CD sales up. Maybe a good sign.

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I hate digipaks and cardboard sleeves. Now what was this post originally about?

Oh yes, CD sales.

I have a long hallway full of bookshelves, half books half-half Blu-rays and CDs. I often get chided by friends for having physical media. My kids don't want my dvds as I convert to Blu -Ray. Definitely less consumers lost to streaming. Yet I still pay a pretty penny on Ebay for used Blu-rays or Amazon for "new" titles. I collect favorite actors' films as I did/do artists' CDs. If the internet goes down, my home theater will be popular. Assuming I have power...
 
Yet I still pay a pretty penny on Ebay for used Blu-rays or Amazon for "new" titles.
Isn't it curious how high some of the prices are on items/formats that "nobody wants or buys anymore"? Apparently some us still want those items. It's like a pawn shop: Want to sell those CDs/DVDs/BRs? "I'll give you $.25 each." Want to buy one? "Oh, that's a rarity - $39.99".
 
Isn't it curious how high some of the prices are on items/formats that "nobody wants or buys anymore"? Apparently some us still want those items. It's like a pawn shop: Want to sell those CDs/DVDs/BRs? "I'll give you $.25 each." Want to buy one? "Oh, that's a rarity - $39.99".

Unfortunately, there are SO FEW of us that really appreciate physical media and most especially hi res surround music that I fear when we are no longer, those treasured discs will end up in either the wrong hands [How can I play THIS disc] or in the garbage bins.

Enjoy them WHILE YOU CAN!
 
http://archive.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa19.html
Sliding OT...AFAIK, the Matrix DVD playback problems led to DVD/Blu-ray mfrs. to make field upgradable players, IIRC, my 1999 RCA DIVX/DVD player did play the Matrix DVD properly.

The big F. Y. E. store (new and used CD/DVD/Blu-ray) here closed a few days ago, it opened in 1994.


Kirk Bayne
 
The press keeps repeating the same bullshit story:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/new...-posts-15-billion-year-end-revenue/ar-AAUQsatOnly vinyl and CDs are emphatically not the story. The story is subscription streaming:
Streaming — a wide category that includes paid subscriptions, ad-supported music streaming services, digital and customized radio, licenses for music on Facebook and digital fitness apps, and for the first time, U.S. TikTok music revenues — was by far the biggest driver, growing 24% over 2020 to $12.4 billion and accounting for 83% of total revenues – a similar level to 2020.

Within that, revenues from paid subscriptions continued to account for the lion’s share of revenues, and grew 23% to $9.5 billion in 2021. They accounted for nearly two-thirds of total revenues, and 76% of streaming revenues. This total includes $907 million in limited-tier subscriptions (services limited by factors such as mobile access, catalog availability, product features, or device restrictions), which is 26% higher than for 2020. Services like Amazon Prime, Pandora Plus, music licenses for digital fitness apps, and other subscriptions are included in this category.

The number of paid subscriptions to on-demand music services continued to grow at double digit rates in 2021. The average number of subscriptions for the year grew 11% to 84.0 million, compared with an average of 75.5 million for 2020. From 2019 to 2021, the average number of paid subscriptions grew 39%, while paid subscription revenues grew 40% over the same two-year period. These figures exclude limited-tier services, and count multi-user plans as a single subscription.
 
Thanks for sharing gene! Have the tables REALLY been turned? Or is the reason CDs are CURRENTLY selling better than Vinyl is due to the shortgage of pressing plants and the long, long delays for that album to be pressed on black wax?

And does Vinyl REALLY sound better than an 'uncompressed' CD .... and we're not talking esoteric 180~200g custom Quiex .....but the garden variety normal vinyl pressings put out by the majors and/or individual artists. From reading the various reviews at Amazon ... they're still rife with ticks, pops, swishes...and warpage!

And remember those CD longboxes to discourage thievery.....well, they're long gone but for the ecologically savvy, every time you order a vinyl album online, they're shipped in carboard packaging which are [get this..] equivalent to 7 or 8 of those longboxes of 'yesteryear!'

At least a lot of CDs pressed today have dispensed with the CD plastic case and are more ecologically friendly, some, so much so, they could easily and literally slip through the cracks.

As of late, I've admittedly been on a CD buying frenzy and am VERY happy to report.....they don't sound compressed...even the pop/rock titles. Have the majors finally awakened to the fact that the CD is actually capable of more than decent sonics if the mastering process precludes overcompressing it to shit thus dispensing with the dreaded 'loudness' wars?

But looking toward the present ... and the future .... and since MOST households have a Blu Ray disc player, I only wish the majors would take fuller advantage of the potential maximum storage inherent in that format [BD~A] ....... Imagine 16~18 Stereo Albums on a single disc in 48/24 resolution as opposed to 16~18 Compact discs......in 44.1/16 bit resolution. I'm mostly referring to the potential of putting massive box sets of artists on 1 to 2 BD~As as opposed to double that number on CD. Or individual artists complete discographies in higher resolution..... The potential is certainly there and they would have to charge accordingly for such a cornucopia of riches ... but hey, they would take up MUCH LESS SPACE and in the end SAVE OUR 🌎 as every little bit helps!
I'd have to say that 180g 'super vinyl' IS normal : I still buy a reasonable number of records , at least a few a month , and I haven't bought a single one in years that was not a 180g or similar pressing . Not unless I go into places like Vinyl Villains in Edinburgh , who specialise in used records ( and all their used stock is meticulously cleaned and put into new inner sleeves before going on sale .

I can't comment on CD sales since I don't buy them ; I do however download from Apple Music or iTunes as AIFF and burn to CD for playing in the car ; or indeed sometimes just transfer to my phone , again in AIFF format since even on a car system the difference is clearly audible and worth the difference in storage space .

While I do have a Blu-Ray player , DVD player , laserdisc player and numerous video tape formats ranging from Mini DV to U-Matic , as well as slide and film projectors , I am somewhat unusual , and I know that a great many people do not have physical media players of any kind , audio or video , choosing instead to stream material from various services .
 
I hate regular jewel boxes. It wouldn't be to bad if you could just buy the front lid as 90% of the time that all that breaks.

Early on I started using Case Logic CD binders. I ended up using them only for compilation CD's as I like to keep my collection more or less in alphabetical order. It would've required reshuffling almost an entire collection every time a new disc was added, or else I would have to leave a lot of empty spaces.

I replace the jewel boxes on my DV SACD's with super jewel boxes,. It's a pity that DV and other SACD manufacturers don't use them. I keep them separate from my CD's. The only draw back is that you have to trim the cover to fit the box.

I like the mini cardboard (LP style) covers/sleeves. They do not break, and look like the record that they are replacing. They also take up very little space.

I like the look and feel of Digipacks as well, but often the interior disc locking tabs break as they do with standard cases. The trouble there is that you can't replace the case without losing the cover/artwork.

I seldom/never use my CD's in a vehicle or for any portable purpose. I simply make a copy, if it gets trashed it's no big deal!
 
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opposite for me , I avoid cardboard packaging especially online orders, they almost always arrive bent, creased, grooved etc
Every one needs a protective sleeve or else they look like beat up old album covers in no time.
But that’s just me.
Agreed about super jewel cases, best invention ever.
Tough and look deluxe
 
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