Is the CD officially dead?

[coop41]

[quote][i]Originally posted by DrewTheEngineer[/i]
<br>Yes, and broadcast as well.

I think the record industry shot themselves in the foot when they quit making singles available in the late 80's. I remember the 3" cd which was supposed to sell for a few dollars and have like 3 songs on it. I still have a promo cd3 that has Debbie Gibson and David Lee Roth on it. But I think the recording industry either figured that the trouble to press these wasn't worth it and/or they wanted the higher profits from album sales. When the internet took off in the mid 90's I remember telling industry people that mp3 sharing was going to mess them up, and got told that "It's just a bunch of college kids, who cares?" But their big fault was not opening up websites where you could buy a song for like a buck, to replace the single. Of course, later Apple did it with iTunes and the music industry got schooled.

Broadcast radio has become less and less relevant with the rise of the internet and music sharing (legal and otherwize.) It used to be that the radio was the only way (well, MTV too when they used to actually play videos) to get exposed to new music, apart from having your friends play it for you. But now you can share files, hear clips everywhere like MySpace and get your favorite band information online. A guy i know who still works in radio told me recently that when they do ticket giveaways they get like one guy calling in, whereas when I was working we would get hundreds. Also, i don't know anyone under the age of 30 who listens to radio voluntarily. All the kids are listening to iPods. And in the final analysis, radio can't compete for attention against an iPod because, by definition, every song that comes up is one you either like or are interested in because you put it there. It's a custom radio station with an audience of one.


[/quote]


Well said, excellent points. This is often a much overlooked mistake the record industry made, completely out of greed. They under-estimated the importance of the single and tried to force the consumer to buy the CD

[MikeP]

Yep, CD's are on the out. Dead? Not quite ... it's gonna be a slow, gradual death. I only buy reissues and deluxe packages on CD as well as any new releases I can scavenge from my friend who gets tons of promos. Otherwise, it's Amazon/BeatPort/Bleep/iTunes for the rest of my music fixations. Interestingly, in regards to artwork and liner notes ... digital downloads could be fully-loaded with high res artwork and additional--potentially interactive--information, if the industry would just leverage it. That would put 5x5 CD sleeves to shame. Begrudgingly, my love affair with the tactile aspect of CDs, records and tapes is dwindling. Gotta embrace the change! What I COULD do with is the re-introduction of ACTUAL DYNAMIC RANGE in recordings again and end the brickwall limiting insanity that makes every new recording and "remaster" loud as all hell. That would do audiophiles more justice than arguing about the perceived quality difference between 256kbps and 320kbps MP3's.[|)]

[Frau_Blucher]

I'm still getting CDs, but I guess that honor is solely reserved now for my very favorites. Oddly, I do have a renewed interest in physical singles. Maybe it's my interest in Brit bands (where the single seems more popular than in the States) or from visiting places like The Ideal Copy or Rough Trade shops that feature them more.

Interesting that BSP have released their "No Lucifer" single strictly as a download and a 10" vinyl. No CD. A 10" VINYL!!! It's just so viscerally cool in my hands that I can't seem to put it down. [8D] I'd be fine with downloads if, like Mike said, they start doing other cool stuff with the media, either physical or digital.

[waldnorm]

I'm only concerned that the artistic concept of the album (a certain collection of tracks, in a particular linear order to reflect a work of art as a whole by the artists(s) may further slide into the oblivion in this world where people buy one track at a time. Still, we've been in a shuffle generation for over twenty years--so it may be too late to be despondent over this fact, while it's easier than ever for the owner to create his/her own work of art now with a playlist or a CD of his/her own making.

But I do admit that it's been a while since I heard an album from beginning to end--only that album, with the tracks in their original order.

Meanwhile, after running into the challenge of getting more shelf space for CD's--I now no longer have that problem. The growth has ceased. And it is amazing to have a tiny device (with a media drive backup)-- to help reduce the size for people like me who have a massive collection.

[geoffolehane]

The only time I buy CD's these days is if it's a release by a favorite artist or something rare that is not legally downloadable. I don't use free file sharing networks because of the label crackdowns that are going on.

However for the moment I am still put music on CD's. I download more and more and burn CD's from the downloads.

But ultimately I will be buying an MP3 player. I refuse to buy an Apple iPOD because I don't like the fact you have to sync it with only one computer and sign up for iTunes to manage it. To me that is a monopoly. But there are plenty of other MP3 players out there from well-known electronics companies that don't require syncing like that.

I like the idea posed earlier about putting music on flash drives and plugging flash drives into your amplifier or car audio system. I hope that comes very soon. I also bring flash drives of my music to work.

[bigwavedave]

I finally figured out that I won't really care if the cd format dies, so long as I still have all of my old favorites on CD.

Over the past year I find that with very few exceptions, I don't care about owning newer bands' music in the cd format. Partly becuase I don't like as many newer bands, but mostly becuase the artwork and physical packaging were a large part of what I enjoyed from the new wave era. I still scoop up reissues or original releases of new wave bands in the cd format whenever possible. Becuase I dig having the physical product to remind me of the look of something I love from the 80's, I am one of those folks who hope to keep the reissue industry alive for awhile (that said, I am wondering why I really need to own the umpteenth reissue of the Elvis Costello CDs!).

Luckily there are still a couple of stores in the Seattle area that carry reissues (including imports), so its still fun to go "CD shopping" as a record store experience. On the other hand, going to other chain stores mentioned above such as Borders...not so fun anymore. Sites like Ideal Copy have filled in that gap quite nicely for me.

[Barmy]

CDs are a nostalgia thing and there's nothing wrong with that. I have sharply curtailed purchasing new music. By embracing the download (nothing wrong with that), musicians have completely devalued the CD (and, more importantly, the format of the album) and I am not going to pay them for just sending music out over ether. I do still search out obscure OOP CDs from the 80s or 90s and am willing to pay a premium for them even though I know most of the music is available in other formats.

A few years ago I went through my LP collection and threw out pretty much everything that had been released on CD. I understand the appeal of the "art" of the album cover, but the hassle factor of actually storing, caring for and playing LPs is ridiculous. I haven't had a turntable for 15 or more years. And my remaining LPs just sit in a box in the closet.

[obs]

[i]> It used to be that the radio was the only way (well, MTV too when they used to actually play videos) to get exposed to new music,[/i]

Someone on another thread pointed out that commercials are a way to hear new music, and that may be the future. Of course, a lot of TV shows I watch now, I just download (Xvid) or record them first = skip past commercials. I rarely watch TV as it is broadcasted now, except for sports and sports highlight shows.


[i]> I refuse to buy an Apple iPOD because I don't like the fact you have to sync it with only one computer and sign up for iTunes to manage it.[/i]

On Windows, you don't need to use iTunes at all. See WinAmp. There are other choices. You can load Rockbox firmware, which lets you drag and drop. Rockbox also supports FLAC [:)]. In any case, I like players that have some kind of SD card slot.


Back to the label's lack of imagination, again, they should make the move to DVDs. They can also put a lossless version of the album, an MP3 version of the album, and video content, such as just candid clips of recording in the studio and such. One of my friends did this on a CD-Extra release, adding in Quicktime clips, and I thought the videos were fun. It's marketing albums like DVDs -- eg. 'special edition' with more than just the movie (or music, in this case).

[Bitter Almonds]

<p align="justify">I'll probably stop buying cds 5-6 years after the cd has died. I still buy blank vhs and hi-8s[}:)] Right now, fuck downloading. It doesn't suit my needs. I've fried a coupla harddrives and some of that shit I didn't have in hard copy, so it totally sucked to not be able to recoup everything. Just like hd-dvd has died, I'm not feelin' it. I'm not cutting edge when it comes to technology. I should be, but I'm not. Once those 6 years expire, I'll go to vinyl or probably be one of the freaks who digs cd crates[}:)]

[sunzgem]

Alan Wilder has something very interesting to say about all of this on the Sideline site under interviews.. too lazy to look up the link, but you all might be interested.

"So Lonestar, now you see that evil will always triumph...because good is dumb."

[glokstadt]

[quote][i]Originally posted by sunzgem[/i]
<br>Alan Wilder has something very interesting to say about all of this on the Sideline site under interviews.. too lazy to look up the link, but you all might be interested.

"So Lonestar, now you see that evil will always triumph...because good is dumb."
[/quote]

The thread is in the 'Interview' section and Marv posted it:

http://www.nwoutpost.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=22781



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[Blitz Boy]

[quote][i]Originally posted by coop41[/i]
<br>While you slow adapters are using USB ports, I'm using Bluetooth Wireless downloads directly to my in-dash 1TB Apple/Windows combo mini computer. I use my CD's for coasters now.
[/quote]

Very cool and technological... but you'll never feel the mental quietness and peace of losing a couple of hours looking in old vynil shelves or boxes just for doing it, learning music as you watch the sleeves, to finish with dusty fingers and a pleasant smile in your face, the same smile that after... well, after...[:D], especially if you found something you liked.

As we say in Spain, "there's people for every thing".

You go with your tech devices, I'll keep on strolling around record fairs... as long as they exist...[?]

How many coasters do you have? [:D] I could adopt them, since I think music is not a disposable thing, as mp3 is making it.

[WoodlandParkPunk]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Ollie Stench[/i]
<br>My band is in the middle of recording an album (doing it all ourselves in the basement with ProTools), and we're trying to decide what to do with the finished product.

I work at a facility where I have access to a cd burning/printing tower and can set it up to burn the discs and then print the art on the disc. I'm thinking, I should buy a spindle of 100 blanks, set it up on a Friday and have finished product when I come to work on Monday. Buy the jewel cases and photocopy the inserts, and sell the whole thing at shows for $3.

Hey Ollie, just sell it on the internet. We do and it does very well. Other than selling discs at shows the market is DEAD.
However, I found a place that advertised in Maximum Rock-n-Roll that said they would glass master and replicate 1000 discs with 3-color art on the disc for $500. Per unit that's cheaper than burning them myself, but with CDs on the way out I know that we will end up with 600 discs after selling all we can and giving away even more.

We as a band fully recognize the fact that a CD is now just a medium to get the data from the point of purchase to an ipod, we're just trying to figure out the best way to do it. Burning them ourselves would be a total DIY project and it would be reflected in the price and the packaging. If we had them replicated we would have to sell them for a little more, probably $5 instead of $3, and I would feel the need to get the inserts professionally printed to go along with the professionally replicated discs.

I guess that's a long and personal answer to the question "are cds on the way out?". The answer is "yes".
[/quote]

"You just pick a chord, go twang, and you've got music." ~ Sid Vicious