Vice: Does Anyone in the World Still Buy CDs?

I bought that Matching Mole CD used from Volcanic Tongue in Glasgow a few years back. It's also been reissued by Esoteric, and there's a BGO version. Matching Mole would be considered mainstream by Volcanic Tongue standards. They basically specialised in outsider music, and I don't mean Bon Iver. Sadly, they had to closed their shop due to touring commitments.

 

The thrift selection is superb here, a populated area with affluent communities nearby. The local Goodwill charges $2.00 each for CD's not such a good thing, but also lots of out of production stuff, hard to find, and some MFSL audiophile CD's show up. Among the CD's are like new examples, lots of good stuff, and fun to sift through!

 

22 CDs the last 10 days for me.

 

15 on the way to me soon

 

I think it's only a matter of time until CDs are 'cool' again. Pretty soon, old disc mans will start re-appearing in the hands of trendsetters and young men with well-groomed facial hair will flood CD aisles talking about how they appreciate dynamic range as much as their craft beer. I'll discreetly roll my eyes and carry on. Until then, I'll enjoy the relative peace and quiet of bargain hunting in the CD aisles!

 

Can't stop buying.....about to inject about $200 in Amazon gift cards and rewards points for the cause!

 

I don't buy more at one time than I can "digest", but I have been buying more than I have in the past. Prices are low, and with Amazon Prime it's quick and free shipping.
Been enjoying some Blue Oyster Cult cds that filled a hole in my collection nicely.

 

i stopped buying cds in 1999 when i first discovered downloading. oh sure, i still bought the odd one but these days if i want something physical i'll buy it on vinyl.

 

In the last month I purchased more than 30 used CDs from Europe and US. All classical once full price DG, Decca & EMI releases, now just between 3 and 6 EUR right in my mailbox at home...

 

The CDs I've been buying lately have been the 5 or so albums in one package sets. They go for around $10 to $20, and are a total steal, especially when you compare their per-song prices to what it would cost through iTunes.

 

I'm really gonna have to check out the local Goodwill stores... Even if they'd be asking $2.00 for used CDs locally, I'd have no problem with that... Last thrift store I went to (not Goodwill) had very little in the way of CDs, and not too much of interest-I almost bought a Belinda Carlisle CD though, and may pick it up if it's there next time I stop...

 

Just bought 4 more today so nyaaah.

 

I was about to ask why you're even here...then I read the last 5 words.

 

For me, I could not care less if CD's are popular, unpopular, used as beer coasters, used as Frisbees, or never made again....until they come out with something with better sound, I will acquire them. And yes, some day something will have better sound, but probably not in my life time.

 

I am still a big supporter of CDs.
Buy lots from Amazon.
Is there a benefit to me getting Amazon Prime or an Amazon Credit Card besides free shipping?
Thanks Glen

 

I see a lot of people here talking about buying used cds. that's great...but isn't that missing the point? I know that in previous discussions of vinyl sales people get miffed when you try to bring up the sales of used records.

 

I like and, agree with everything Mr. Mike Campbell has posted. Sir, I couldn't have said it any better.
I own over 300 CD's on Sinatra alone, not interested in not having a physical item in my hand.

 

So did I

 

used records have scratches and flaws you can't initially spot.

 

I buy used but I buy a lot of new as well. New - usually online. Locally - used because that's mostly what they have. I occasionally buy new CDs locally if they're available but usually the old CDs have the better masterings so I tend to gravitate toward those.

I don't necessarily buy CDs to keep the format alive or worry if I'm sending money to the artists. If those things happen as a by-product, great. Best possible scenario. But my first priority as a consumer is getting the best bang for my buck and the best sounding music. If new remasters were truly upgrades, I would buy them more often. Sadly that's usually not the case. So yeah I'll pick up an old used Diament 'Song Remains The Same' over the newer remaster every day of the week.

 

Bought nine at our local Record Show yesterday - all OOP, rare or just hard-to-find. Blues
Magoos and Flo and Eddie on Rhino, Michael Giles, Marianne Faithful, Jack Bruce, J.B.
Lenoir, Ian Dury.....

 

Hard drives and iPods die. Neglected to make a back up of your files before they do? Oops. Sorry, no more music library.

Unless my house burns down, my CDs will always be available to me. So THAT's what the actual f**k.

(That said, sending a demo CD these days as mentioned in the article is probably not too logical, because demos aren't so much meant to be kept forever.)

 

I left the cd world for the most part back in 2000 and was full on vinyl, but I kept them all, still played plenty of them when the vinyl option wasn't an option.

Lately I have been listening to more cd's than vinyl, mainly due to the fact that I had simply forgotten how good many of them sound. Just like vinyl, it goes on a case by case basis with me anyway. There is good and bad in both formats equally as such.

 

I still buy a handful of CD's on occasion, but not nearly as much as I did in the 90's.

 

Four CDs over the weekend from my local indie (the fourth when I couldn't score the vinyl); three more in the mail today; another seven mail-ordered last Thursday.

Typical year for me this decade is about a 15:3:2 CD/vinyl/tape ratio, spread across 150-175 total titles. (There's a trace element of download-only albums.)