The Amazing Collapse of CD Sales

[Modlin]

Has anyone tried shopping for a nice CD changer lately? Where are they?

yamaha has one...

 

[Modlin]

I want to buy some dehydrated water

have you tried amzn?....they sell everything...these days with very jacked up $$$ (pertains to cds as well )

 

[Spe@kerBox]

I'll send you my address and pay the shipping!

Then you might sue me for damaging your ears.

 

[Hawkeye83]

I'm honestly very torn on physical media vs. streaming. I do think there is a place for both. I have a sizable amount of money tied up in the media and the gear to play the physical media though! But you can't take the money with you when you leave this mortal coil, so I'm just going to try to enjoy it and not think too much about it. When I stop enjoying the physical media or just have nowhere to put it, I'll get rid of it.

With that said, I stream Spotify 95% of the time LOL! For some reason I like the idea of having my "all-time-favorites" on physical media...I guess I'm paranoid Spotify might go away or take the album down, and I also like supporting certain artists. My problem is I like so much different music that the list of "all-time-favorites" can get rather...long.

I guess the good thing about physical media and the turntable and phono stage...they're all worth real money when it's time to sell.
CD's...not so much...but also cheap to buy.

I gotta stop thinking about this.

 

[YY1]

"Wet water" is actually a thing.

It's water with a hint of dish soap to break down surface tension.

it will wick in to really tight spots.

 

[eiraved]

Then you might sue me for damaging your ears.

No worries, I'll sign a release of liability!

 

[KeninDC]

About the only CDs I still purchase are the Dave's Picks series from The Grateful Dead. That, and the occasional Dead box set. For new music, I generally purchase the LP and try to do so from Bandcamp or the artist's site.

I dig Spotify. The "high quality" option (320) is pretty decent through a good DAC and some tubes. My family is addicted to Spotify, so I'm not about to change. I have a large handful of JBL Bluetooth speakers.

 

[Bynem]

I still buy CDs (and even an LP, once in a while). I know the kids and many folks here love streaming and mp3/flac/who the hell knows what else, but I still buy the physical media.
And, I hate seeing that word on my PC or phone: buffering.

 

[beat_truck]

fun fact
I bought a 2015 domestic vehicle that had a factory equipped CD player

it has not been used

The only reason my vehicles have CD players in them is that aftermarket stereos without them are not much cheaper and a lot harder to find.

 

[Dr. Ears]

I still buy CD's and recently started buying SACD multi-channels, which occupy a pricey and niche market, but I think they are the best format.
Streaming Amazon Ultra HD is tough to beat, my stand alone Audio-Gd DAC 19 features PCM 1704 chips, which are on the warm side and can stream at 24/192.
I use two tube buffers and a couple of vintage Sansui's to cut down on listening fatigue because I listen to music for many hours a day.
The vintage restored Sansui's offer the most bang for your buck IMO and I have owned some very pricey tubed and SS modern gear.

 

[beat_truck]

I like Spotify, but I am constantly frustrated when what I am looking for isn't on there. I'm not even talking about rare stuff that someone recorded in their garage, either. Most of it is on major record labels. For some reason, their classic country selection for a lot of artists is REALLY lacking. Nearly every time I can't find something on Spotify, it is on Youtube.

There are a few relatively rare things I'd like to hear, but I am not paying the nutty prices that people are asking for the records. I'll either wait for reasonably priced copies to show up or they show up on Youtube. I'd even accept copies on cassette if that's all i can find.

 

[eiraved]

You'll probably find those rare songs on CD, and for a good price. One of my neighbors is moving out of the country and left a bunch of stuff outside which she is giving away for free. I was able to score several jazz CDs in pristine condition. I also scored about 20 LPs she was selling for $1 each.

 

[beat_truck]

The rare stuff I mentioned isn't on CD. There is still a lot of music out there that has never made to CD or streaming. Luckily, there are more and more people uploading stuff on Youtube.

 

[Andyman]

This is likely the last new media I have bought and that was back in 2016 on a visit to my daughter in Denver. I have a digital copy from who knows where, but I wanted hardcopy.

4 years later it is still unplayed, but it is available on both Spotify and Quboz, both of which offer me a month of music for less than this single release.
I've spent the morning playing used records and CDs that I have never played and so far nothing has made the cut for a desert island keeper. Some even got cut short after a few cuts. They'll get set aside and wind up getting sold to folks that will hopefully actively enjoy them now.

 

[beat_truck]

Last night, I was paying some records that I've picked up and didn't know if I'd like or want to keep them. Most of them got culled. I didn't even make it through some of them either. I really need to thin the collection and get rid of ones that aren't going to get listened to much or at all. They just take up too much room.

 

[stish]

I still buy tons of CDs and likely will as long as they're available. I like ritual that goes with a physical medium.

 

[Bicyclemike]

I still enjoy CDs and buy a few a year. But I also listen to SXM and streaming programs as well. I have digitized some of my albums and upload them to iTunes and will listen that way. But like a lot of old guys on here, I still like having the physical media.

 

[luappdcl]

I still like CDs very good quality and more durable than vinyl or tape.
I believe the real issue is ownership and control of the media. all media formats are going cloud based. movies you buy aren't in your control but managed by the cloud based entity. Buy CDs / DVDs and rip them to hard drive now you have control and ownership of your media.

 

[GChief]

JMHO but I do not think the tiny minority that are people like us carry enough weight in the market to save CD’s other than in a audiophile niche market. IMO it may end up meaning great SQ CD’s at prices most people on here do not what to pay.

 

[reddodge053]

I see that Taylor Swift is releasing the Evermore on cassette!