Interesting vinyl/Cd article

I wrote something similar almost two years ago:

The Quietus | Opinion | Black Sky Thinking | Perfect Sound For A Little Longer: In Defence Of The CD

 

I beginning to think a lot of people don't know what an AUX port,
or what stereo cables are, or even how to hook up anything to a stereo.

If you refuse to buy a car, because it doesn't have a CD player,
then something is very, very wrong.

I drive a 97 maxima with a cassette deck. I tried the cassette to
CD adapter, but it doesn't work because the deck is autoreverse,
and also seeks tracks.

I am using a USB transmitter (Not even a bluetooth one):
https://www.amazon.com/FM-Transmitters-MP3-Player-Accessories/b?ie=UTF8&node=13981621

I can connect my phone, a portable CD player, a minidisc player,
or even an MP3 Player, the picture is hilariously out of scale!

its just the size of a normal cassette.


There are tons of options, if you can't find one, you're not looking hard enough.

later
-1

 

I’m sure the content would be different.

 

I remember it - great piece. Makes a lot of sense. If you look at any news bulletins about upcoming multi-disc box sets, invariably someone will throw a tantrum if there’s no vinyl release – despite the fact that it would need a price point of €175 to make money for the label.

 

Whatever the future holds, glad to see Paul Sinclair at SuperDeluxeEdition lay it all out and advocate for his readers.

I wonder about the extent to which trends differ - if at all - between the UK and the US.

Maybe not much but would like to see other reissue sites (like theseconddisc) similarly engage and look at data - and advocate - for US consumers.

 

I believe that when this all settles out, there will be an equilibrium in the market between vinyl, CDs, and cassette tapes. It has been well established that the market still wants physical media, and nostalgia plays a large part in people’s format decisions.

Music producers would do well to remain diversified and offer the public a choice of format. I’m a died in the wool vinyl guy, but I also value CDs and cassettes, both of which comprise a part of my music collection. I think the market will eventually become diversified so that multiple formats are available in the same music store.

 

It may be useful to note that copying and pasting the full text of SDE’s copyrighted essay here, as this post does, vividly underlines some of the forces at work around this topic.

 

You only need to visit Twist & Shout in Denver to see that-Vinyl, CDs, even cassettes (don't get it, sorry) new, used, re-issues, all genres, with a customer base that spans every age group. There's an intentionality to physical formats (particularly vinyl) that doesn't exist with streaming. People like the physical THING. It's not just music-a few years ago people were predicting the end of printed books. Everyone would read on Kindles. Hasn't happened. Chain stores and Amazon would wipe out independent bookstores. They took a huge hit, but the best ones have survived and thrived. Not so Borders. I value my records and CDs. Sure, I stream in the car, it's convenient, but if I like something enough, I buy it on vinyl. Plus, you can't roll a joint on a download.

 

Thanks for sharing the article! It was an interesting read and, even though I much prefer vinyl records over CDs, I don't dispute it. There's one thing, though.

"Fans who have bought CDs for 30 years aren’t going to suddenly dump everything off at their local charity shop and be happy to ‘rent’ all their music monthly from a streaming service..."

I think this is happening, actually. There are tons of CDs at the thrift shops - good stuff, too. It's a good time to buy cheap CDs if that's your thing.

 

I bought a brand new BMW X1 less than a year ago and had a CD player fitted in it, BMW are still offering it as an option.

 

Same feeling. Anecdotal as always but most people don't have the same fetish with physical media as some of us here do.

Just in my own family...I actually have all my mom's CD's in my garage right now. My parents switched to CD's in 1986/1987 timeframe and about a year before I jumped in, the first CD player I had ever heard was theirs. Looks like they had amassed about 50 CD's over the last 30+ years.

I'm being tasked to rip the songs she wants, put them onto iTunes Music as she's already donated her CD player / receiver / speakers to Goodwill. It hasn't been used in many years now and she's just downsized her living space. She's happy to just play these off her iPad, her iPhone or her Echo device.

 

very true- I went to a Newbury comics last week to sell off some of my vinyl. I've never been to this store before but they had a huge section of used cds. pretty equal to the vinyl but in better shape

 

Yeah my '18 Subaru has one. It also has two USB ports and Bluetooth. I don't think I've ever played a CD in that car.

 

Here, the nadir was just over 200,000. I must have been one of a few thousand vinyl buyers at the time.

 

Presumably 1993.

I remember a couple of weeks before U2's Zooropa came out. I asked my local shop to order me a vinyl copy. On release day, I called to collect it.
"So how many vinyl copies did you get in?"
"Two - another guy also asked about one last week"
"As a matter of interest, how many CDs and tapes?"
"300 CDs, 150 cassettes"

Around three weeks later, I saw a vinyl copy of Zooropa behind the counter.
"Did that other guy not pick it up or did you get more in?"
"He rang to say he changed his mind and took it on CD instead"

It was still there at Christmas and reduced to half-price. I took it off his hands then.

 

The nadir was actually around 2007. RSD is credited with starting the revival, but I noticed a few independent stores were stocking new vinyl in the years preceding this date.

 

US album sales for 2019:

CD .... 44.9 million units

Vinyl .. 10.7 million units

https://www.buzzanglemusic.com/wp-content/uploads/BuzzAngle-Music-2019-US-Report-Industry.pdf