Jewel-Box Heroes: Why the CD Revival Is Finally Here

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, Jan 19, 2022.

  1. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Same here. $20 is about average for me, for a 1LP release. But I generally avoid classic rock reissues, I gravitate more towards indie releases.

    Still...new CD prices have been creeping up a bit, these last few years. Used CD's, for me, not so much yet but I figure price increases will likely become inevitable - already saw this happen with used vinyl in the last decade.
     
  2. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Exactly. CDs were amazing at the time: you could program them, you could easily move to whatever song you wanted, they were much more impervious to damage vs. vinyl, they didn't degrade with play like vinyl and cassette.

    There's a reason millions dumped their records in the 80s. CDs really did seem special and exciting.

    That quote you post is revisionist. Vinyl seemed old and tired in the 80s. It started to rebound in the 90s when acts like Pearl Jam championed it, and that trend continues to this day, but CDs had a real aura and magic in the 80s.
     
  3. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I'm an avid purchaser of used CDs and I love the fact that I don't really need to worry about condition.

    Honestly, when I see a CD I want, I hardly ever even bother to look at its condition. As long as I don't see anything overtly awful, I figure it'll be okay.

    And 99% of the time I'm correct. I buy lots of used CDs and maybe 1% have playback errors.

    Some look less lovely than I'd like, but I can live with that if the CD's cheap enough.

    And if the jewel case is damaged, it's cheap/easy to replace it. I can also usually replace damaged inserts if I desire with little cost or expense.

    Used vinyl just seems like a nightmare to me!
     
    HD23, billnunan, BeatlesBop and 10 others like this.
  4. skyblue17

    skyblue17 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    I've purchased more CDs in the past year and a half than the decade prior, but mostly for collectible reasons. I loved CDs as a teenager, and I loved making mixes for friends and burning them onto CD using my computer, but now the access to CDs is a little harder. I have a CD player but it's nothing fancy, and I have a Walkman, but I'm probably not going to invest in higher quality CD players.
     
    danielbravo likes this.
  5. hodgo

    hodgo Tea Making Gort (Yorkshire Branch) Staff

    Location:
    East Yorkshire
    Moderator Note.

    Talk about the possible revival of CD's but do NOT turn this thread into vinyl vs CD or any other kind of format war type thread!
    This!

    Some of us already think that way and love and buy both formats. For those who don't please don't criticise whatever formats you don't listen to.
     
    sjaca, Gavaxeman, vegafleet and 23 others like this.
  6. apricissimus

    apricissimus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Malden, MA, USA
    The article makes the point of CDs being the ideal format for box set reissues. I agree with this. Vinyl is unweildy and with streaming and digital downloads you lose out on booklets, liner notes, essays, photographs, etc. I get the impression that most people don't care about that stuff though.

    As far as I know, there's no market for physical books/liner notes with a download code rather than CDs, but I could be persuaded to purchase something like that, I think. But only if the book is content-rich, and not just a vehicle for the download code.
     
  7. cdollaz

    cdollaz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Richmond, TX, USA
    It is going to be a sad day if/when cds stop being produced. My music purchases will drop to essentially $0 (more money for concerts, I guess). At that point, there is no reason not to just use Spotify and the like.
     
  8. Dave S

    Dave S Forum Resident

    Although I love to support record stores, it's hard to justify $16.99 on The Bends or $15.99 on an Iron Maiden remaster, especially when I've just seen the former in a 2 for 99p charity shop offer. But there is a case for stocking latest releases or reissues, as well as more leftfield and obscure titles. Used CDs are also a good option if you are selective about the releases you stock.
     
    MC Rag likes this.
  9. I wasn't going to quote the whole post, but this is me as well.


    In Australia, many new release LP's are $45 to $65. Now that's in Australian dollars. But, still, when a new release CD is $23, there's a hell of a difference! The trouble, as usual these days, is the sound quality. CD's were great for 12 years then suddenly they got louder until they got too loud. Most records - no, not all - sound better than their CD counterparts. Could they please stop making CD's that sound like crap when they have the ability to make them sound amazing?

    Look where I am. Preaching to the choir. But either I've missed it or nobody else has mentioned this yet?
     
  10. UTP

    UTP Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rotterdam
    Great article! There are billions of CD's out there and most new releases are still on CD.
    That's why I bought a new CD player to replace my Yamaha 5CD changer. The Yamaha is still working fine but when my local hifi shop had a great ex-demo deal for an Exposure 2010S2 CD player I grabbed it. It is definitely a step up in SQ from the Yamaha.

    Exactly. Streaming is great for discovering new music. If I play it a lot it's going on my Discogs wishlist. Some things are good on vinyl and some are better on CD. I'm thinking about buying the new Clapton record; Lady in the Balcony. I think it'll suit me better on CD so I'm gonna go with that.

    Reading this article made me log in to Discogs and do some Friday afternoon CD shopping :whistle:

    [​IMG]

    I'd love to have the 2017 Imelda May album on vinyl but it is over €65 so I'll take the CD for €1,25 :D
     
  11. Swordsandchains

    Swordsandchains True metal never rusts

    Location:
    Chicago
    I love cds but check in with me next January on how sales are doing when there isnt a new Adele, Taylor Swift, BTS, or Ed Sheeran album. If its the same amount sold without those 4, ill be mightly impressed.
     
    John Rhett Thomas and patient_ot like this.
  12. skyblue17

    skyblue17 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    I'm actually pretty curious about the sales of the next BTS album, which will likely come this year. They actually haven't had a full album release since late 2020, and their fanbase has grown a ton in that time (plus, that was a deluxe package that cost $50). They may blow their past sales out of the water.
     
    Swordsandchains likes this.
  13. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I love CDs but I don't think we are quite at the revival stage yet.

    On a positive note, I am noticing that some small scale indie artists are starting to make glass-mastered CDs again rather than do the pro-CDR thing. Maybe that means plants are starting to relax the old limits because these are discs limited to 100 copies.
     
  14. Swordsandchains

    Swordsandchains True metal never rusts

    Location:
    Chicago
    majority of plants have lowered minimum to 300 for replicated and a few will do 100. However, a lot of small bands dont know the difference between duplication or replication.
     
  15. Greenalishi

    Greenalishi Birds Aren’t Real

    Location:
    San Francisco
    There were a few contemporary artists with big selling releases. The author uses this to talk about his feelings on CDs as a format.


    Most people stream. But music lovers wanna have it their hands. Music is our sport. We value it. We look to the past and for new stuff. It’s my obsession. There is music on CDs that is nowhere else. And for live stuff or comps you can fit a lot on one CD. Not the classic rock crowd but with subgeneres like metal there is some really cool well thought out packaging. I remember reading that on SNL the TV execs wanted to get rid of the music acts but Lorne valued music and said no. Music is not number one on most peoples list. So listening to what they grew up with on their phone is fine. I love CDs, LPs and 45s for the same reason. The music.
     
  16. apricissimus

    apricissimus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Malden, MA, USA
    I'll bite. What's the difference?
     
    Swordsandchains likes this.
  17. Kevin j

    Kevin j The 5th 99

    Location:
    Seattle Area
    you are comparing the outliers of a new vinyl record (most new titles i buy are 15-25 dollar range) to a used cd. bogus.
     
  18. Swordsandchains

    Swordsandchains True metal never rusts

    Location:
    Chicago
    duplication = a professionally made cd-r
    Replication = a real silver pressed cd
     
  19. bhazen

    bhazen I Am The Walrus

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Great editorial by a guy I like a lot -- Rob Sheffield, who wrote Dreaming The Beatles (a great read, but don't get me started on why! A long threadcrap would ensue.)

    I don't really know whether the CD is in a revival or not -- but I cling to the format with a death grip. I can't afford home internet service, necessary for streaming via my system. I like holding physical media, but find LPs and turntables to be far too much work, expense and frustration. I just want to hear the tunes; and not worry whether Spotify, Roon (or whoever) is going to stop streaming a favourite obscure album (presuming they have it in the first place).
     
  20. Mr_Flanders

    Mr_Flanders Forum Resident

    Location:
    Morehead, KY
    I don’t know that I buy the prospect of a cd revival…but I’d love it if there’s enough of a boon to keep them hanging on.

    I like LP’s too, but I listen to a lot of live albums and I like some box sets too… cds seem like the ideal way to purchase a release that’s longer than 45 minutes.

    I’ve also got two kids running around the house who are both under the age of 4, which makes it difficult to get a piece of vinyl out without risking its being thrown across the living room like a frisbee. Whereas a cd can be digitized or at least put INSIDE the stereo where Owen can’t grab it and see if it tastes like a big cookie.

    I’m not audiophile either, so cds usually sound good enough. And being able to sync them to a device and listen while mowing grass or running errands is great.

    Downloads offer some of these advantages too… but I just don’t stick with a computer file the way I do with a tangible record or cd that sits on my shelf, patiently reminding me to give it another spin.

    I’ve probably bought cds 20/1 over vinyl over the last two years. But I also echo the others here who’ve pointed out that vinyl & cds aren’t really at odds with one another. I’m always happy when people have options. I hope that both formats remain healthy enough to live on.
     
  21. jfeldt

    jfeldt Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF, CA, USA
    Plus CDs involve LASERS, which were even cooler in the 80s than now. :cool:
     
  22. CDs will never be cheaper than they are right now, so load-up while you can for pennies a pound.
     
  23. tomd

    tomd Senior Member

    Location:
    Brighton,Colorado
    For me CDs is where most of the music I love is on.NOT vinyl (or NEW vinyl specifically).The artists I really love 80-90s were mostly on cd and cd is still the best for compilations since many of those artists were better at singles than albums.I look at Elusive Disc’s new vinyl offerings like The Sleepless In Seattle Soundtrack,You’ve Got Mail Soundtrack,Scream the movie boxset (all on colored vinyl) and all for $30+ ! and shake my head.Someone must be buying this crap!
     
  24. JamesRR

    JamesRR Trashcan Dream

    Location:
    NYC
    This is spot on. That opinion feels very revisionist. I recall when CDs debuted—compared to the thin, warped, cheaply packed LPs prevalent at the time, they did seem magical. Shiny plastic discs floating in a plastic (plastic, not paper!) case - with booklets of content. The whole notion of having track numbers and timecodes with the songs felt like a leap into the future. No Side 1 or Side 2 - just a string of songs. I'm not saying they're better than LPs - but they definitely were sexy and very very tactile. And very cool. Records were NOT cool.
     
  25. JamesRR

    JamesRR Trashcan Dream

    Location:
    NYC
    Seriously. I recall the days of the $24.99 (and higher) standard price of a new single CD. They're super cheap now, especially so many title floating around on eBay, many of which are brand new.
     

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