Article seems to mostly be extolling the virtues of the format (which are real and considerable), rather than really proving there's much of a revival afoot. It could just be a temporary uptick caused by us finally arriving at a sales crater, followed by a few major artists who already move physical copies releasing new albums at once. We'll see what happens in 2022 and 2023. Still, either way, it'll likely be the dominant way I consume and archive music for my lifetime. I'm still buying them, scores of them. And at least the shocking decline has allowed me to pick up hundreds of deep-discount pre-owned titles.
Same Although I prefer vinyl , CDs are so cheap it’s hard to pass them up…and for some things like compilations/box sets ..extra tracks…long live shows ..CDs can be better am not convinced the revival is coming…at the record stores I go to CDs are largely ignored by customers These days it’s hard for me to get excited about spending $35-$40 for one new LP if I can get it on CD for $12…. Or if I can walk out with a stack of used CDs
The best part of the article: We all spent the Nineties going to the “record store” (“CD stores” never existed, even though most record stores had no vinyl), browsing the racks, taking something weird home, listening all the way through. You invested time and emotional energy, instead of giving up quick as you do with streams. The disc encouraged you to turn off your “meh” reflex and let yourself hear whatever weird s*** was going on.
When you plunk down hard-earned cash on music, you are much more likely to listen to it multiple times, letting the music simmer in your head, rather than just have an instant “swipe right or left” reaction. Not all music is going to be a favorite based only on the first impressions.
Interesting point in the article about putting music on a device you may not use anymore - an outdated iPod or Mac. I kept all the CD's in the garage, which is big, so I never lost anything. I transferred everything to a new Mac, but it took quite a while. When I have my annual 6 week holiday at the end of the year (beginning around 17 December till end of January) I end up buying a lot of CD's (less of the DVD's nowadays) and that's precisely what I've done again, covering many genres. I watch EBay and pick up CD imports from there. "Jewel Box Heroes" is a good phrase, by the way.
Nice conclusion, but the intro, especially "less cool, less tactile, less sexy, less magical. They didn’t have the aura that we fans crave." seems like revisionist history to me, who was amazed in the early 80s at something that was all rainbow-y and cool, and would let you skip to any track you wanted almost instantly, often via remote control! That was cool and magical then to me. It still is, but it used to be too.
Another consideration in this often discussed format battle are sales in the “used” market, which are not tracked. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been burned time and time and time again by sellers who misgrade their records — or by a record that looks great but has obviously been played at least once by a cartridge with three quarters taped to the head shell. Awful sound on a record I just spent $25 to have shipped to me! CDs, on the other hand, will sound exactly the same as the very first play, and most times scratches don’t cause any clicks or skips unless the disc is just trashed. In that respect, I’m happy to take a chance on a used CD again and again and again vs a record that is graded “NM” when I know the seller is full of sh-t based on their most recent buyer feedback. Therefore, if vinyl was my top choice for physical media, I’d prefer to buy new 90-95% of the time—not used. As a CD buyer, though, I probably buy new about 1 out of every 1000 discs. That means 99.9% of the things I buy don’t count toward current CDs sales figures.
I really believed in CD's for decades...and then, I was some hipster trying to gin-up some clickbait about them at Rolling Stone, and realized on the basis of that alone...I must have been wrong.
When you see today's vinyl carrying an average price tag of $30 to $40, with inflation once again roaring like the great Chicago fire, then walk down the street to your thrifts and yard sales with boxes of $1 compact discs, well....I think even Curly of the Three Stooges would figure it out.
Second mention of $30-$40 vinyl in this thread. I must not be buying the same records as y'all, because I just ran through the receipts for the half dozen LPs I've preordered this month, and they're all between $17 and $23 each. I'm sure there are $30-$40 LPs, I just doubt that's the average.
If you live long enough, hipsters will eventually glom into everything you love. If you're smart, every time it happens, you'll just ignore it. It means nothing.
Generation Records in NYC selling new CDs again. "Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in. It’s 2022 and we have started to sell new CDs again. We restocked hundreds of new titles this week, with many more on the way." Login • Instagram
I love CDs although I’m mostly listening to LPs! I mostly buy the CD version of a box set even when a similar LP version is available
Nice article and the compact disc has been my favorite way to listen to music since I got my first CD player.
All I can add is that ever since I started buying CDs, I've never stopped! Long live the compact disc.
The new Elvis Costello is not an outlier…plenty of new LPs in the $30s… paying $35 for a new LP is just tough for me..sorry
