CDs and Vinyl outselling digital downloads

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by telepicker97, Mar 22, 2018.

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  1. luckybaer

    luckybaer Thinks The Devil actually beat Johnny

    Location:
    Missouri
    Music is a hobby for me, it isn’t something that I put on for background noise.

    I love hunting for good-sounding releases of my favorite bands. I’ve become much more familiar and appreciative of Roxy Music, Elvis Costello, and Led Zeppelin ever since I “got back into music.”

    I enjoy looking at the little booklets and scanning the cover art (making .jpg along with visual scanning) while I wait for my rip to FLAC and conversion to ALAC to finish up. I like learning the DR of individual tracks. I actually like playing the same song over and over - but bouncing back and forth between different releases (Thank goodness CDs and FLAC files are durable - my copies of Led Zeppelin II would be showing extensive wear if this weren’t true).

    I tried going with downloads, but ended up with a lot of poorly mastered releases. It was like buying a car sight unseen. Streaming? Nah... just not for me.

    Hopefully there are enough music lovers (vinyl and CD) to keep physical media alive. I see the appeal of downloads and streaming, but for a control freak like me, they will never have the appeal of physical media and will never take the place of my hobby.
     
  2. Kim Olesen

    Kim Olesen Gently weeping guitarist.

    Location:
    Odense Denmark.
    You are talking about revenue from STREAMING. I am talked about mp3 Amazon and iTunes digital PURCHASES If you don’t make money from those you have the worst distribution deal in history.

    Don’t answer me with a rude “wrong”. I make 50% on digital SALES and not nearly as much on physical cd sales. And this is through a record label. Old stuff that we put out ourselves since they arepast licensing contracts we make 95% on.

    STREAMING: yes that is close to nothing.

    And i too have over a million STREAMS for my music, so there.....

    Fortunately we also have enough SALES to keep the band running.

    STREAMS versus SALES.... get the difference?
     
    telepicker97 likes this.
  3. Solitaire1

    Solitaire1 Carpenters Fan

    My understanding is that Red Book is adequate. Many of the issues with the sound quality of Red Book are not due to that standard but a poor application of the standard (such as poor mastering and The Loudness War). For a related reason, many early CDs didn't sound good because the Record Industry was trying to get a handle on digital recording. Again, it wasn't the standard that was the issue but the application of the standard.

    However, I think that 48kbps/20bit with a filter beginning at 20khz with a gentle slope that would drop to 0db at 24khz would be an adequate improvement over Red Book*. To me, anything higher would offer diminishing returns in terms of sound quality and file size but valid objective testing could change my mind.

    *NOTE: I'm referring to final playback, not to recording, mixing and mastering.
     
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  4. sathvyre

    sathvyre formerly known as ABBAmaniac

    Location:
    Europe
    Make a needledrop with decent equipment and record the album with a professional audio CD recorder...and try to hear a difference !!! If you do it properly, there will be no audible difference for human ears.
     
  5. 7MusicFan6

    7MusicFan6 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maine
    I have a couple of friends in bands, and I have always thought it was helpful to purchase the CD then stream as much as possible. However, I doubt they have even a fraction of the streams you have. So is it basically pointless to try to help them by streaming their music? Keep in mind I will always buy a physical or digital copy no matter what.
     
  6. Kim Olesen

    Kim Olesen Gently weeping guitarist.

    Location:
    Odense Denmark.
    Yes streaming is pointless except for one thing. More streams might get a band on a high profile playlist and that can lead to many more streams. But it takes over a thousand streams to equal one digital sale on iTunes.
     
    troggy likes this.
  7. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    It's universal truth across all styles of music.
     
  8. elaterium

    elaterium Forum Resident

    Yes, you are correct. I realized my mistake quickly but was unable to go back and correct it.
     
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  9. brYantrYin

    brYantrYin Well-Known Member

    An interesting way to release an album nowadays is of course USB ...Seen here by Rosie The Crow, from Cornwall,England for her upcoming May album release of "Weirdiful"

    Rosie The Crow on Instagram: “I’ve made a very special edition run of my album for tomorrow’s gig in London at The Waiting Rooms. Only 20 available tomorrow night. They…”

    It makes sense,it's a physical format ,compact,neat,and modern. It meets the needs of both with a preference for the digital/downloading route ,and those who wish to have the physical release,albeit in a completely different way,with official band logo/keyring/official branded USB.
    I like the idea,I would definitely purchase USB albums
     
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  10. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Outside of this forum, I am the only person I know who still buys Cds.
     
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  11. superstar19

    superstar19 Authentic By Nature

    Location:
    Canton, MI, USA
    Same here. I'm also the only one I know that purchases downloads.
     
    Crimson jon likes this.
  12. Thievius

    Thievius Blue Oyster Cult-ist

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY
    I can only speak for myself, but as a "physical copy" guy, a USB stick would not satisfy my needs at all. That's just digital files on a piece of computer hardware. Give me a professionally pressed disc, then I'm happy. But I understand smaller artists maybe going this route. I totally get it. I just disagree with the notion people who want a physical copy would be happy with a USB.
     
    c-eling likes this.
  13. Remote Control Triangle

    Remote Control Triangle Forum Member Rated 6.8 By Pitchfork

    Location:
    Las Vegas
    An album on a USB stick makes absolutely no sense at all.
     
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  14. Pal Joey

    Pal Joey Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler

    Location:
    New York
    I love increased storage space but USBs are actually too small! I put the hi-rez files from the Paul McCartney box sets on USBs and I'm always losing them.
     
  15. chervokas

    chervokas Senior Member

    That's not true. CD sales, at least in the US, have been down in each of the last six years IIRC, and certainly were down in 2017 vs. 2016. Vinyl sales were up around 9 percent, according to the Nielsen Year-End Report, but the total volume of vinyl sales is so low that it couldn't offset the decline in CD sales. Physical album sales including CD and vinyl were down 16.5 percent in 2017 vs. 2016.
     
    Crimson Witch likes this.
  16. chervokas

    chervokas Senior Member

    Not in the U.S. CD sales dwarf vinyl sales. CD sales are shrinking, and vinyl sales are growing. But total sales of vinyl is tiny compared to total sales of CD which is why even with vinyl growth sales of physical albums continue to decline year over year.

    According to Nielsen, in 2017 sales of vinyl LPs were 13.1 million unit; sales of CD were 85.4 million units, so CDs still outsell LPs on a unit basis by more than 6X annuall in the U.S.

    Sales of vinyl LPs were up 9% year over year; vs. a 19% decline in CD sales. So vinyl sales are growing and CD sales are shrinking. But the total sales of vinyl is so small in the absolute sense that it doesn't offset the decline in the sales of CD. Total physical media sales of music LPs was down more than 16% in 2017, IIRC.
     
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  17. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Perhaps not for you, but a lot of sense to an artist perhaps. Might be easier to mass produce and, if using 1GB sticks, possibly very cheap to make as well (in bulk). And easier to carry around while on tour.

    I'd take a USB stick over a CDR, if an artist was selling them. Works in my car, my laptop and my tablet. Even my phone with an OTG cable.
     
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  18. telepicker97

    telepicker97 Got Any Gum? Thread Starter

    Location:
    Midwest
    Majority of sales must be online - my perception is most likely colored by working in a record store for 3 years, where the majority of people were interested in vinyl, so that's what we ordered/sold. CDs are mostly an afterthought.

    Of course, we did sell CDs...just mostly online via amazon...hmmm...
     
  19. telepicker97

    telepicker97 Got Any Gum? Thread Starter

    Location:
    Midwest
    Right, I can burn my own CD-R.
     
  20. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    ..come and visit the greater Detroit
    metropolitan area ~ a thriving local
    music scene, 27 area record stores,
    weekends are a wonderland - we are
    typically out in droves !
    :)
     
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  21. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    * edit : there is a range of data, taking
    into account various aspects of physical
    media sales. (see my prev. posts)
    RIAA, for instance only includes U.S.
    sales, and then only new product.
    Even still, their figures indicate
    $1.5 billion in sales.

    However one slices or dices it,
    there's a big enough pie.
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2018
  22. jay.dee

    jay.dee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Barcelona, Spain
    I am pretty sure that the majority of my non-second hand CD purchases are not accounted in the sales charts, because I tend to buy directly from independent artists, labels and vendors.

    I suppose there is already a resurgence of CD format among dedicated music fans, as witnessing the crowds in local music stores that were almost deserted a few years ago, but this revival is still offset by the decline of mainstream sales to general public. Once the tracked CD sales drop down to some 3/2 x 1 vinyl ratio the numbers for both formats will stay aligned for a longer time.

    And I am pretty sure the existing physical formats (and downloads) won't disappear from the market any time soon. Streaming is the best option for anyone not particularly attached to specific recordings and masterings, ready to listen to whatever else is available at a given time, but the viable minority will surely want to pay extra to always have their favourite music choices at hand.
     
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  23. brYantrYin

    brYantrYin Well-Known Member

    The CD contains the exact same data as the USB but just on a digital optical disc. And one needs to ask themselves "how often will I actually play this CD"?
    Of the handful of CDs I bought last year I only listened to them once before burning the disc to FLAC or Wav. So when it comes down to it if Rosie The Crow is putting out her new album on Vinyl ,CD,download or USB I'll choose the USB. I just love the new approach ,and the novelty.And I am very much a physical copy music buyer
     
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  24. Thievius

    Thievius Blue Oyster Cult-ist

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY
    Every single time. I listen to music on a stereo, not a computer.

    For me, a pressed CD has more value than CD-R, certainly more than a USB stick. Its more than simply 0's and 1's. Of course when you boil it down the data is exactly that, but as a tangible and physical product its more durable, has art and liner notes, and I can't delete files like an idiot (which I have done). And is less prone to environmental factors than a CD-R. But again, that's me. I'm not saying it wouldn't be perfect for your wants and needs because obviously it is. But I don't think I'm alone in my way of thinking either.

    I could take the USB and burn the data as wav files on a CD-R making it playable on my stereo. But I'd feel like I still didn't own the album and it was only a placeholder until I could buy the CD. Maybe that's irrational, but that's how it is.
     
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  25. Remote Control Triangle

    Remote Control Triangle Forum Member Rated 6.8 By Pitchfork

    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Please, you know as well as I do that it's just a novelty. Once you've copied the contents of the USB stick to your computer, tablet or phone, you'll never use it again. It's a way for an artist to sell a physical product, yes, but they'd be better off focusing on pressing limited edition numbered records or creating limited edition special packages.
     
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