Will CDs ever enjoy a renaissance like the "Vinyl Revival"?

I was pondering this today as I was thinking about how Technics Tracks was shutting down and we are always hearing about how Tidal is struggling. If downloads are going away and we are going to be left with nothing but low-quality streaming, will the market eventually realize that CD is still a decent format for high quality sound (higher quality than Spotify, per se) and return as a luxury format like the LP has?

 

I think the CD isn't likely to get a revival because lossless streaming and lossless downloads (eg FLAC) make owning a CD less important. Plus a high quality download of cover art can easily be better than a CD booklet.

Also for those who care about quality 24 bit can be downloaded. Downloads can also do lossless 5.1.

In Australia (and perhaps elsewhere) even our main music stores have very little stock. Most of what I buy isn't available at JB or any other store I know of.

I'll be playing CDs for the rest of my life as I own thousands. But I don't see much future for the format.

 

I don’t know about a CD revival. But perhaps someone will innovate with a new high-quality physical format (also doubtful—about everyone I know lossy-streams now. Hard to beat the convenience).

 

Other. Or let's just say i ain't gonna make the same mistake twice....i.e. the mistake i made with my original vinyl collection.

 

Yes, guaranteed.

 

Do you predict that CDs will ever experience a renaissance like vinyl?

 

Everything I want to buy is readily available on CD so I still don't see the whole "The CD is dying out" panic. As long as I can continue to buy my music on my choice of physical media (CD) I am fine and happy about it. I'm not worried about it going away. However, I doubt it will ever be the juggernaut it once was. Too many choices now. And too many people aren't interested in having a physical copy of their music so they just do things like streaming.

 

I agree that brick and mortar retail for CDs is in decline but I don't see it as terminal. Vinyl is increasing its shelf space.

I look for other but settled for return as a niche format. My view is that niche would not be a return because its heading in that direction at the moment.

I agree. It will be about choice. There wont be a "revival" because while they will decline, cds won't sink as low as vinyl did in the 90s. I can't understand the premise that cds are either already dead or will decline interminably to "nil". Decline as a dominant format is old news. I can't see why there would be a mass movement back to CDs. Casual listeners don't buy music any more. They stream. The non-casual market is not that large (and it never was IMHO).

 

At the present time, it doesn't seem plausible that CDs could ever achieve the cachet of vinyl records. However, it isn't possible to predict how they may come to be regarded by some future generation.

My guess would be there's unlikely to be a vinyl-like revival because the digital information contained in CDs is readily transferred to other formats without any degradation - arguably it can lead to an improvement in sound quality. Either way, there's little advantage in going back to the original CD after the information has been transferred.

 

I can't disagree with any of that except that for some people (including future consumers) the physical still holds appeal.

 

Once they've been out of print for a decade or so........YES.

 

I have a hunch that once streaming hits a saturation point and has killed off all physical media - the labels may try a kitschy return of older formats. We've already seen it happen with vinyl to some extent.

 

They haven't gone away yet.

 

sadly the Cd must die... and I use my current cd rom shuttle drive as a cup holder.

 

problem with Cd is it can be manufactured by anyone.
but like all physical media i don't think it will ever completely die. Just become niche like vinyl.

 

Cassettes and mom jeans are back in fashion amongst the hipsters, so, yeah, CDs will come back in vogue too.

 

They won't "come back" because they've never gone away. They will merely shrink into niche status, like every other format like vinyl, cassette, etc.

 

I don't see a need for them to go totally extinct. I think a higher-bitrate digital standard is overdue now that storage is no longer in the equation, but even that would only take down loudness-war discs. And certain artists and OOP titles and mixes will remain collectible on any format.

 

No. They will not. Let the dream die.

 

I don't believe vinyl has become popular due to SQ but because it a more tactile relationship with the music. Browsing a second hand records store in Leeds and most people in their were probably aged 20 - 25 and the things they were latching on to was album covers the whole art aspect.

Most people I know over 40 uses Kindle yet most people I know under 25 read books. Sat on the bus reading a book and kid about 14 asked what it was, he said it looks good I mentioned Kindle and he waxed lyric about making a connection with the story if your holding the book and you can smell the pages.

So what has CD got going for it, the covers not worth looking at, it clutters your life and how do you play it if even your laptop doesn't have a DVD drive. If an interest in SQ emerges again streaming or using a player with a usb is going to better CD, could be a Dodo and not a Phoenix. But then again people spend money on things you can't understand, we're relying on sad people here folks.

I'm stuck with it so as long as there's downloadable music & CD-Rs I'll manage. However if my CDP went West I'd buy a streamer.

The answer music on floppy discs.

My other prediction the death of the album it's going to much more vibrant much like the old 12" releases you snatched up as music rushed along, why wait for a album if you've just recorded a groundbreaking song.

 

You make it sound as though time has stopped, maybe but it's just starting for more and more people.

 

It never went away and is already a niche format.

 

They will return, but for us oldies, not in our lifetime's.

 

I have given up on JB. Some of their newer Metal titles are nearly $30. They are way overpriced when it comes to anything remotely not pop music.

 

Most people wouldn't spend a dime on music in physical format not even at gunpoint