CDs are irrelevant to me

[TAC]

  Mine skips all the time.

Put a quarter on the needle! 

Fogeys must remember that!

[Dellers]

The internet is full of streaming and mp3's, and neither is anything I want. I'll stick with CD's until everything is available in FLAC, which I guess won't ever happen. Even the mp3 shops have a really poor selection of music available, so CD's is still the only way to get pretty much everything in a decent quality.

[Lowdz]

  Mine skips all the time.

Put a quarter on the needle! 

Fogeys must remember that!

Indeed. Mine also had a 5p piece in the volume switch  to hold the connection otherwise the sound cut out. I'd have been great on Apollo 13 

[King Postwhore]

  Mine skips all the time.

Put a quarter on the needle! 

Fogeys must remember that!

I was an ass as a kid not taking care of my albums.  Now that I'm older I look back and see that I screwed the pooch.

[OsMosis2259]

I still get the CDs of the bands that I really enjoy. It's what I grew up with.
On a regular drive to work, I still listen to CDs. It's a pain for me to take out and plug the mp3 player into the car every time...

However, on a long car ride (2-3 hours) then I'll switch to MP3.

It's nice that we have a lot of options

[ZirconBlue]

I only buy digital versions when I only want one particular song, rather than the whole album.  Buying CD's from Amazon is nice, since most now have the AutoRIP feature that makes them immediately available through the Amazon cloud player.  I've even found albums I bought from amazon years ago suddenly show up in my cloud player list. 

[Mindflux]

I only buy digital versions when I only want one particular song, rather than the whole album.  Buying CD's from Amazon is nice, since most now have the AutoRIP feature that makes them immediately available through the Amazon cloud player.  I've even found albums I bought from amazon years ago suddenly show up in my cloud player list.

Yep. Though sometimes I only get a partial album in Auto Rip.. I don't get as to why?  Gah.

[lonestar]

I try to buy everything new so bands get more of the money, but I do love a good deal on used merchandise. I also like browsing at my local record stores because you never know what gem you'll find buried in a pile of old records. Plus it helps to keep a great business going.

This. I make a weekly trip to the two awesome record stores in Berkeley, and will usually make a purchase each week, most of the time blind or based on a quick check of online reviews. I have found some amazing bands this way that I never would have come across otherwise.

[Big Hath]

I will buy physical media for as long as it exists (which is hopefully my entire lifetime) because there will never be any amount of arguments that will convince me that the digital version is just as good.

FLAC is the shit, yo.

to somewhat echo these comments, I still buy physical CDs whenever possible and I immediately rip to FLAC.  I can't bring myself to listen to mp3 knowing it is of lesser quality, even if the step down is theoretically imperceptible.  Maybe this goes back to the days when I possibly may have accidentally used Kazaa Lite to download what was probably a 15th generation, 96 kbit/s version of a song or two.

I only buy digital versions when I only want one particular song, rather than the whole album.  Buying CD's from Amazon is nice, since most now have the AutoRIP feature that makes them immediately available through the Amazon cloud player.  I've even found albums I bought from amazon years ago suddenly show up in my cloud player list.

Yep. Though sometimes I only get a partial album in Auto Rip.. I don't get as to why?  Gah.

yeah, it's pretty cool that they went all the way back with that.  But I also don't understand why not every song was included.  For example I bought Symphony X's The Divine Wings . . . and every song was transferred except the title track.  I thought it may have been due to the length of the song, but A Change of Seasons, The Count of Tuscany, and Raider II all made it and they are just as long or even longer.  I also bought another cd of brass music, but only one of those songs was auto-ripped.

[Nel]

I came to that realization in 2007 after getting my first ipod. I resisted all through high-school since i was such a contrarian, but finally gave in and immediately after I got an Ipod, I knew I was never going to listen to CD's again,

but...

I still buy a shit load of CD's and let me tell you why. Right now, nobody wants CD's so they are on Amazon for like a dollar or two. So I just order them, burn them onto my computer and throw them in a closet. Some are even a Penny. For example



I was able to get a ton of cd's from the 90's and 80's and barely paid anything, so even though I'll never listen to a physical CD, I still get a lot of use out of them.

Yes, I am able to complete so many band discographies because so many are so cheap on Amazon. It's awesome!

Y'know, PC, I'll gladly take your CDs off your hands. I won't pay you, of course, but I'll take them.   

[kirksnosehair]

If you don't listen to vinyl, you don't listen to music.

LOL.

Double LOL   

[MetalMike06]

Haven't read other responses in the thread, but yeah, I'm pretty much in that boat. Spotify is my friend, but when it doesn't have something I want to listen to, iTunes or Amazon is a click away. I only want a hard copy of something if it's super special, plan to get it signed or something. Never got into the vinyl thing.

[kirksnosehair]

As for CDs....I still buy them for bands that I am "collecting" like Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, The Flower Kings, Transatlantic, Iron Maiden and a few others, but for the most part I usually download MP3s from Amazon and put them on my iPod, since a good 1/2 of my music listening is done at the gym.  Even though I put them on my iPod, I still usually burn them to a CD too because my iPod adapter in my car has limited volume but the CDs do not.


As far as Vinyl goes, I think it's cool that a lot of young people have gotten into it in the last few years, especially since it helps to reduce piracy a little bit.  And while I agree that the sonic experience is different, the idea that vinyl is in some way superior to CD is a myth.   The packaging is certainly superior if you like artwork, but the audio that is on CDs is objectively superior as is the medium on which it is stored and the method with which it is delivered to the listener.


Regardless of that, the resurgence in popularity for vinyl LPs is pretty cool, I think. 

[Perpetual Change]

As far as Vinyl goes, I think it's cool that a lot of young people have gotten into it in the last few years, especially since it helps to reduce piracy a little bit.  And while I agree that the sonic experience is different, the idea that vinyl is in some way superior to CD is a myth.   The packaging is certainly superior if you like artwork, but the audio that is on CDs is objectively superior as is the medium on which it is stored and the method with which it is delivered to the listener.

I don't know about all this, but the vinyls I have almost always sound better than the CDs I have. Probably because the usually are remasters designed to sound good through respectable speakers, rather than MP3 masters designed to sound good on earbuds which I never ever use.

[kirksnosehair]

However, there are also instances of the same masters being used on vinyl releases compared to CD releases. In fact, if you purchase an album produced in the last two decades on vinyl, it is likely that the master will be no different than the one used on CD. Alternative masters for vinyl cost money, and mastering is a significant cost of producing a record. The reason for different masters is that producers possibly view digital media (like CD) and analog media (like Vinyl) to be different in nature, so they might produce a different master for each medium. Some even believe that Vinyl will automatically yield a superior sound, despite the well known technical limitations and disadvantages compared to the CD.

[Perpetual Change]

That's just not true. Many vinyl labels advertise that an alternative master has been done.

[TAC]

With regards to the OP, Kirk, a lot of what you've posted over the last year or so has helped push me a little. Last year, I purchased a dozen or so albums on Amazon mp3. and this year, I've almost purchased the same amount.

When I buy a CD, I come home, rip it, add to my iPod, and away the CD goes into my basement. I still listen in my car, but I have an 8 minute ride to work. I typically burn my mp3 purchases onto CD and create a case and store them with my other CDs while backing everything I have up on a hard drive.

The point you've made about saving money is valid. Buying mp3s can save about $5 per album. That's a huge benefit.

[Perpetual Change]

Most of the time, anyway.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_11/182-2046383-5556301?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the%20ocean%20pelagial&sprefix=the+ocean+p%2Caps%2C209&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Athe%20ocean%20pelagial&sepatfbtf=true&tc=1367525006079

Noticed the same issue with Kindle books.

[me7]

As far as Vinyl goes, I think it's cool that a lot of young people have gotten into it in the last few years, especially since it helps to reduce piracy a little bit.  And while I agree that the sonic experience is different, the idea that vinyl is in some way superior to CD is a myth.   The packaging is certainly superior if you like artwork, but the audio that is on CDs is objectively superior as is the medium on which it is stored and the method with which it is delivered to the listener.

I disagree. This isn't a myth, but a lie spread by record companies to sell overpriced vinyls and even more overpriced vinyl equipment.

I don't know about all this, but the vinyls I have almost always sound better than the CDs I have. Probably because the usually are remasters designed to sound good through respectable speakers, rather than MP3 masters designed to sound good on earbuds which I never ever use.

I read this every now and then, but no one ever links an example for how bad mastering improves the sound over earbuds. All bad masters I have heard so far actually sound more annoying over my earbuds than over my speakers

That's just not true. Many vinyl labels advertise that an alternative master has been done.

Well, if the ads say it then it must be true...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_oil

[Perpetual Change]

Well, on the speakers I use at home, really loud compressed releases just sound like a muddy mess at higher volumes.

[PuffyPat]

Only on rare occasions will I ever get a digital version only; I just don't trust it. I'm also a fan of colored vinyl, and other collectible aspects of owning a physical copy of the music I love.

I'm the same with digital downloads. I'll only do it if the physical copy is difficult/expensive to get, or in some cases, when the physical copy doesn't exist.

I'm really into the CT indie scene, so a lot of the music coming out is digital only because it's cheaper. It's really the only case that I'll get digital only, cause that's all there is.

[ZirconBlue]

I disagree. This isn't a myth, but a lie spread by record companies to sell overpriced vinyls and even more overpriced vinyl equipment.

They may have jumped on the bandwagon in recent years, but the "vinyl is superior to cd" myth dates back to the introduction of CDs, when record companies certainly would not have wanted people to think that vinyl was superior.

[me7]

Well, on the speakers I use at home, really loud compressed releases just sound like a muddy mess at higher volumes.

...but over your earbuds, it sounds good
I don't disagree that bad masters sound bad over speakers, I disagree that they sound good over earbuds and that devices like the iPod (which was released in the early 2000s) are to blame for extreme dynamic compression (which started in the early 1990s, ten years before the iPod).

[PetFish]

And digital copies don't have artwork and booklets. They are one reason why I like CDs.

I don't really understand this popular reason for a lot of people to write-off digital music.  I'm not saying you're one of those, but I see this a lot for people not liking digital music altogether.

A lot of digital albums come with .pdf files of the artwork now.  Also, people listen to music over and over and over but how many read the booklet over and over and over?  On the road, most of the time people just take the CD with them in one of those CD carriers and leave the packaging at home anyway.  Sometimes people will cram the booklet into the CD slot but then it just gets mangled and ruined.  If you're driving you can't admire the artwork either.  It's the music that really matters.

Artwork is great and all but once I've gone through it once or for the first week having it nearby to read lyrics while listening and the new album is nice and fresh that's pretty much it for me with regards to the packaging.

[Perpetual Change]

me7, let me put it to you this way. I have hundreds of CDs on shelves and in crates, almost all of which are less than ten years old. Most of them are in good condition, but a few of them now skip or are otherwise unusable. Some of this is my fault, for being careless--leaving 'em in the car on a hot day, or putting them in a CD player that rotates funny, or dropping them by accident. Some of CDs got scratched all by themselves, because the record company packaged them in vinyl-like slipcases that cause CDs to scratch when taken out. These aren't really anyone's fault. These are just normal accidents that occur when you're using a convenient medium; one that carry around with you and take everywhere. 

Now, I have dozens of vinyl records, some of which fifty years old and handed down from parents and grandparents. These still sound remarkably good, since in most cases they were never taken more than twleve feet away from someone's turntable inside someone's house. I can't listen to them in the car, but who cares? That's what MP3s and iPods are for.

Is your CD, if you actually use it regularly, still going to be around in 50 years? Are you going to be able to hand your CD collection of to your kids or grandkids one day? Maybe that doesn't matter to you, but it matters do me. CDs are convenient, but they're not durable, whereas you really have to go out of your way to screw a vinyl record up. And frankly, in an era where digital download codes come with vinyl records, if I'm buying a physical copy of something I'm inclinde to buy the best physical copy--not the one that's just gonna take up shelfspace while I rip it and never look at it again.

Your concerns about "expensive vinyl packages", btw, are unfounded. In my cases, I pay $5-10 more for the vinyl version of something. Not a high price to pay, considering spending ANY money on a CD is basically money out the window for me.

[FreezingPoint]

And digital copies don't have artwork and booklets. They are one reason why I like CDs.

I don't really understand this popular reason for a lot of people to write-off digital music.  I'm not saying you're one of those, but I see this a lot for people not liking digital music altogether.

A lot of digital albums come with .pdf files of the artwork now.  Also, people listen to music over and over and over but how many read the booklet over and over and over?  On the road, most of the time people just take the CD with them in one of those CD carriers and leave the packaging at home anyway.  Sometimes people will cram the booklet into the CD slot but then it just gets mangled and ruined.  If you're driving you can't admire the artwork either.  It's the music that really matters.

Artwork is great and all but once I've gone through it once or for the first week having it nearby to read lyrics while listening and the new album is nice and fresh that's pretty much it for me with regards to the packaging.

I can't speak for anyone else, but when I listen to digital music I am usually doing something else at the same time. In that sense, I'm not really listening to the music that actively, and you are correct in saying that the artwork does not matter much.

But when I listen to vinyl, all I have in front of me is the speakers, the artwork and the lyrics and I am not doing anything else. I am activly listening, and the artwork is part of the whole experience. It completes the body of work I am listening to. I would much rather have a large physical copy of something to look at when listening than a pdf in that case. I kind of relate it to the whole book vs. eBook/digital reader thing.

Honestly, I think that each medium has its place.

This kind of demonstrates what I was talking about when listening to vinyl. Complete body of work: Cover, Lyrics and notes, and the Music.

[FreezingPoint]

Your concerns about "expensive vinyl packages", btw, are unfounded. In my cases, I pay $5-10 more for the vinyl version of something. Not a high price to pay, considering spending ANY money on a CD is basically money out the window for me.

And vinyl has a wide variety of prices too. You might pay more for newer and current releases, but older used records can be had for pretty cheap too. I purchased a near perfect copy of Power Windows for $3. Even if the CD were the same price I would still go with the vinyl.

[me7]

I can't speak for anyone else, but when I listen to digital music I am usually doing something else at the same time. In that sense, I'm not really listening to the music that actively, and you are correct in saying that the artwork does not matter much.

But when I listen to vinyl, all I have in front of me is the speakers, the artwork and the lyrics and I am not doing anything else. I am activly listening, and the artwork is part of the whole experience. It completes the body of work I am listening to. I would much rather have a large physical copy of something to look at when listening than a pdf in that case. I kind of relate it to the whole book vs. eBook/digital reader thing.

Honestly, I think that each medium has its place.

What you describe here has nothing to do with the medium. You just chose to respect your vinyl records and to disrespect your digital records. How does the digital medium force you to do something else while you listen to it?

[black_biff_stadler]

Lol disrespecting a medium. He was saying how he uses each medium based on how each one most sensibly fit his listening preferences. How you managed to turn this into a respect thing is beyond me.

[ytserush]

Send me all your CDs.

I'll keep the good stuff and donate the rest to the library.

[Nick]

Don't worry PC, Queensryche* recently announced they are releasing their new album on analog cassette. If that doesn't meet the full standards of excellence you have for musical formats I don't know what will.

[black_biff_stadler]

Gramophone or gtfo ph*g.

[FreezingPoint]

I can't speak for anyone else, but when I listen to digital music I am usually doing something else at the same time. In that sense, I'm not really listening to the music that actively, and you are correct in saying that the artwork does not matter much.

But when I listen to vinyl, all I have in front of me is the speakers, the artwork and the lyrics and I am not doing anything else. I am activly listening, and the artwork is part of the whole experience. It completes the body of work I am listening to. I would much rather have a large physical copy of something to look at when listening than a pdf in that case. I kind of relate it to the whole book vs. eBook/digital reader thing.

Honestly, I think that each medium has its place.

What you describe here has nothing to do with the medium. You just chose to respect your vinyl records and to disrespect your digital records. How does the digital medium force you to do something else while you listen to it?

It doesn't. An argument could be made that it promotes bad listening habits, but it does not force me to do something else while listening to music.

The way I see it, digital is all about convenience. It's smaller physically, it is smaller and can be compacted in terms of bytes, it is much more portable, it is much easier to skip so-called "bad" songs or sections of songs, it is available everywhere there is an internet connection, and it is available at a mere touch of a button for instant listening. What does this all point to? Convenience and portability. So that is exactly what I use it for.

Could I listen to it the same way I do vinyl? Yeah, I could come close. But when I think about good active listening, convenience is not on my mind. So I use different forms of music for different purposes. Simple as that.

[Zook]

When CDs stop being sold, I'll probably cry for a week. I love my CD collection, and I love expanding it.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Out of curiosity, does anyone know how long CDs actually last? (If they're treated well)