Anyone Bought Commercially Released CDs That Seem to BE CD-Rs?

I got one of those Amazon type CD-R things years ago, but it was an actual silver disc, an It Bites album but a generic silver disc with artwork. It ripped in dbpoweramp as the confirmed album, but it clearly wasn’t a proper virgin records disc. Very strange

The booklet was terrible quality

It was actually sold as the official release.....

 

I had no idea this was going on, and has obviously been going on for some time. I rarely buy CDs from Amazon - i can always find the older titles on Ebay or discogs cheaper, and the new releases Ive bought have all been genuine.

So does this show that (legit) CDs arent being made in the same numbers any more? Are we heading for a time when genuine cds are in short supply? Is there a pattern of certain genres or record companies being released as cd-Rs?

The Beatles Rubber Soul sold as cr-R has particularly surprised me: I cannot believe there is a shortage of THOSE cds! Who is making these decisions as to which titles to stop stocking?

 

These threads do worry me.

I buy the majority of my CDs from Amazon, and as far as I’m aware, none of them have been CD-Rs. When I’m ordering something, I always check the product details to see if it states that the title is manufactured on demand. It’s worrying that this info is now not being included. I don’t fancy taking pot luck when I order something..

I will double check everything from now onwards. If it’s MOD, it goes back.

 

First I ever heard of this (as it happens I recently bought that Coverdale Page cd, luckily an original Japan cd) but I would absolutely freak if I got a CD-R sent to me by anyone let alone Amazon.

 

This is scandalous if it isn't CLEARLY indicated that the item is CD-R/DVD-R.

 

There is a good/active thread about this here already (not just Amazon but other companies as well that are doing this).

Anyone Bought Commercially Released CDs That Seem to BE CD-Rs?

We've gone into details in that thread about Amazon's practices regarding this, including that if you post a review and mention that you were disappointed/shocked/etc to have received a CDR when you thought you were getting a CD that Amazon will reject your review. There are ways to try to determine that they are selling CDR instead of CD but they make it harder and harder to tell anymore.

Anyone that gets sent a CDR from Amazon and was expecting a manufactured CD can complain to them and return it for a refund, at least so far anyways. I recommend that the OP do that unless he is happy with his purchase (I personally would not accept it).

 

I don't mean to answer for @Dr. Luther's Assistant, but I found it interesting that this link shows the JVC manufactured Taiyo Yudens. The JVCs have proven in my experience to be every bit as reliable as the original TYs. But JVC stopped distributing these in 2015, when the rights to the original TY formula were sold to CMC Magnetics, who now market the TY blanks under the name CMC Pro.

I guess it's possible this seller (not Amazon; it's a 3rd party seller) still has some old JVC stock, but they may actually be the CMC Pros.

I always have just a slight nagging about them because CMC themselves are NOT a quality manufacturer. But having said that, even these CMC Pro/TYs have been reliable in my experience so far.

 

Looks like them. Different packaging, though. The ones I got seemed to be straight from the factory. Generic packaging. I was getting them from some place called Media Supply, I think.

 

* I defer to @no.nine

 

That’s my main beef here

 

No, but I love that his ex-wife is giving away what I presume was "his" money before the divorce to charity (to the tune of $4.2 BILLION dollars).

MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, says she gave $4.2 billion to charity

 

Taiyo Yuden/ JVC are no longer made in Japan. CMC now makes them in Taiwan supposedly using the TY formula

Not sure of the quality but CMC did not have a great rep back in the day.

Any TY/ JVC made in Japan offered on Amazon is most likely old stock but probably still good so grab them while you can

 

Yeah, I recently stumbled onto some actual vintage real T-Y DVD blanks. Was afraid being like 10 years old (or however long its been since T-Y sold everything off) that they would have degraded but except for about 5-10 on the top of the spindle the rest were perfect.

 

Good advice but it's a little late for the OP after 5 years. If it still plays he's probably gotten his money's worth even though the seller failed to disclose. I broke down and knowingly purchased a used, hard to find, OJC jazz title CD that was a (record company) CDR a few years ago. I'm glad I did as it has been surprisingly durable and I've enjoyed the music

 

I'm aware of this. That the Taiyo Yudens are currently made in Taiwan by CMC is not a problem in itself. IF they're using the original TY formula as claimed, then these should still be, along with MAM-A (formerly Mitsui), the highest quality blanks available. My concern would be whether or not CMC has been cutting corners or altering the formula in any way, and we can't know that. But as I said earlier, my experience with them so far has been good.

 

Good to know you have not had any problems with current CMC product. The real test will be the test of time to see if they degrade with age which was/is an issue with some made in Taiwan branded CDR's line the old CMC and Ritek brands.

I have never had an issue with Made in Japan TY CDR's even as they age. Hopefully the CMC is true yo the TY formula and quality.

I was a big fan of Taiyo Yuden and Mitsui back in thed day so now use MAM-A exclusively and had no issues.

 

Yes, time is the real test. It's heartening to know that CMC Pro/TYs seem to be up to standard, but with only 5 years under their belt, it's probably too soon to feel 100% confident about them just yet.

 

The Rockbeat Records CD reissue of the Christmas album of Buck Owens and Susan Raye together is a CD-R with a silkscreened label but it is remastered from the master tapes.

 

It has a unique mastering? I thought all/most CD-R's are just duped from existing CD masterings.

 

Thanks for the warning.

 

Yes, it does have a unique mastering as this was the first time the album had ever been issued on CD.

 

thats awful..I've been ordering all my cds new and older from Bullmoose too lately. Especially after one of the Amazon drivers ran over and tore up my newly landscaped lawn. good times.

 

Ok, wow, was I surprised to see this! I borrowed The Black Crowes "Before the Frost" CD from the library. It's a black disc and, although that's not necessarily a guarantee that a disc is a burned CDR, this one looks dubious to me. The label side has a texture to make it look like a vinyl record (something I recall seeing on some CDR media back in the day) and the silkscreened art is limited to the hub area. I see there are some photos of it on discogs:

The Black Crowes - Before The Frost...

It becomes even more questionable when you look at this other version which is clearly a typical silver factory disc:

The Black Crowes - Before The Frost...

I don't have Nero InfoTool setup on my PC or I could confirm this. Anyone else confirm this one?

-s1m0n-

 

I have a Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors which is a black CD. It does have an SID code stamped next to the hole on the playing surface showing that it is a factory pressed CD.

So if there is an SID code - IFPI followed by a four numbers/letters it should be a real CD.

 

Amazingly, there is! The text is crazy small (I had to get out my loupe) but it's there, "IFPI 7239". I also got Nero InfoTools working and it sees it as a factory CD too.

-s1m0n-