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CDs on the way out? (1 Viewer)

keithling

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Today I decided to go to one of the few high end shops left in Metro Atlanta- Audio Alternative. The last time I was there (two years ago), they carried a good selection of audiophile CDs. When I walked in, the store layout was completely different, and the only CDs they had were a handful in a glass case. They had a good selection of vinyl though.

Walmart has drastically cut back on their CD selection. My local Walmart has about 1/4 of the shelf space for CDs that it had just a year ago.

I certainly hope a better format than vinyl or MP3s results. Maybe music will just be sold on DVD.

Comments?
 

gene c

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It appears to me that audio/video on any type of hard disc is on the way out, even BluRay, though that may take a while. Eventually everything will be streamed to a computer/hard drive of some sort. I think there will always be a market for vinyl even if it's a small one so those might still be produced on a small scale by companies with a passion for music. Dvd's, BluRay, cd's will go the way of 8-track, reel-to-reel and cassette tapes. The times they are a changing.
 

Ed Moxley

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Originally Posted by keithling
I certainly hope a better format than vinyl or MP3s results.
I certainly agree with you about mp3s. They were the main reason sacd and dvd-a didn't make it. But, to me, and an awful lot of other people, there is no better sounding format than vinyl. Younger people are finally beginning to find this out, and vinyl is beginning to make a big comeback. That's why your high end shop had a good selection of vinyl. Nothing sounds better than an album, that's in excellent condition. A cd doesn't even come close.

I like cds too. They are very convenient, being able to jump to the next song, being able to set player on random play, etc. But, I much prefer a vinyl album, for serious listening.

For streaming, I think it will be many years before it becomes the preferred way of getting music and movies. There's just too many (probably most) people still on dial-up, because they can't get cable or dsl, out where they live. There is a satellite option, but their download and upload speeds aren't that impressive, from what I've seen. So, I believe discs will still be around for a long time.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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I for one hope physical media never disappears entirely. With physical media, you possess the entertainment as long as you have the disc, cassette, platter etc. and a device on which to play it. With streaming media, you possess the entertainment only as long as the provider continues to provide it.
 

Stan

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I certainly hope they stay around for quite a while.

I buy 2-3 a month, but gave up buying locally years ago. Selection is pathetic unless you're looking for a new release.

Get everything now exclusively from Amazon, sometimes need a little boost to get free shipping on a DVD, so I'll add a CD I've wanted.

Once in a while I'll bump into something decent at Costco, but it's totally hit or miss.

I support my local businesses as much as possible, but some just don't seem to care. Lousy service & lack of selection, I go online.
 

Dave Mack

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Agreed Adam. Remember the recent amazon kindle debacle...?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html
 

Malcolm R

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Well, the Holy Grail of any entertainment company is to be able to charge customers for each listen/viewing of the music or movies, rather than only being able to charge you once for the physical media then allowing you to play the media as many times as you want. So anything they can do to move things in a pay-per-view/listen direction is what they'll do.
 

Will_B

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Yes, eventually the studios will push to make ownership of copyrighted material illegal. The technology is not there yet. But once all data can be stored online somewhere and people can access it easily, they'll push for access fees and no ownership.It is inevitable.
 

TravisR

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Originally Posted by Will_B

Yes, eventually the studios will push to make ownership of copyrighted material illegal. The technology is not there yet. But once all data can be stored online somewhere and people can access it easily, they'll push for access fees and no ownership.It is inevitable.
After people have owned music for more than a century and movies for 30 years, I wish any company luck in getting people to pay for it every time. I have no doubt that it's the wet dream of every entertainment company in the world, they just can't pull it off.
 

Marvin

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That's why I'm hoping that BD-Live doesn't catch on.
Originally Posted by Will_B

Yes, eventually the studios will push to make ownership of copyrighted material illegal. The technology is not there yet. But once all data can be stored online somewhere and people can access it easily, they'll push for access fees and no ownership.It is inevitable.
 

Ockeghem

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I own around 3,000 LPs and approximately 1,500 CDs, as well as a plethora of other formats (8-track, cassettes, reel-to-reel, 45s, 78s, etc.). These and several other formats will continue to thrive for many years, at least in our home. There is so much music on LPs that still has not made the transition to another format, and I am doubtful it will ever occur.

I was showing a couple of college students our university's LP collection a few weeks ago. You should have seen the two of them as they perused their way through several of our 10,000 or so LPs. It was like they had discovered a gold mine of music that they did not know existed. They now make regular visits to the library. :)
 

drobbins

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I would not miss CDs one bit. I don't think I have had one in my hands in years. I know mp3s aren't the best audio quaity, but when listening to them in my car or on computer speakers, it doesn't matter. I like the fact that I can listen to all my music in random order instead of 10 songs at a time. Maybe someday when I have time, a good sound system and the kids are moved out, I will start really listening to music again. By then I hope they have improved on the quality of mp3s or what every the current format would be. But then again - that would mean I would have to purchase my whole collection - again ! $$!
 

DaveF

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Originally Posted by keithling

I certainly hope a better format than vinyl or MP3s results. Maybe music will just be sold on DVD.
The stats on CDs are devastating: Teen purchase of CDs is down 50% from a year or two ago.

MP3 is the replacement; it is the "better" format. Incoming college freshmen, in blind tests, prefer the sound of MP3 music to CD. And MP3 is "better" when "better" is defined as playable on portable, usable on computer, and easily gotten online.

While I prefer CDs -- an "archival" hardcopy format that is easily copied to my Mac / iPod. But
I haven't listened to a CD in four years; not since getting an iPod. I don't relish their extinction, but CDs are on the way out.

(Music on DVD won't happen. It only makes things worse for the consumer. Physical format. Copying is technically prohibited. More expensive than DVD. Not easily playable in cars, at gym, on iPod.)

http://www.itfacts.biz/33-of-all-music-sold-in-2008-was-digital/12867
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/will-kids-and-mp3s-ruin-music-recording-quality
 

Mike Frezon

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Being the kind of "old school" guy that I am, I still buy CDs on a fairly regular basis.

I was really surprised when Disney announced I would NOT be able to buy a soundtrack CD for the film Up!.

But I have also, for the first time, now been using an iPod for trips to the gym and admit that I have been doing some downloading from amazon & the iTunes store.

I wouldn't want to use those formats for home listening...although for convenience' sake I will play tunes on my PC while working and surfing the HTF. I just love the sound quality on Blu-ray discs. The lossless concerts and performance discs I own are just tremendous.

I suppose the death of CD is inevitable...but I, too, think it will probably be a fairly long while before it goes the way of VHS.
 

DaveF

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Two interesting points from that link.
1) iTunes (Apple) has 25% of the music market and 69% of the online subset. By any measure, Apple does not have a monopoly.

2) No demographic breakdown. CDs are bought by geezers (that is, anyone over 35). They're dying off or desparately trying to salvage their 401k. Youth are *not* buying CDs. Digital music will win by simple attrition.
 

DaveF

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What, they're too cheap?

20 years ago, CDs were about $15. Today, CDs are about $15. In inflation adjusted dollars, the price has gone down. In real terms, CDs are easily bought for
 

Ockeghem

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The exclusion of liner notes is another issue that I wish companies distributing CDs would address more carefully. It is especially helpful to have these intact not only for informational purposes, but also for those who are engaged in music research. This is another of the reasons that I prefer vinyl in many cases, or using vinyl in conjunction with a CD release of an identical title. For me, the quality of the recording is not in every case paramount.

It is unfortunate that the transfer to CD of many collections of works on LPs omits not only liner notes and art work, but actual tracks that were included in the original release. This has occurred with David Munrow's Music Of the Gothic Era, as well as selected recordings of the works of William Byrd (distributed originally on L'Oiseau Lyre), and other works from the medieval and renaissance historical periods. With CDs, I don't believe space is the primary problem, and yet several of the tracks making the transition are often omitted.
 

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