it may add up to a lot over time.

Well, if it about enjoyment of the music, than a good turntable is a must. Without at least $400, even better $800 or $900 invested in a vinyl rig, records don't actually sound all that good.

Cds are easier. While you get much more with a better cd player, even an inexpensive cd player should at least sound alright, whereas a cheap turntable is far far worse than a cheap cd player.

 

[the-real-mandak]

Are CD's on the way out? Yes, just like Vinyl.

 

[onepixel]

My brother got this for Christmas. It's über cool! It includes 14 albums in lossless FLAC and 320 Kbps MP3 formats, 13 mini-documentary films, replicated UK album art, and rare photos.

http://www.uncrate.com/men/entertainment/music/the-beatles-usb-apple-collection/

 

[fiddlefye]

I'll be buying CDs and LPs (as well as pre-recorded RTR tapes) far into the future. I refuse to spend money on a one-time download situation, not to mention it costing quite a bit more when you look at what the price is for a single track. More cost, nothing in my hand and far lower quality, plus you need to have multiple redundancy to avoid potential drive issues. CDs just sit on my shelf and if handled decently will last (as far as I can tell) indefinitely. There are very few MP3's which I can listen to on my main rig at any volume above background music without getting annoyed.

On the main topic, most of the sources of CDs I've known in town are still alive and well and reasonably well stocked, though not in Classical genre (but then they never were). The fact that there are quite a few used CDs available currently appeals to me in the same way that used vinyl always has and the probability of wear issues is much less. If the CD looks good it probably is....

 

[Sam Cogley]

so you are the very rare exception. Good for you. I wish I could say the same.

enjoy them while you can

I'm in the third most populous area of a not exactly high-population state. St. Louis has a very nice selection of music stores remaining that put the stuff around here to shame.

I go to maybe 10 independent record stores around here on a regular basis, most of those that are surviving seem to be existing on the appeal and popularity of vinyl among the 20/30 somethings.

Must be nice...

+1. Shoot the local BB sells vinyl! The local Fry's has a huge selection of CD's although they have cut way back on their selection of SACD and DVD-A titles.

Best Buy is the sort of "big box" store I was talking about, though mine has a huge vinyl selection. I was talking more about the type of store that is dedicated to music, or at least to music/movies/video games, though it's nice to still have a good selection at the big box stores.

I think it's amusing how everyone is declaring the CD dead, when SACD is not even dead yet. Even DVD-A isn't completely dead yet! Don't believe it? Take a look online, new titles continue to be released in all of these formats.

The LP was supposed to have been taken off life support 20 years ago. :scratch2:

CD players are mostly just black or silver boxes, and it is a leap of faith (which I have taken) to spend $1,000 or more on a black box that looks identical to a $300 box.

The same thing could be said about cartridges.

Collecting LPs is similar to doing drugs in a lot of ways. So addicting! Maybe it's from hallucinigenic mold spores on all of those thrift store albums.

:lmao:

Well, if it about enjoyment of the music, than a good turntable is a must. Without at least $400, even better $800 or $900 invested in a vinyl rig, records don't actually sound all that good.

If you're buying new, yes. If you're a smart shopper of used gear, you can get great results for far, far less than that amount. Including a good quality, NOS Pickering XV15 cartridge, I'll have less than $100 in my rehabbed AR XA. Yeah, I've put plenty of elbow grease into it, but I don't count the cost of night/weekend hours.

 

[andy]

You may want to do a little research before assuming that. :thmbsp:

http://www.google.com/search?client...wnload+sales&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Best Regards,

I didn't say it would stay that way for long, but I stand by my statement. As of today, I couldn't find anything that supported that downloads have overtaken CDs. It will be interesting to see what the official sales numbers for 2009 were.

 

[soundboy]

I hate to admit it, but as a medium to distribute music, CD is definitely on its way out. It is happening now already, slowly but surely....like all physical mediums. Eventually, perhaps in a decade or so, CD will cease to exist as a mainstream music carrier as we know it today. However, for now, I think all releases are still released on CD.

As for me, I have never, and will never, buy downloads of music. I enjoy having a physical item in my hands. I enjoy looking at the CD booklet. I enjoy stroking the sides of a smooth-sided jewel case of an early CD.....or sniffing the CD booklet from a faraway country. I enjoy flipping through all of my CDs just to find that one song that I want to hear....or comparing the sound quality of different CD pressings of the same album. I enjoy watching the opening and closing of the CD tray and anticipating the beginning of the music that I wanted to hear. I love having CDs of various sizes and designs....not to mention the various plastic sleeves, both interior and exterior, that I store my CDs in. And most of all, I just plain enjoy not being in front of a computer in order to listen to my music.

 

[SBEEZ]

If CDs continue their current free fall in sales (I'm just guessing the trend from some of the sales graphs) they'll be equal to the LP (which I'm pretty sure will sit gleefully in last place on sales for another few hundred years, maybe with the CD) in about 2015 or 16. My guess is that they may level out before that, but hard to say.

In 2020, a new generation of hipsters will go looking for "Nevermind" on Legacy CD.

One thing is for sure. 8 tracks are not making a comeback.

 

[baretta]

It has been happening now for several years. I would guess cds have 5 years left as a mainstream format, maybe another 5 to 15 after that as a legacy format. After that, I suspect all of us will have ripped our collections to lossless, probably have instant access to our entire collection wherever we happen to be.

But will the music sound as good as the CD format? I know change is coming. But will the new change sound as good as what came before it?