Could CDs be making a comeback?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Baba Oh Really, Apr 22, 2014.

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  1. OnTheRoad

    OnTheRoad Not of this world

    I had to read that 3 times....and still....

    WHAT ?
     
  2. ElvisCaprice

    ElvisCaprice Forum Resident

    Location:
    Jaco, Costa Rica
    Okay vinyl sales is 2 percent of overall album sales, so that makes 98 percent digital either in CD or download (note, that doesn't include individual track downloading). As far as weather cd or digital are up or down, it really makes no difference to me. I prefer hard copy to download currently (sell back onto market), but if they can make quality download cheaper (a lot more) then I would definitely favor it over hard digital copy.
    What I don't get is why all the fuss about newer vinyl releases? I can understand vinyl over digital when the following circumstances are in play.
    1. Obvious one, no digital release, original analogue master recording.
    2. Higher quality sound over digital in a meaningful way. Poor digital mastering.
    That's it, I can't imagine their being a whole lot of current day releases matching either of those two criteria. What really make me laugh is when they take a digital master and cut vinyl from it. Kind of defeats the purpose doesn't it?

    :shh: Elvis
     
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  3. ian christopher

    ian christopher Argentina (in Spirit)

    Location:
    El Centro
    311 is a 2014 success story then.

    Their 2011 disc "Universal Pulse" sold about 22k copies in its first week of release.

    Their 2014 disc "Stereolithic" sold 42k copies in its first week of release.

    Strong fanclub push and constant live shows (along with a reunited effort with Scotch Ralston, who many 311 fans consider to be the 6th memeber), and 311 was able to double the first week sales of their 2011 release.
     
  4. OnTheRoad

    OnTheRoad Not of this world

    The ends justify the means ? LOL

    Same with HiRez that uses inferior mastering.

    I mentioned that vinyl cut from digital several times in past threads...

    Funny....there are a lot of people who sort of 'diss' those who prefer physical media over downloads...and then...there are those who prefer vinyl, some for the particular 'handling' of records, that don't care that it's referenced from digital but diss cd's. :wtf:

    Like wearing a fake fur coat...sure it may look like real fur but it's synthetic. Go synthetic all the way or go real fur...but don't 'fake' it.

    Now...I love my cd's. Analog recordings for the most part, processed to be heard digitally. I have no shame. BUT...I don't pretend to be a vinyl junkie playing an analog medium that's referenced from a digital recording or processing...it seems so disingenuous.
     
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  5. Havoc

    Havoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    I think he's saying he doesn't think the OP theory is true because downloading has become so easy. Personally, I'll always be looking for the physical format and will most likely prefer cd over de-vinyls unless it's just so obvious the cd version is too inferior.........then I'll just pout until the powers that be make a better cd.
     
  6. Endymion

    Endymion Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
    There's a difference between audio and video media: Everybody not half-blind can see the difference between SD and HD (whether they care about it or not) but very few people can hear a difference (or think they can) between redbook and hi-rez audio.
    That's why HD is becoming the new standard and hi-rez is not.
     
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  7. ElvisCaprice

    ElvisCaprice Forum Resident

    Location:
    Jaco, Costa Rica
    And that's why music in general is in decline in sales. It's not because the public couldn't tell the difference in redbook to hi rez, it's because the labels have failed to educate the consumer along with being dishonest and non forthright.
     
    ian christopher likes this.
  8. ...and greed. People realize when they are being taken. Having to rebuy the same stuff as they launch new technology has accelerated over the last 40 years and, within the last twenty, the labels got greedy, lazy. They would reissue stuff at an dizzying pace. People got tired of buying stuff and then having to rebuy it to get one or two tracks. Sure, the hardcore fans didn't care but they, like most of us, are dedicated. Most consumers want the best for their money...to a limit.

    The major labels eliminated CD singles for the most part in an effort to force people to buy the entire CD. Add in the ready and waiting internet and filesharing was born for those who only wanted one or two tracks vs. buying a CD with 8 lousy songs and 2 good ones.

    Honestly, the industry did try to educate to some degree or another but I really don't think people care. At a certain point it's a situation of diminishing returns where a small minority appreciate the additional quality they get. If we could truly educate people about the better quality why would the majority of Americans buy at Walmart vs. Nordstroms (which is more upscale).

    If the cost is more than people are willing to pay or perceived value (or beyond their means), they choose something else and are happy with the quality they get.
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2014
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  9. SKean

    SKean Forum Resident

    Location:
    Central Jersey
    Continued compression on newly released CDs, whether they be new or "remastered," will be the demise of CDs, which I bet is the biggest reason for CDs' demise by many of us that still buy vs downloading, with many horrible CD releases mastered/remastered by many veteran ears that are over the hill and tone deaf, not knowing how badly their progressive lack of hearing and the over-compensation-of really sounds.... Fresh, younger, tasteful ears that decry the current brick-wall trend might be the salvation of a very format....
    Until then......bring on ELP's Trilogy in hi rez uncompressed 5.1 in SACD, DVD-A and Blu-ray Audio damn it...!!
     
  10. amoergosum

    amoergosum Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
    Brickwalled CDs will give the listener one thing and that's ear fatigue. Even if the general consumer would probably say that he doesn't care about dynamic range/doesn't know what dynamic range is, he will get ear fatigue while listening to brickwalled albums.
    It's a physiological thing...here's a GREAT explanation >>>

    [at 4:27]



    And they wonder why the general consumer doesn't listen to full albums anymore.
     
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  11. Dave S

    Dave S Forum Resident

    Enough to make the price £32. Now, there aren't many items/bidders. Only a handful of these older pressings are listed on ebay at any one time (we are taking a very small, niche market).
     
  12. Rigsby

    Rigsby Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    I'm not assuming anything, I'm expressing an opinion which is pretty much what this entire forum is built on. I don't think cd is going to die completely but neither do I think it's due a resurgence. Deluxe sets will extend the life somewhat, but my personal view (NOT an assumption) is that vinyl with free hi res download will be the leading physical media in a decade (excluding those countries where physical media continues to be strong).
     
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  13. ElvisCaprice

    ElvisCaprice Forum Resident

    Location:
    Jaco, Costa Rica
    Really?? Vinyl? Hi Res downloads along with Redbook, yes. But Vinyl, I would almost wager any dollar amount that this will never happen. At current resurgence of less than 2 percent of the market, it's a far reach to say vinyl will dominate once again. In fact, it makes absolutely zero sense in an age of digital recordings. Why in the world would you want vinyl from a digital master?
    Now if your saying that 98 percent of the market will become all downloads with less than 2 percent in vinyl, thus vinyl becoming the defacto hard copy only, then yes, I could see it. In fact I could see vinyl having reached a peak here and again go back on the decline to nearly zero.
     
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  14. Rigsby

    Rigsby Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Yes I don't think vinyl is going to be dominant overall, just the leading physical media. I think download and streaming will account for 90+% of all music consumption in ten years, the balance will, in my view, be led by vinyl.
     
    ian christopher likes this.
  15. Dave S

    Dave S Forum Resident

    I think that's what they were saying. It's quite possible that vinyl, SACD, DVD-A, Blu-Ray, and SHM will be fighting it out for market dominance in physical sales. Labels with love it because the markups are higher. They don't want CDs because the profit margins are too low, just as with LPs in the late 80s.
     
  16. schelti

    schelti Forum Resident

    I can't find where it says that vinyl is declining.
    Maybe you are referring to the sentence "have shown that stations of virtually every format have been in decline", but that's not about cd, vinyl or downloads.
     
  17. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    I'm happy I'm old enough and I have a huge selection of the best of the Golden Age. I don't care about digital downloads. CD or SACD will survive a long time... even with a very low %
     
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  18. Helmut

    Helmut Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Germany
    I don't need to argue with you, cause time will give the answer. Nor do I see a reason to insult you.....

    But it's common knowledge, that lots of data in digital formats has already gone lost in recent years.
    Certain bands from the 80s can't remaster or remix their stuff, cause it's not playable anymore. Are they all idiots?
    I'm always open to new technology - but not for the reason of profit for some companies. Few years ago the audio cassette was declared dead and DAT was the way to go. Not to forget the MiniDisc. And all those various formats for video cameras, that no one can play these days anymore....but audio cassettes still play...
    And if a technology is not able to keep the data for eternity and has to be "backed up" every year, I would say that the technology sucks - not the consumer. I don't need to backup my books, photographs and records and CDs.
     
  19. Baba Oh Really

    Baba Oh Really Certified "Forum Favorite" Thread Starter

    Location:
    mid west, USA
    Are you suggesting that DAT tape is somehow less stable than analogue tape?
     
  20. Helmut

    Helmut Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Germany
    My "Japanese" car is just few years old and has a CDplayer, that can't even read mp3....which the one I had before could do...
    I never said that Germany is the world, but I always say that America isn't the world either. All I say is, if America does no longer want physical media, it's fine. But I see no reason to follow everything that America does.
    There are differences in the culture and the thinking. And that's fine - that keeps the world interesting and also moving.
     
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  21. Helmut

    Helmut Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Germany
    Yes, if a DAT tape rips, that's it, you can't fix it and everything is lost. When a cassette tapes rips, you can put it together again and only the damaged part is lost. Also the DAT players were too "fragile". I'm working in the journalistic field and we got DAT-recorders as replacement for cassette players at one point in time. They didn't survive a year, were completely unreliable. So we returned to the good old cassette.
    Sure the sound was better, but reliability and durability are more important. In the meantime the SD card has proven to be a reliable format. But the question how to keep the data in an archive for ages remains.
     
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  22. vonwegen

    vonwegen Forum Resident

    Hilarious that she cannot find her way to Saturn am Hansaring! I guess if it's not next door to a McDonalds...
     
  23. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    No kidding Claus, I would go nuts being 15 today and starting from scratch...
     
  24. Tristero

    Tristero In possession of the future tense

    Location:
    MI
    We commonly hear these kinds of assessments around here--this notion that the decline in dynamic range in modern masterings has something to do with the steep decline in music sales in the last ten years--but there's really no evidence to back it up. We all may be hypersensitive to these issues on this board because we actually can remember a time when things were different, but there's no indication that "fresh, younger, tasteful ears" put the same kind of premium on high quality sound. Given that they're often willing to settle for lower quality MP3's for the sake of convenience, the opposite seems to be true. I recently did an informal little survey on another site that caters more to younger music fans and while a few were unhappy about modern mastering techniques, most of them were either unaware of the issues or apathetic--some even said that they preferred their music to sound jacked up and compressed.

    The reasons for the decline of the music sales are many--increased competition for our entertainment dollars and time due to the rise of the internet; free access to virtually every track under the sun via downloads and streaming--but I really don't think that "low res" redbook releases and bad mastering choices is a significant factor beyond audiophile circles.
     
  25. sankalp1989

    sankalp1989 New Member

    Sorry ,, Lazy to put Punctuation's... I meant , It would not make a come back, coz now a days, its very easy to download anything and everything...
     
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