The End of Owning Music: How CDs and Downloads Died

[Dead Planet]

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-end-of-owning-music-how-cds-and-downloads-died?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[lettard]

Jeez,well that's just contributed to ruining my day  I love my cds

[Dead Planet]

It definitely sucks...won't be returning to vinyl that is for sure...I believe there will be enough cd buyers around for quite some time to come so once again the death of cds is overstated IMO...

[Darkstone]

I think the end of owning music in it's material form whether it be Vinyl, Cassettes or CD's is coming to an end. That being said, even though I'm quite happy with a Digital collection, I still need to "own" it so to speak. Spotify and such are not my thing.

[J.S.M]

I couldn't live without CD's... Maybe I download the single then I can hear it outside to shorten the wait but I need to buy the cd in the end. I need the credits and the lyrics and the artwork. I always connect music to a colour somehow and very often it's a similar colour the covers have. Physically they always look slightly different then digitally. It wouldn't be the same if one day there won't be CD's anymore 

[Jez]

Not in my house

[lettard]

1 hour ago, Jez said:

Not in my house

Same here,I can't imagine not having the physical version with the artwork,credits,song notes and a nice spine to line up with my others so I can pose and look at them and feel incredibly chuffed with myself and rip them to digital if I choose for the car,ipod etc..wouldn't just be me I believe 

[Dead Planet]

Vinyl has returned from the dead and I expect a few years down the road, cds will return as well....at least that is what I keep telling myself...

[AlphaMale]

5 hours ago, lettard said:

Same here,I can't imagine not having the physical version with the artwork,credits,song notes and a nice spine to line up with my others so I can pose and look at them and feel incredibly chuffed with myself and rip them to digital if I choose for the car,ipod etc..wouldn't just be me I believe 

Think about when cassette tapes were done. Same thing. 

[Glen]

mostly digital for me. I buy about 4 or 5 cds a year. 

I'm sure when I take delivery of my new ford in Aug there will be no CD player. 

doesn't bother me though as I stream straight from Spotify anything I want. 

if I'm honest though as much as I love artwork and lyrics, cds are a massive waste of space and a right pain in the arse. 

[tts42572]

23 hours ago, Dead Planet said:

It definitely sucks...won't be returning to vinyl that is for sure...I believe there will be enough cd buyers around for quite some time to come so once again the death of cds is overstated IMO...

Digital just annoys me.  I spend way too much time fixing encoding issues, moving files around and trying to make sure everything is backed up for fear of losing it.  And I'm even more annoyed when I'm in a car without a CD player.  My wife's doesn't have one and it's just downright dangerous IMO.  I mean, I spend all kinds of time messing with my phone while driving trying to scroll to stuff I want to listen to.  I seem to have better success using USB drives to listen to.  But again, it just makes more work for me making and keeping it up to date.  I guess i'm old school but just way easier to me to toss a CD in and listen to it like it was meant to be listened to.

I'm dreading the day I have to get a new car without a CD player.  First thing I do will probably be taking it to the audio shop and getting a nice aftermarket system put in that has a CD player.

I don't think I'l lever fully get behind the whole digital and streaming thing.   I guess I probably would buy digital if artists stopped making CD's but I wouldn't be happy about it.  To me it just feels like an inferior product.

[Darkstone]

47 minutes ago, tts42572 said:

Digital just annoys me.  I spend way too much time fixing encoding issues, moving files around and trying to make sure everything is backed up for fear of losing it. 

I enjoy keeping my files up to date. A tag editor ensures all my files are tagged with the appropriate artwork. All song files from each album are seperate, so I can make endless "mix tapes" so to speak. I get the same thrill scrolling through my files as I used to get perusing my CD collection. It's just more convenient. I have two ways of collecting digital music and EVERY album I desire from old to latest releases are only a download away with no encoding issues. I won't go into my methods as they may be frowned upon here for legal and ethical reasons, but i've managed to amass a digital collection far superior in quantity to anything I could achieve through owning the psychical version, not to mention the cost. Besides, for me it's all about the music.

As for stressing about backing up files. That's the beauty of a digital collection. So easy to do. I have my collection backed up twice. I would have thought it was easier to replace a digital file than to replace a CD. I'm with Glen about the inconvenience of CD's, but of course I didn't always feel that way. There was a time when it was full official CD or nothing, so I know where you're all coming from.

[Leykis101]

lol, after having my entire collections ripped off 3 times, and my 1T HD completely shitting out with every mp3 I had, I really dont give a fuck, at least with the digital once you've paid, you can re-download it again, and now im uploading all my extra hard to get files to places I know I can go to and get them back, this has been the most difficult time Ive had trying to buy back my cd collection, alot of my really scarce shit is either just not out there anymore, or some dick face wants a thousand dollars(over exaggeration) so im good with whatever.

[Doggy]

9 hours ago, AlphaMale said:

Think about when cassette tapes were done. Same thing. 

No, no, 8 tracks are coming back along with 78s.

[Doggy]

12 hours ago, Dead Planet said:

Vinyl has returned from the dead and I expect a few years down the road, cds will return as well....at least that is what I keep telling myself...

As Darkstone saw when we first met, the store I help or try to we are selling more vinyl than ever.

It's mainly the kids who are buying vinyl, where their parents want the CDs.

[Glen]

6 hours ago, tts42572 said:

Digital just annoys me.  I spend way too much time fixing encoding issues, moving files around and trying to make sure everything is backed up for fear of losing it.  And I'm even more annoyed when I'm in a car without a CD player.  My wife's doesn't have one and it's just downright dangerous IMO.  I mean, I spend all kinds of time messing with my phone while driving trying to scroll to stuff I want to listen to.  I seem to have better success using USB drives to listen to.  But again, it just makes more work for me making and keeping it up to date.  I guess i'm old school but just way easier to me to toss a CD in and listen to it like it was meant to be listened to.

I'm dreading the day I have to get a new car without a CD player.  First thing I do will probably be taking it to the audio shop and getting a nice aftermarket system put in that has a CD player.

I don't think I'l lever fully get behind the whole digital and streaming thing.   I guess I probably would buy digital if artists stopped making CD's but I wouldn't be happy about it.  To me it just feels like an inferior product.

what the hell are you on about?

just pay for Spotify and stream whatever you want.

you haven't got to tag anything. 

you either just start an album you want to listen to or if it's a long trip just lob 6 albums in a playlist and play straight through in order or shuffle.

it's all offline as well so no buffering....just hit the download button before you leave - takes 30 secs for an album or about 5 mins for a 100 song playlist......about the time you'd spend choosing your 10 dust collectors

also you've got no expensive system in your car worth stealing (I had a £1000 system stolen with I was 21....never again). and no rare cds in the car to lose.

[tts42572]

4 hours ago, Glen said:

what the hell are you on about?

just pay for Spotify and stream whatever you want.

you haven't got to tag anything. 

you either just start an album you want to listen to or if it's a long trip just lob 6 albums in a playlist and play straight through in order or shuffle.

it's all offline as well so no buffering....just hit the download button before you leave - takes 30 secs for an album or about 5 mins for a 100 song playlist......about the time you'd spend choosing your 10 dust collectors

also you've got no expensive system in your car worth stealing (I had a £1000 system stolen with I was 21....never again). and no rare cds in the car to lose.

I hear ya....I guess I just can't wrap my head around paying $120 a year for the right to listen to music.  I'd just rather spend that money on 8-10 CD's which is about all I generally buy in an average year anyways.  I just like having and holding something I guess.

[Glen]

44 minutes ago, tts42572 said:

I hear ya....I guess I just can't wrap my head around paying $120 a year for the right to listen to music.  I'd just rather spend that money on 8-10 CD's which is about all I generally buy in an average year anyways.  I just like having and holding something I guess.

but for $120 everyone in your household gets their own account and you can listen to anything that's released.

I prob listen to at least 150 new albums each year. 

[zacharyamelie]

14 hours ago, Glen said:

but for $120 everyone in your household gets their own account and you can listen to anything that's released.

I prob listen to at least 150 new albums each year. 

I’m on board with Lenny! 
Spotify has about 90% of my CD collection and much easier on the wallet to be able to find and enjoy new music. I honestly don’t miss CDs...unless a certain title can’t be found on Spotify. 

[tts42572]

On 4/13/2020 at 9:21 AM, Glen said:

but for $120 everyone in your household gets their own account and you can listen to anything that's released.

I prob listen to at least 150 new albums each year. 

Guess it definitely depends on how many people would use it and how many albums you want to listen to.

I'm the only one in my house that would use it right now.  I usually just sample tunes on You Tube to decide if I want to buy and album or not.  I'll give a listen to all kinds of stuff but it never seems like more than about 8-10 albums a year end up making it though the sifter.

Maybe I'll change my ways at some point if I'm left with no choice but I still prefer the CD experience.  I think partly I still just enjoy the collectible aspect of it and like feeling like I actually have something that could maintain some value down the road.

I guess overall the important thing is listening however you want as long as you're listening and supporting the artists.

[Whatever Happened To Fun?]

I fought as long as I could to not buy into streaming but my son (meaning me) was paying $10 a month for AppleMusic and for an extra $5 the whole family (4 of us) could all have it. So I bit the bullet and I love it. I love being able to basically have everything at my fingertips whenever I want it. But I still love CD’s an will buy all my favorite bands to help support them and also to keep my collection going.

Moving all my CD’s is a pain in the ass when you have so many. 

I miss going to record stores looking for new music and hoping to find that rare collectible.