The Death of the CD.

[PeterG]

At the weekend a friend told me that he encountered what must be evidence that the death of the CD is not something that will happen in the future but is something that happened at some time in the last few years, without an obituary having been posted, and without too much wailing and mourning.

The scene: a one-day record fair in a big city
One seller is selling mostly rare and good quality secondhand vinyl, but also thousands of secondhand CDs, for silly money, 1 or 2 euros for cheap ones up to only about 6 or 7 euros for better ones.
In the afternoon he starts saying to his vinyl customers, after they've paid "please take as many CDs as you want, I'm not taking them home again with me, they're too heavy and no one's buying them from me anymore" Then in the last hour he says the same thing to people just browsing his stand and to people walking past he shouts, "Free CDs, please take loads"

My CD collection that once numbered about 4000 in the late 1990s is now down to about only 600 and still shrinking.
Whereas my vinyl collection that started in the 70s continues to grow.

[rcarlberg]

Don't tell the record labels.

Scarcity affects price, on the secondhand market.

[gregory]

I don't practice downloading. I prefer a good CD.

[Don Arnold]

My cd collection has grown (slowly but steadily) over the years. I have not added to my vinyl in years (decades more likely). In fact I'm selling vinyl, albeit at a snails's pace, in order to fund the purchase of cd's. I don't plan on changing these statistics anytime soon.

As for "why?", I suspect it's a combination of: my age (51), my enjoyment of having the physical media in hand (as opposed to clicking buttons on a computer or hand-held device), and probably a reluctance to adapt to new things.

[ronmac]

I'm currently converting all of my CDs to vinyl, anyway.

[PeterG]

I don't practice downloading. I prefer a good CD.

Nor do I. I have never downloaded a single album. I don't do all that digital format, mp3 stuff.

[Progatron]

I continue to buy an average of two or three CDs per week. I'm a 'physical media' guy, and I don't have a turntable (and can't be bothered to get into collecting LPs at this stage). CDs are the way to go for me still, and I don't see that changing as long as they keep making them. Yes, as the collection continues to grow, I am faced with the storage space problem, but that is a problem I'm willing to accept for now. I really enjoy my collection.

[Scott Bails]

CDs are irreplaceable for my purposes. I'll never understand the whole vinyl fetish thing.

[Jerjo]

I like CDs just fine and I'll keep buying them. I have noticed that a LOT of what I would call "catalog" CDs are now in the $5-$7 range, which is great for filling in those collection gaps. I do buy vinyl but it's still more of a novelty for me.

I download MP3s off Amazon for my office system. There's plenty of releases where I know damn well the CD would never get played, it's twice the price of the MP3, and it gets played on the office system where I can't hear the difference. My big system is good enough where I can hear a difference but like I said, there's a lot of music that doesn't get played on it.

[Don Arnold]

...I have not added to my vinyl in years (decades more likely). In fact I'm selling vinyl, albeit at a snails's pace, in order to fund the purchase of cd's....

I should add that I still have a turnable, though it's a little long-in-the-tooth - a Pioneer PL200 - and play the odd record on it. In fact, pulled out Isao Tomito's Pictures At An Exhibition lp just yesterday to play "Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells" for my 4 and 6 year old. It was a delight to watch them dance around my office to the tuneful chirping!

[walt]

If CDs are dying my living room must be a CD hospice because I've still got lots of 'em,with new ones arriving regularly.

I miss going to the CD stores that abounded in the NYC of my younger days.Roving the aisles, fingering the candidates, picking and choosing,asking the clerks questions about this one and that one.Sitting on my ass in front of the computer, pointing and clicking and moving from cd vendor site to cd vendor site,making my choices,listening to sound clips, where(when) available,it's cool, but it ain't the same.

Hey, things change.

Maybe one day i'll digitize my collection.Not today, though.

[rcarlberg]

I'm currently converting all of my CDs to vinyl, anyway.

LL

[rcarlberg]

The death of CD

Charlie Daniels died???

[beano]

For CD lovers, check out my eBay thread at the Trading Post Forum...

[Digital_Man]

Apparently cassette tapes are making a comeback. If that really is happening then I wouldn't worry too much about cds disappearing anytime soon. Even if they do go away they will probably come back(like albums and apparently cassette tapes).

[Progatron]

Apparently cassette tapes are making a comeback.

Umm what? LOL. Time to get out my old ghettoblaster with the hi-speed dubbing!

[philsunset]

I bought 11 CDs the other day. Gimme physical media.

[Zeuhlmate]

I will not buy downloads before CD's are unavailable (or LP's).
Digital downloads just doesn't sound as good as they should.

[Rune Blackwings]

i think nobody better tell all those bands i preordered cds from...

[cannygoodlike]

Like somebody else said, it's probably an age thing, but I need to own the physical CD. This is despite the fact that I rarely listen to them. If I get a new one I will probably play it a couple of times in the car, but the usual routine is to rip to FLAC and convert the FLAC to mp3, and put the CD in storage. The FLAC is what will get played round the house via my 'Squeezebox' streaming music system. The mp3 will probably go on my little mp3 player which I'll sometimes play at work, or take with me when I travel. However, even though I have embraced the digital technology, (legal) downloads are a last resort, when it's the only way to get something without paying silly 'collectors' prices.

[Adrian]

Apparently cassette tapes are making a comeback. If that really is happening then I wouldn't worry too much about cds disappearing anytime soon. Even if they do go away they will probably come back(like albums and apparently cassette tapes).

Our local record shop (Silver Platters in Seattle) just added a cassette section. A while back I asked one of the guys who worked there how business was holding up (they were forced to relocate to a new part of town when their renewal came up because of an outrageous lease demand at their old place), and he said it was doing pretty well. I don't know how the market for new physical media is doing, but at least there seems to be a robust market for used CDs and vinyl.

And cassettes, evidently.

[rcarlberg]

Silver Platters moved out of Northgate???

[ronmac]

Apparently cassette tapes are making a comeback.

When I see chrome-bias blank cassette tapes on the shelves, I'll believe it.

[markwoll]

Like somebody else said, it's probably an age thing, but I need to own the physical CD. This is despite the fact that I rarely listen to them. If I get a new one I will probably play it a couple of times in the car, but the usual routine is to rip to FLAC and convert the FLAC to mp3, and put the CD in storage. The FLAC is what will get played round the house via my 'Squeezebox' streaming music system. The mp3 will probably go on my little mp3 player which I'll sometimes play at work, or take with me when I travel. However, even though I have embraced the digital technology, (legal) downloads are a last resort, when it's the only way to get something without paying silly 'collectors' prices.

That is my 'workflow' when it comes to music these days. Buy the cd =>rip and store.
I don't care for mp3 so much and prefer the pain of finding flac players, rockbox helps.
I will download music that is made available by bands for that purpose, but mostly fund raisers like the Haiti Projekt, or PT's Atlanta sales for Mick Karn.
I like to think I keep at least one of Steve F's lightbulbs on with cd sales. Should be getting a couple in the mail soon.
mark

[Adrian]

Silver Platters moved out of Northgate???

The Northgate and Bellevue stores are still where they were, but the one in Lower Queen Anne relocated to SoDo this summer. The guy I talked to said the building owners were asking for $1 million a year on the lease! He blamed it on Paul Allen and Bill Gates buying up properties and driving up prices.

Just glad they were able to find a new place and keep the doors open. I was sad to see the LQA Easy Street Records close down this year. Now all they have is their West Seattle store.