PopTodd Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Seriously.My label is no longer investing in pressing of CDs; he claims that it's throwing money into the fire. A waste. I mean, I'll be available on iTunes and eMusic, but personally, as a musician, if I don't have that physical document in my hand, I feel like my time in the studio has been something of a waste. And I cannot afford to press vinyl LPs. That's for sure. So... my new album will be a (very) short run -- of 500 -- that I'll be paying for, myself. The label will be helping me with distribution, logistics, and promotion. Plus, I'll have the clout of being associated with an established "label", no matter how small that is. Are you all pressing discs? Are you BUYING them? Or is it all downloads, these days? (Insert ball bearings joke here, Fletch fans.) Are you even buying downloads or are you getting them for free, through torrents, blogs and whatnot? Eh? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Last CD I bought....maybe The Beastie Boys' "The Mix-Up", when it came out, in 2007. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 As long as there is a physical object to buy that provides the music at optimal quality, I will continue to buy that object rather than go to a purchased-download model. To date, I have never bought a single digital download. But I'm weird. I might start buying downloads at some point in the future, but only if they're lossless ... at which point I'd probably buy whole albums only, and then burn them to CDs anyway. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 The death of the CD is greatly exagerated. (or however it is spelled... ). They said the same thing about the LP and it is healthy as can be (well sort of...) Sure the number of CDs that are sold will continue to decline as people continue to download music, but ultimately some consumers will buy recorded music like this because they like it and they are used to it. I mean what are folks going to sell at shows? What are the chain stores going to sell, what are the indie stores going to sell (some LPs, but also some CDs...) As for buying a download...I haven't bought one either, but then much of the time I don't even get around to downloading the free download that comes with LPs. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 As long as there is a physical object to buy that provides the music at optimal quality, I will continue to buy that object rather than go to a purchased-download model. To date, I have never bought a single digital download. But I'm weird. I might start buying downloads at some point in the future, but only if they're lossless ... at which point I'd probably buy whole albums only, and then burn them to CDs anyway.What he said. I think die hard music fans are always going to be buying LPs, CDs, or whatever media format we'll have in the future. Nothing beats having a full audio version of a record with artwork. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 considering the price difference is often negligible (other than times like Amazon's deal of the day, etc.), i figure why pay for an inferior quality digital file without any physical artwork when I can buy the real thing for a few bucks more (often vinyl) and still have the digital copy for ease of use/computer listening, etc.? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
myboyblue Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 I'm about as die-hard a music fan that you'll find but I buy digital almost solely. I have bought a handful of cd and LP over the last several years due to mitigating circumstances but rely 99.5% on digital downloads. I find it more convenient and I don't like the clutter of cds in my car or house. The difference in sound to my ears is almost non-existent. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 What blue said. Once the option of not having my home overloaded with little plastic jewel cases presented itself, the CD went the way of the dodo for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 I just wrapped up my Christmas list[1] which, as it has been for the past 8 years, is simply a long wish-list of CDs. Nothing will ever replace the physical product for me, and since I have a hard time playing vinyl in my car, the record collection has been slow to grow. [1] My mother has a frickin' deadline of November 10 - wtf? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CortezTheKiller Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 While it is far from dead, I think the CD has taken a bit of a hit recently. I tend to subscribe to solace's purchasing plan - Spend a few extra bucks for the vinyl and download the free digital files. Or be Google savvy if they aren't included with the purchase of the vinyl. The difference in sound to my ears is almost non-existent.These days I agree. However, a few years ago the gap in sound quality was definitely detectable. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 considering the price difference is often negligible (other than times like Amazon's deal of the day, etc.), i figure why pay for an inferior quality digital file without any physical artwork when I can buy the real thing for a few bucks more (often vinyl) and still have the digital copy for ease of use/computer listening, etc.?I've been encouraging my girlfriend to stop buying whole records on iTunes and just get the CD for a while now, especially as the difference between the two, particularly for new stuff is no more than $2-4. I use the argument that iTunes gives you a compressed version of the record with no artwork, but buying the CD gives you the full audio and artwork, plus you can put it on your iPod. Win-win. She agrees, but I think the lure of the "instant gratification" download is still hard for her to give up . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattZ Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 The thing that really grinds my gears is when LPs don't come with an mp3 download. I am looking at YOU Drag City records. LP for home listening. Mp3s for ipod listening. Tis all I need. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 hmm... i'd estimate i have around 4500 CD's and about 500 LP's, sure it takes up a sizeable amount of space in my office/man cave, but i wouldn't trade them for the world. i guess if i lived in a tiny studio apt or moved a lot i might feel differently, but the space factor seems seems a little weird to me personally, just my .02. i never have CD's lying around in my car (other than the occasional promo), i solely use my iPhone there, since i don't drive very often these days. thing is, i usually have downloaded the digital version (and often V0 quality) long before it's out in stores, so the "convenience" factor is already done for me by the time it comes to purchase the physical product. but I also can't deal w/ the inferior sound quality... even if it's not always evident on say my iPhone + earbuds, it certainly is playing on my home and car stereos. and even if it's NOT always audible, i just don't like paying a similar price for an inferior product, regardless. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 I think the lure of the "instant gratification" download is still hard for her to give up . For new releases, I've usually come across a leak that holds me over (and if I'm anticipating it that much, I've generally pre-ordered). For older albums that I havetohaveNOW!, I've found that I can track down whichever song is stuck in my head on an mp3 blog somewhere, and that will hold me over til I get the hard copy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 For new releases, I've usually come across a leak that holds me over (and if I'm anticipating it that much, I've generally pre-ordered). For older albums that I havetohaveNOW!, I've found that I can track down whichever song is stuck in my head on an mp3 blog somewhere, and that will hold me over til I get the hard copy.THIS plus i just get annoyed at the iTunes Music Store on principle (at least they dropped DRM and are now mostly all 256kbps, it's a start) and that Apple still takes a pretty large chunk from bands. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 plus i just get annoyed at the iTunes Music Store on principle (at least they dropped DRM and are now mostly all 256kbps, it's a start) and that Apple still takes a pretty large chunk from bands. THIS What I do like about iTunes, though, is that for songs by artists whose albums I would never, EVER purchase, I can buy that one song instead of having an mp3 blog download. The quality is a little better, and though most of my money is going to Steve Jobs (and when isn't that the case anymore?), I'm supporting the artist more than I have been in the past. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
you ever seen a ghost? Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 i agree with most of the posters in this thread: i download a good deal of music (full albums) in .mp3 (stealing) and then listen to them until i decide if i want to buy it or not. i have hundreds and hundreds of physical CDs and continue to buy them almost weekly. i want the full quality. i want the artwork. i want a back-up. when digital finally wins out, we'll have lossless downloads. the only reason we don't have them now is that the vast majority of people don't care/realize about sound quality. we have the bandwidth and storage space...we have the technology. that being said, analysts already predict that there will be no technology to supplant Blu-Ray in terms of physical product. what we are moving toward is high-quality (uncompressed) video and audio downloads purchased via the Internet. what happens when your hard drive fails? do you have to re-purchase? do you get to re-download based on your purchase history? at any rate, i buy all of my albums via amazon and will continue to do so until they stop making CDs. but have you guys been in a Best Buy recently? their CD section has shrunk and the selection is nothing like it used to be even a couple of years ago. same deal at Plan 9, the state-wide (Virginia) independent record store. not to mention they closed half of their stores... i don't think the death of the CD is over-hyped in the least. it is happening, unfortunately. also, i don't think it will have the same hardcore following the vinyl has, because your hardcore music nerd (the person that will still buy physical product), will still be buying vinyl for the superior audio quality and the aesthetic value. -justin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 I buy 99.9% of my music from Amazon sellers (disclaimer: I sell on Amazon as well). I put the CDs on my Mac/iTunes, then iPod. So I can play the CDs in any car, and in my own car -- which has a plug-in for my iPod -- I can play all 15,000 songs any time I want. It's great. As someone who has gone through many computer problems in the past, I still don't trust digital technology 100% and probably never will. Consequently, I have retained a large part of my music collection on CD, just in case the whole thing went poof someday. However, if I think I could live without the CD itself, I may sell it on Amazon and keep the digital files. I have also begun just recently to buy some mp3 versions from Amazon's download store. They were classic jazz CDs, and would have cost me 15-25 dollars per CD (used), whereas the digital downloads were only about 6-8 bucks apiece. I put them on the iPod and played them in my car, and the sound was surprisingly good. So I guess I'll be buying more downloads in the future, on a limited basis, but only where the cost difference is substantial. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
myboyblue Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 hmm... i'd estimate i have around 4500 CD's and about 500 LP's, sure it takes up a sizeable amount of space in my office/man cave, but i wouldn't trade them for the world. i guess if i lived in a tiny studio apt or moved a lot i might feel differently, but the space factor seems seems a little weird to me personally, just my .02. Kids stole my man cave/office. but that aside, I could very easily make space, just like the convenience of having a very sizable amount of music in my pocket and don't care about the difference in sound. I listen to music on my computer, on my iphone, iphone via car and iphone via sound dock. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Finding a good record store here is next to impossible, unless I want to drive 45 minutes to Dallas. But if I can find the CD at a big box store, I'll buy it. More often than not, I'm downloading off emusic or Amazon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Mr. Heartbreak brings up another good point...if you somehow lose your digitally purchased files, you have absolutely NO backup... vs. the only way I can lose a physical CD/LP is theft or fire. i have a couple terabytes of storage and backup a ton of my computer files (music, photos, software, etc.), but i've still lost tons of things over the years, whereas the number of CDs i've had to replace can probably be counted on 2 hands. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dude Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 The worst thing about CDs (and cassettes) had to be the moment album cover art shrunk to the size of a postage stamp. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 As long as there is a physical object to buy that provides the music at optimal quality, I will continue to buy that object rather than go to a purchased-download model. To date, I have never bought a single digital download. But I'm weird. I might start buying downloads at some point in the future, but only if they're lossless ... at which point I'd probably buy whole albums only, and then burn them to CDs anyway. i have bought one digital-only download, a 4 song EP from a british folk outfit (Sand Snowman). other than that, it's physical artifacts all the way. over the last 18 months, for new purchases i've bought 80% LPs, 20% cds. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vacant Horizon Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 I'm about as die-hard a music fan that you'll find but I buy digital almost solely. I have bought a handful of cd and LP over the last several years due to mitigating circumstances but rely 99.5% on digital downloads. I find it more convenient and I don't like the clutter of cds in my car or house. The difference in sound to my ears is almost non-existent. i'm the same way. its a trade off. i liked having a cd shelf with stuff to look at, but that's what it became. as i've gotten older, i've become less attached to material thing and find that i prefer a less cluttered sparse environment. at the same time, i go back and forth on this issue. downloads should be a lot cheaper than they are. $5 at most for an entire album. at least downloads are 256kbs now. at the same time, buying used cds online is an option, but shipping and handling charges have increase at half.com making them the same amount as a download most of the time. there you also have to deal with potential issues of seller, etc. in addition, i got to a point where i wanted a pristine shelf of new CDs which was just ridiculous. so, over the last 3 years, i've sold most of my music. i own about 10 cds now and download a bit. i do get stuff from blogs to see if i might like something. most of the time it's shit. i also, still download stuff on a whim, only to hate it!! so, whatever, it's crazy now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vacant Horizon Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 While it is far from dead, I think the CD has taken a bit of a hit recently. I tend to subscribe to solace's purchasing plan - Spend a few extra bucks for the vinyl and download the free digital files. Or be Google savvy if they aren't included with the purchase of the vinyl. this is my thinking, but then i take it one step further...just get the download. The thing that really grinds my gears is when LPs don't come with an mp3 download. I am looking at YOU Drag City records. LP for home listening. Mp3s for ipod listening. Tis all I need. drag city stuff isn't available anywhere. i wish it was at least on itunes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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