CDs are Officially Over

[Deegee]

The last CD I bought was a Dream Theater one in 2010 I think.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by Mike F

So, what's the last CD everyone bought?

Mine was Pearl Jam back in 2006.

Adele last month, one of the few CD purchases I make in a year. Mostly I listen to AM radio when I drive around. I have a Mozart CD in a player in my home office right now.

I've never downloaded any music in my life. Don't really know how that works. Never cared.

When I'm out running for a few hours at a time on lonely country roads, I prefer hearing the rustle of the wind through the grass ..... or maybe the practical aspect of hearing vehicles coming up behind me. That was true in the cassette era too.

Cowperson

[Itse]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Vinyl still exists, because technically it is the highest quality audio format that has been available (widely available at least).

With hard drive storage as cheap as it is now, can we download 24 bit 96 kHz 5.1 channel lossless audio, at the very least?

Technically speaking, there is no such thing as lossles digital audio, unless the music is produced with digital instruments.

The difference to analog sound should be trivial at this day and age though (and for most people it is, especially since they listen to music on such cheap earphones).

[Otto29]

Originally Posted by Mike F

So, what's the last CD everyone bought?

Mine was Pearl Jam back in 2006.

Ditto...in fact the last couple CD's I purchased were Pearl Jam

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Vinyl still exists, because technically it is the highest quality audio format that has been available (widely available at least).

Utter rubbish. Who convinced you of that.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Cheese

Well...another technology bites the dust only to live on in second hand record stores.
So far I've watched 8 tracks, albums, 45s, cassettes and now Cds bite the dust. I wonder what technology will make the download file disappear? Stream straight to the brain?

You forgot Laserdiscs and minidiscs

edit: nevermind, those are videos, not music.

[Capitano]

This doesn't affect me in the least bit...Ive been digital since the first iPod came out.

I still listen to the vast majority of my music at home on record...I've been buying my favorite bands LP's for years now...through Amazon, or special order.

[Mass_nerder]

I buy vinyl...partly because a lot of bands I listen to release a lot of their stuff on vinyl as their primary means, but I also buy it because I enjoy collecting.
Vinyl seems kind of timeless now.
I wonder if CDs will ever enjoy a resurgence like vinyl?

[FlamesAddiction]

I still buy CDs all the time... mostly used ones though. One of my favourite things is to go to a music store and root through everything to find those rare albums. I'm going to miss that.

I do usually put them onto my computer right away and then never see the CD again. I almost never download music... I guess I'll have to start.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

This is my biggest concern. I want LOSSLESS.

Then you will have to go to a live concert. I get your point though.

Vinyl is not dead, and it looks like it will outlive the compact disc. DVD-audio is very good, but hardly anything is released in the format. I too want to be able to download high quality music, the mp3 format is fine for small devices and casual listening, but very poor when played through a higher end system.

[WhiteTiger]

The last CD I bought was "Hang Cool Teddy Bear" by Meat Loaf, back in April 2010. I don't really buy CD's, so won't really miss them.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by zamler

Then you will have to go to a live concert. I get your point though.

Vinyl is not dead, and it looks like it will outlive the compact disc. DVD-audio is very good, but hardly anything is released in the format. I too want to be able to download high quality music, the mp3 format is fine for small devices and casual listening, but very poor when played through a higher end system.

I know what you were getting at but concert music is hardly the best quality. Venues suck, band makes mistakes and other factors make it inferior to an album recording.

Right now the major problem is that most people don't care about music quality. Using crappy headphones and having lossy music makes it sound like listening to AM radio.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Right now the major problem is that most people don't care about music quality. Using crappy headphones and having lossy music makes it sound like listening to AM radio.

They don't care because it's good enough, and the best its ever been. Today's audio, even with the "crappy" headphones and lossy music, is light years ahead of cassette, 8 track, most home turntable gear, etc. The amps and tuners have lower distortion, the digital gear has better signal to noise ratios, speakers are far beyond where they used to be in terms of performance, sensitivity, frequency response, etc.

It's fine to be an audiophile, but at least recognize that you're sitting at the top 1% or less of music listeners, and that the gear that the common person has today is far superior to anything that's come before it - there's absolutely no way the average music listener is experiencing the equivalent of AM radio.

[HotHotHeat]

Have fun with that HMV.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

Have fun with that HMV.

The HMV in Signal Hill closed a month ago, the other can't be that far behind. I remember going into the one in North Hill Mall several months ago and wondering what I was doing in there. I wasn't going to buy a CD, and certainly not going to buy an overpriced DVD or game from them... I had no idea how they were still open.

I for one welcome all things digital. I love have a book collection, digitally, a comic book collection, digitally. etc etc. If I'm going to be honest I probably do prefer reading a book or comic as they actually are.. but when I'm done with them, i don't want them around anymore.

I used to be such a collector of things, now I couldn't care less.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

Have fun with that HMV.

I was actually shocked to see the HMV closed down in WestHills. I used to shop there all of the time but then I realized, I personally had not been in there in at least two years. If I do buy a DVD/CD, it's through Amazon. I buy a bunch of things at once or I'll actually buy something extra so I can reach the free shipping threshold

I'll miss having the physical copy of my favorite bands though. That's disappointing, but I understand that's the nature of music formats. I feel pretty lucky my generation has seen vinyl, cassette, cd and now digital.

[troutman]

What about small bands that sell CDs at concerts?

This will also be the end of cover art, liner notes and lyric sheets.

Communities need record stores.

Bands won't make albums any more - just release singles?

[Hanna Sniper]

I wish they would hurry with another format, I need yet another version of Darkside of the Moon

[4X4]

This is bull####. I'm going downtown to protest.

[Yeah_Baby]

If they stop making print copies of books I'm going to cut a bitch.