People Still Like CDs
from the old-formats-die-slowly dept
While the recording industry continues to insist that music downloading is destroying their business, there’s even more evidence that this simply isn’t true. From ITFacts.biz, we learn that 92% of people surveyed still prefer their music on a CD. In fact, most say that when they download it’s usually to get songs they can’t get on CD or to sample music before buying the CD. Other reasons given are if they want a song immediately or if they really only want one or two songs from an album and don’t want to shell out for the entire album. Notice that all four of these reasons show that music downloading is not a substitute for CDs. Now, obviously, not everyone here may be telling the truth. Also, the percentage of people who are just fine with downloads is likely to grow over time. However, if the recording industry were smart about this they’d realize that they should be focusing on ways to use downloads to promote more CD sales — and perhaps adding more value to the CDs itself (off the top of my head, this could include: DVD content, better liner notes, access to the band’s fan club, free tickets to a show, etc.).
Comments on “People Still Like CDs”
CDs and DVDs Rock!!!
Ya know between Bill Gates saying (or wishing) that DVDs will go away and downloading will be the way to get movies and the new threat of the evil blue ray replacing our current DVDs always looming?I’ve just gotta say that I LOVE MY CDS and DVDs! I still love the CD as a format for music and I’ve never seen something embraced by as many diverse people as the DVD has been. Just go into a Best Buy or Circuit City and you’re elbow to elbow with geeks, rednecks, hip urban guys and homer simpson types?then take a closer look at the ecclectic tastes all these folks have and it’s doubly amazing. I think DVDs have had universal appeal! People like audio and movie discs and I think they also enjoy collecting and OWNING them. If Bill’s vision of charging you everytime you wanna see Kirk Douglas in “The Vikings” ever comes to pass, it’ll be a sad day indeed. Most of the younger kids I know download music, but burn it on to CDs and make cool covers for the cases, they’re not in to iPods or Mp3 players to listen to the downloads. I think people still like to have the product in hand, even if they’ve designed the packaging themselves.
No Subject Given
Best use of this ‘packaging’ I’ve seen was Neil Youngs Greendale CD/DVD combo. You got the CD with the released music and the DVD was a Live show of him performing the album, solo, live, acoustic.
Don’t remember paying to much for this combo,,$12+ I think (very reasonable in IMHO for this package). Had I known what the DVD contained (personnel opinion is that its way better than the CD) I would have paid more.
The DVD type content is what drives me to go to live shows. To see the artist re-interpret or re-imagine their song/music. Not much worse can happen than to go to a ‘live’ show and hear the exact same music as performed on the CD/Radio.
DRM is why the CD still lives
I use non-standard devices to play back my music. Flash MP3 player here, Pocket PC there, as well as multiple computers on a network scattered all over my house. Why would I even consider buying DRMed music which restricts my ability to use it, as well as costs more than the non-DRMed version (the CD)? It just doesn’t make sense. Sure, I’m just going to get home and rip the CD, then chuck it in a box and never touch it again, but it’s not about the medium, it’s about the content and what I can do with that content.
Re: DRM is why the CD still lives
“Sure, I’m just going to get home and rip the CD, then chuck it in a box and never touch it again, but it’s not about the medium, it’s about the content and what I can do with that content.”
I could kiss you (almost!)
That’s exactly what I was about to write. I’m not sure if the record companies don’t understand that people don’t want this DRM crap, or if they think if they make it hard enough to use the online stuff, people will just buy the CD’s instead!
Last week a mate of mine was going to try the free iTunes offer, he’s a serious audiophile who does mixes and stuff, so would prefer to buy a track here, a track there…. I told him about all the DRM crap, and he was shocked – he just couldn’t fathom what use music you could only play on the computer you downloaded it onto would be.
I guess you could burn it to CD, then re-rip it, but that would lose quality even further.
The scary thing was, my mate was completely oblivious to the fact that he would be restricted in any way with the iTunes stuff – how many people don’t realise until they buy a new PC or format their drive that they can no longer play their music?
I’ve also got a new idea for music filesharing – put all your rips on a fileserver with an unsecured wireless access point, and let anyone who drives by get it. You can’t be blamed for having bad security settings, and there’s no provable intent to share.
Re: Re: DRM is why the CD still lives
“The scary thing was, my mate was completely oblivious to the fact that he would be restricted in any way with the iTunes stuff”
Strikes me as a successful implementation of DRM ie You don’t notice it.
Re: Re: Re: DRM is why the CD still lives
What are you talking about – he didn’t notice DRM as he had not tried iTunes yet!
You sure will notice DRM when you try to play an iTunes file on another machine….
I guess DRM is fine for people like you who must only have one machine to play on, and no need to do anything with your music but simply play it….
Personally I REQUIRE total freedom to do whatever I want with stuff i purchase.
Just bought some
I have a ton of MP3 files, a vast majority of which I ripped myself.
I also have a few of songs that I don’t technically ‘own’.
Just this past weekend I was at a garage sale and purchased 9 CDs, all but one of which contain songs that I already have MP3 files of, but want to add to my CD collection because I *like* CDs.
Must be why I now have over 500 CDs…
I do buy CDs
I still buy CDs and I will continue doing it. I don’t like how an MP3 sounds and much less how a burned CD sounds. I prefer the much clearer sound of an original CD, I like to have all the booklets, and I don’t like to see anything written with a Sharpie in the face of the CD.
I don’t have an MP3 player and I hate iTunes. I’m just an average Joe who likes listening music with quality of sound.
audio technology
CDs? I still use my wire recorder.