Parting with CDs

Physical media hold outs will perish in the yucky flames ov DOOOOOOM!

 

With all of the concern of the master tapes destroyed in the Universal lot fire, I don’t understand why so many people are willing to part with these “as close to the master tape as possible “ reproductions. They will never be duplicated ever again & to put all of one’s faith in the streaming services for all of their favorite music is asking for major disappointment one day.

 

There was/is nothing I like better than going into someone's house and seeing a collection of records or CDs, movies or books, I always find it interesting to look and see what they like. Asking them if I can go onto their computer and look at their Spotify history just doesn't cut it for me and would not be a great ice-breaker.

At least collecting media has a point, collecting stamps, coins or Beany babies do it for someone, but at least with media there is more to it than just looking at the thing in admiration. Not that I knock people who collect things just for the sake of having them.

For those who think it is an illness, look at the TV show hoarders and see what real hoarding looks like, it is nothing to do with collecting. A collector looks after their collection, a hoarder ends up ruining most of what they keep because it overwhelms them.

 

Here's some obtuse for ya:

Literally no one has said, "Let's destroy all the CDs" but that's where the conversation goes because people who have already decided to hate streaming don't want to understand it.

 

I don't think that is an accurate representation of the tendencies of the industry though with all due respect - the exact part of the recording industry you refer to is the weeding out of the mass-marketable from the un-mass-marketable, it has nothing to do with either being greater or lesser art, but rather what they can market.

If you think record labels are investing money into Justin Bieber because of his artistic contributions to the world and not because he can make mass-appealing music that is specifically designed to cater to a specific demo for monetary gain - and consider that "weeding out the real artists from the posers", I feel like there is a misunderstanding of the 21st century music industry at a basic fundamental level.

 

I have nothing against streaming, it’s people who come back and call people who collect, that they have mental illnesses and their collections are a “godawful mess” that I have objection to.

 

There was none of that in the post that you were calling "obtuse."

@schnitzerphilip likes to pull people's chains, sure enough, but I've seen plenty of times when he's made what I thought was a pretty good point, and the reaction is, "AAAAGH! Are you crazy? Let's burn the world down!"

 

Regarding the debate of the mediums I feel like every argument ever can be resolved with some simple facts:

- Nothing wrong with owning and keeping CDs if they bring you joy, there is definitely a relationship people have with physical media that is totally valid (and nobody with a massive CD collection is a hoarder, hoarding is a totally different thing)

- Nothing wrong with getting rid of your CDs and going to streaming/digital library only if you feel like you don't need the physical product to enjoy music

- CDs are digital information and there will always be a way to get a CD player / disk reader for your computer so outdated =/= useless

- Streaming is not "renting air", it is a totally legitimate way to listen to and enjoy music (and you can even stream and have physical media at the same time!)


And lastly... who cares how other people listen to and enjoy music when you have your music listening to focus on?

 

I love people who get rid of their CDs, records, books, movies. It means I can buy them for next to nothing. Win/win.

 

The only point I'd add to this is that it's also perfectly fine to keep your massive collection AND use streaming services, one doesn't have to build a wall between the two.

 

Just edited that onto the list! Thank you, I happen to be one of those folks who do that as well

 

Well, in the same way that Netflix or iPlayer offers a huge selection of material on demand (like radio), that's how I use it. Its very useful to discover new artists or songs you're reading about or interested in.

 

For some odd reason your having a cabin in the woods makes sense, especially given a deluge of posts that amount to a streaming manifesto.

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Your takeaway about Joe has about as much merit as your misguided opinions on streaming. I won’t say you’re clueless because the last thing I want is for this to descend into name calling, but you’re wrong about Joe. We’ll just have to agree to disagree on that point. Sadly, you’re providing evidence of a clear bias against talented, successful artists who seek and deserve fair compensation for their work. Let’s not get into your opinion of Oprah and the assumptions you’ve made about her charitable work, but it suggests your biases may extend much deeper than the topics being discussed in this thread.


Cat

 

Of course it is. Using the later radio analogy I actually remember where I was when I heard a number of songs that had a major impact on me, back then. That was as "non-physical" as streaming is.

As far as songs and albums that had a major impact on me in the last 10 or 15 years, I could probably name where I was / what I was doing when that impact was at its peak. That includes albums that originated on streaming services.

 

Hey now...don't be all rational about this...

 

Bought four used CD's this afternoon.

The ever-growing pile on my desk is starting to lean now. hmmmmm

 

Surely you understand what I mean though, an object can bring back vivid memories, as can just hearing the music for sure. I just feel that at least for me, music is more than just the song, it’s the package, be it a record cover, a label, I feel that just hearing the song isn’t all there is to this hobby we all share in some way or another. I love the artwork, I love holding a inner sleeve or booklet in my hand and reading it as the album is playing.

Maybe life would be much simpler without all that, but for me, life would have one less dimension.


And careful with that stack of CDs. It could topple and no one find you for six months

 

Of course that's very true. But it's so many things...objects like CD's, cassettes (yes, those too - I was a big cassette buyer in my late teen years), LP's. But also the cassette player I was using when I was seventeen. Or when I lived at the time or where I was when I played certain albums to the ground. All of that combines to form our memories.

So today I might have a memory of the site I used to download the album in question or what DAP I was using when I played the album to death, ten years back. And recently I can think of albums that I digested using Tidal + what smartphone I had used. Those images will mix into the nostalgia of tomorrow.

I'm sure @schnitzerphilip will even get nostalgic about his HomePod in a decade or two.

 

Nice rewriting of history, but the only reason people have accepted streaming is because it is relatively cheap. If you charged $100 per month, then the masses would dump streaming and go back to file sharing. And the only reason they file shared is because it was free. Nothing whatsoever to do with the physical object. If you offered a person a CD for free in 1999, then they would take it. They probably wouldn't take a CD now because they don't have a CD player.

 

On one of these hoarding was a man with a collection of music (LPs and CDs). Only he couldn't access his colection because of the other stuff in his house. Eventually, with the clutter removed, he could finally enjoy his collection. And actually have guess round to his house.

 

I'm pretty sure they are no longer manufactured in large quantities in the US. In fact, a larger percentage of CDs sold by Amazon are turning out to be CDRs, including new releases.

 

I wondering if they were first editions, not to be touched or read, but simply collected. Or perhaps your grandfather just wanted people to think he was a great reader.

 

Source?

 

Ah, you see, I restricted myself to just one., although I have three on order from ebay. But I have a few to dispose of at a charity shop, so it kinda balances.

 

It's not the only reason and it's probably not even the main reason, at this point. It's convenience, same reason why cassettes rose to prominence in the 1980's and why CD's surpassed them and LP's both by the 1990's. And why iTunes took off in the aughts, once the labels got their act together. And it's why most people prefer streaming to piracy.

But of course cost is a factor. If that $10 a month suddenly triped in price or more, people would rethink their priorities.