Parting with CDs

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Adam9, Aug 10, 2019.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. audiomixer

    audiomixer As Bald As The Beatles

    Digital out from my desktop to my preamp. Happy camper!
     
    walrus and Synthfreek like this.
  2. audiomixer

    audiomixer As Bald As The Beatles

    :righton:
     
    Mirror Image likes this.
  3. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    Moral of the story:

    EVERYONE should get rid of their CDs. Frankly I don't know why you dead-enders are hanging on to those outdated repositories of the digital data our corporate masters would like us to pay for again -- every month, in fact.

    Do it now so that you can free up wall space for that . . . sculpture thing made of sticks you saw at Pier One. They're very zen, very hip.

    Anyway, you should sell or donate all your CDs, so that they end up on eBay for a penny plus shipping. I'll be waiting, finger poised over the Buy-It-Now button . . .
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2019
  4. Eric S.

    Eric S. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Olympic Peninsula
    I like to browse through the CDs on the shelves in my "solitude room" at home, but when I see something I want to listen to I play the ripped files off of my computer. I really need to find a good Foobar theme that would let me scroll through the album art when I'm looking for something to play. Anyone have suggestions?
     
    Eric_Generic likes this.
  5. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    I wish I knew too. Almost every file in my collection has an image attached to it.
     
  6. pseudopod

    pseudopod Dig Yourself

    Location:
    Winnipeg, Manitoba
    I'm talking about most people. You and a small percentage are an exception. Most people don't even have a main system. They take up too much space just like their music collections did.
     
    Eric_Generic likes this.
  7. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    You can stream lossless to your phone.
     
  8. malcolm reynolds

    malcolm reynolds Handsome, Humble, Genius

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    I will always be a physical media guy. I spent most of yesterday looking at the books from the Bob Dylan Bootleg Series box sets while listening to the CDs.
     
  9. jimac51

    jimac51 A mythical beast.

    Location:
    Allentown,pa.
    Hurry up on that Pier One thingy. 145 stores gone by the end of this year. This time next year,with a dark forecast for anything imported into the U.S. costs more. This time next year,maybe Pier Zero.
     
  10. reddyempower

    reddyempower Forum Resident

    Location:
    columbus, oh, usa
    This article isn't really about CDs, though it leads to discussion about them. It's more about the writer dealing with change.
    It's pleasant enough, and I can relate to a lot of what he feels, but I won't be getting rid of my CDs.

    It's funny, because I just love streaming and am thankful to live in a time when so much music is there on demand. I also love vinyl and consider it the main way to listen.

    And I've been buying CDs since 1987 and it is burned into me. I love Cd's and I always will.

    So I'm actually bugged that they aren't quite necessary. When I buy a CD now, it's instantly ripped and put into my computer then backed onto 2 external hard drives. In the car, I tend to stream it from Apple Music. If I want it lossless, my car can play WAV from USB. I don't actually need the CD. This is true of every CD I own. Even the ones that aren't available to stream, I have a lossless copy and can play anytime.

    Funny, with the advent of streaming, I wouldn't have bothered spending months ripping my collection as I did 10 years ago in order to more easily update/change/curate my ipod classic. But I did, and the insta-rep has now deeply habituated.

    It also bugs me that my car does not play CDs. Even though I almost never played Cds in my last car, at least I knew I could. Now if I buy a CD from a local act at a show, I can't play it on the way home.

    Not the first CD I bought, but the longest one I've owned is Desperado by the Eagles. 1988 I paid 16.99 plus 5% sales tax. Back then $18 got you 72 songs on jukebox. Since I only owned 6 or 7 cds then, I probably played it 10-15 times the first two months I had it. I don't actually remember, this is just an educated guess. And of course now I have the lossless files on my hard drive (I don't believe you can buy this mastering digitally other than used CD). I don't feel ripped off or silly about paying that much back then. Well worth it IMO.

    In 2000, I lost my only copy of Eat a Peach by the Allmans during a move. As soon as I discovered it missing, I went out and bought another. Within two hours. I didn't want to be without such an essential work, didn't want to ever reach for it and have it not be there, leaving me unable to listen.

    This would now not be an issue. I can hear it anytime I want. But if I somehow lost my copy (I actually have three copies now) I would do the same thing, replace it immediately (though would have to order online now).

    Anyway, this article is nothing to get put out over. He's not being a jerk. Reminds me of the "autobiographical" album reviews you sometimes see where the good but not great writer is actually discussing his own life.

    Streaming, for me, does what it's supposed to do, which is to let me listen on demand to a larger collection. I love it. But my CD's are MY collection. I trust them more than the external drives.I've had hard drives fail, which is why I always have two and rotate them every two years. I've only had one CD fail. They are a great way to store digital files. They do take up space, but that's what a dedicated music room is for.
     
    Eric_Generic likes this.
  11. Frank Discussion

    Frank Discussion Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    I'll get rid of my CD's when I decide to get rid of my vinyl LP's. Started collecting in the 1960's. No plans to downsize yet.
     
  12. walrus

    walrus Staring into nothing

    Location:
    Nashville
    That's like automatically thinking vinyl means playing records on a Fisher Price portable record player.

    I can run FLAC files or any streaming through a nice DAC and headphone amp, and I probably get better audio from that than any consumer-level CD drive.
     
    Lost In The Flood likes this.
  13. pseudopod

    pseudopod Dig Yourself

    Location:
    Winnipeg, Manitoba
    I never said you couldn't. All I'm saying is most people use the crappy little speakers on their phones because they don't want to bother having a proper audio system in their home.
     
  14. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Most people don't care about audio quality. A clippy MP3 doesn't bother them, so there's no reason to spend money on something "better".

    Much as I keep my old 18-year-old CRT TV because I don't care about HD video, most people keep their MP3s because they don't care about improved audio.
     
    siveld and pseudopod like this.
  15. RicB

    RicB Certified Porcupine Tree Fan

    Location:
    Pacific NW, USA
    I'm in the process of doing this now. It's a long slow journey for me (just like collecting), and I'm not treating it as all-or-nothing. I certainly plan to keep some (even many) CDs that have some special meaning. As a "completist" for certain (just a couple) bands, it see it as silly to break up that complete and extensive collection. I've picked up CDs from little nobodies that I saw in a club and they're a souvenir from an enjoyable time. Others are signed or are out of print or are rarities of some other kind. For opera, I want to keep the libretto, so I may as well keep the whole thing.

    But, on the other hand, I'm giving away to the library, hundreds of CDs in which I've had only passing or infrequent interest. Before I do so, however, I've copied each onto my Mac (and backed it up) in Apple Lossless format with key metadata from CD booklet. I'm not sure if it's "legal" for me to keep the electronic version of a CD I purchased and then gave away, but I'm willing to risk it.

    In some ways, the process of revisiting each CD in my collection to ask myself, do I really need/want this anymore is fun as well. I've rediscovered (and rekindled) old loves and laughed at my younger self for some mistakes in taste. One question to ask yourself is - if this were stolen and the insurance company paid me for it - would I repurchase the CD or keep the money? It often tips the balance to the latter when you know you have a fully-lossless electronic copy regardless.

    To each their own. I get the joy of collecting and having certain nice things (books will be even harder for me!), but I've enjoyed the process of "down-sizing" my physical music collection.
     
  16. pseudopod

    pseudopod Dig Yourself

    Location:
    Winnipeg, Manitoba
    I agree. I keep my mp3's too. They are convenient when you are on the go, although I prefer vinyl at home. The difference is I know what's in my collection and am not at the mercy of some streaming company choosing what music I have access to.
     
    InStepWithTheStars likes this.
  17. lc1995

    lc1995 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    I'm only 24 and I love my CDs, I will keep buying them as long as they continue to be made.

    However, I do plan on giving away the ones I don't like (blind purchases) to make room. Which is only a few of them so far.
     
    dalem5467 and Andrew Smith like this.
  18. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    We're just about the same age and I feel the same way. There's a few I picked up that I really have no need for, or I bought duplicates for whatever reason, and most of those I'm selling here and on Discogs. But these little things just make me happy, and I love 'em!!
     
    lc1995 and Eric_Generic like this.
  19. The Elephant Man

    The Elephant Man Forum Resident

    This has been a glorious time for buying used CDs. Some places have them for $2, $1, $.50, $.10.
    Can't beat that! Last year I bought a batch of the Bowie Japanese RCA CDs for $.50 each. Box sets for $5 or less!

    For future generations, these years will be known as 'The Age of the Acquisition of Enlightenment'.
    Students will be taught how groups of rogue music fans roamed through media fields and dirty streets gleaning
    used CDs donated and tossed away from the pillars of the streaming society who liberated themselves from the shackles of owning too many CDs and DVDs!
    It's similar to 20 years ago when I was filling in the cracks of my vinyl collection. People were giving those things
    away, too!
    :--)
     
  20. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    No, a lot of people can't afford having a proper audio system in their home.
     
  21. pseudopod

    pseudopod Dig Yourself

    Location:
    Winnipeg, Manitoba
    I know plenty of people who can afford it. It's just not a priority.
     
    ARK likes this.
  22. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    Keep in mind that you live in a country with less poverty.
     
  23. markreed

    markreed Forum Resident

    Location:
    Imber
    Exactly. When everyone was ditching their vinyl in 1997-2003, I was picking up nearly perfect used copies of Bowie, Floyd, Joy Division, Cure etc., and so on for £1-2 each. I got Kraftwerks 1-2 double for £10, and Ralf & Florian for £5.
     
  24. tineardrum

    tineardrum Forum Resident

    Location:
    91765
    It's articles like these that lure people into selling their CDs for cheap. This is a great time to buy CDs. It is truly a buyer's market. CDs are more robust than a hard drive and don't degrade on every play or snap, crackle, and pop like vinyl. Most of all - you're not just renting your music in perpetuity as those who stream exclusively do. To each their own. I like a little of everything.
     
  25. bosskeenneat

    bosskeenneat Forum Resident

    I wonder what would happen if you went to a convention of committed Edison cylinder & 78 RPM collectors and fed them this exact mindset, with their formats replacing the CD term. Don't think you'd make it out without some bodily injury.
     
    Lost In The Flood likes this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine