brayzie

I still like to buy CDs if it's an artist or album I really like. If it's just a single or random song that I like I'll just purchase it as an MP3 through Amazon.

One thing that pissed me off about Amazon though is that if you bought songs or an album through them, and for whatever reason that artist or company takes the album off of Amazon, it's also gone from your cloud. I didn't download them to my computer and now I'm pissed that I couldn't download load them again. I bought the songs but now they're gone. It's more reliable for me to own a physical copy than a digital one that Amazon can take away whenever they want.

I also like buying a CD because buying it, opening up the booklet and looking at the art and concept for the album is more satisfying.

beavis69

I can't recall the last cd I bought new (probably something around the 2004 time) but I bought used cds up until about 2008. However, being in on the go a lot due to work, I just can't go without my 160 gig ipod. It's nice having all my music right at my fingertips. The other major reason I stopped buying cds was frequent moves (pain in the ass to care and ship those things) and obnoxious prices. Bandcamp has become my new favorite place to buy music.

wendersfan

I almost bought a CD last year.

Spiderbite

I don't buy as much music as I used to but if I do I always buy the CD first.

The only exceptions: The digital album is greatly decreased in comparison to the CD or I have some Amazon digital bucks to burn.

The rest of the time is CD only. But I stream music much more nowadays due to Spotify so I don't buy many albums anymore.

sniper007

My cd purchasing is not what it used to be. However there are a couple of 80s heavy metal websites or blogs that I visit from time to time that keep me interested in the music world. Occasionally something will get put on the main page artist/band that I have not heard of am I'm like who in the hell are these guys I need to track the cd down.The hunt is on!! (I'm not sure but I don't think I need a special permit for this)

Dan

For what it's worth:
- If you buy the CD and rip it yourself, then sell/destroy/give away the CD, yeah... it's legally questionable.
- If you're buying the CD from Amazon, and they include the autorip option, there's nothing illegal about selling/destroying/giving away the CD.

Think of it like a bundle of two products that are not actually tied together by any legal means. It's like buying the latest movie on Blu-ray. You'll get a Blu-ray, a DVD, and a Digital Copy. Technically, it's just a bundle of three separate products, and you're within your rights to sell off the DVD and Digital Copy if you don't want them. But if you JUST get a Blu-ray, and you go and make your own DVD or Digital Copy, you can't sell those. You also shouldn't "legally" sell the original Blu-ray if you're just going to keep your personally ripped copies.

davidh777

Yep, the autorip system seems like fair game to me. It's a gift to myself when I buy someone else a CD!

hdnmickey

I guess you guys concerned about what happens to the physical CD after you rip it don't use the library. Biggest issue with the library is the limited availability. They never get many titles, and even on the ones they do, it can be quite a wait to check out the more better/popular titles.

dhmac

Yeah, that feature has been really nice. Even CDs I bought years ago to give away as gifts back then now show up in my own Amazon MP3 Music collection, so a win-win.

And the fact that legal ownership rights issues for music online are still not fully settled due to its relative newness, so something bought that way could some day have its rights taken away despite someone having paid for it. But that legal issue was long ago settled for physical media which means buying music on CD, Vinyl, DVD, Blu-ray, etc. has a built-in legal guarantee of ownership rights for the buyer.

wendersfan

Amazon't auto rip applies to vinyl purchases, too, in case you guys didn't know.

rjh_54

I also have a car that is too old to have an AUX jack, but too new to have a cassette player to use as an adapter. I've also shelled out too much money on those FM radio transmitters - they never work!

I used to have some CDs in a binder but when it was closed the label side of the CD would rub on the label side of the CD on the opposite side of the page, scratching it and permanently damaging it. Now I just burn a copy (usually with the international bonus tracks), or I bring the CD in the car with me in its jewel case.

Target's downsizing of their CDs really shocked me to be totally honest, I think mostly because it seems like many people mostly buy their CDs from there, especially with some artists making "Target exclusive" versions of their albums.

I was also shocked at Target's revamp because in what I want to say was 2011, they re-designed their CD selection to carry a lot less. Then about a year or so ago they revamped again and I hated it at first but after a while I didn't mind it. Now they've done it again and it's like it almost doesn't exist.

It's funny, when I went last week and saw it I overheard a woman asking an employee where all their CDs were and he explained that that was all they'd be carrying. She didn't seem too happy about it.

I remember Walmart downsized their CD selection a few years ago and I got used to it because they still have a decent selection.

Looks like I'll be doing most of my CD shopping at Best Buy for new releases now (unless of course there's a Target exclusive), even though I really am not a huge fan of the place. I'm a Reward Zone member so I may as well take advantage of that.

PhantomStranger

Sooner or later, Target will get out of the business of selling music. They probably would have already pulled it if they didn't think it would cause a small backlash.

majorjoe23

I think my last CD was the Django Unchained soundtrack. I bought it on Amazon because it was $10 and the digital download was $12, despite the fact that buying the CD got me the download.

hdnmickey

I think it's more likely that they will just start carry exclusives or just new releases/top sellers in a temporary display during the holiday shopping season.

Mike86

Yeah I think eventually the media sections of the big box retailers are going to be phased out completely or if anything like mentioned above be reduced drastically and maybe only get the newest releases in small quantities or have things out at certain times of the year like holidays. I hate to say it as someone who purchases physical copies of anything but it seems to be the current trend to go digital and people just aren't buying as much in physical format. People like us are very few anymore. I'm just hoping some of the online retailers don't phase out media products too and we're left with no choice but digital to buy.

hdnmickey

And then they better think again if they think people will pay physical media prices for digital only.

slop101

I still buy CDs, maybe 1 or 2 a month. The major releases can obviously be found at Best Buy/Target, but I do get a lot of my CDs, not from amazon.com but from amazon.co.uk - besides carrying CDs that aren't available in The States, they actually have better prices than the domestic version of amazon. I assume it's because many more people in the UK still buy physical music, relative to here, so there's much more competition in The UK as far as selling CDs, and so amazon's prices are better there. Because domestic amazon's prices on non-new CDs are atrocious - you're lucky to get 5% off!

Trevor

That's kind of where I am with buying music. If I wait for sales I often get the CD and digital download for the same price as one separately.

davidh777

As often happens on this forum, you're thinking like the dinosaurs we are. Some people will have never bought physical and won't care about the relative pricing.

Dan

Yup. There's folks, now in their 20's and younger who have never owned and will never own a physical CD, Cassette, Vinyl, DVD, Blu-ray, book, etc. etc.
All those things are things that their parents might have around the house..

hdnmickey

I'm good with that. I'll eventually find digital option for far less than the (what's the opposite of dino?) are paying.

slop101

Yeah, they've never had or ever needed a player for those discs, so why buy them?

Flashback

I still buy CDs but I am on the older side so physical media is still important to me. However all the people I know with kids (or young adults now) only own digital media.

BGPu

If it's a artist I really like I'll get the CD for the sake of liner notes and having a physical copy to go back to in case of disaster or a change in technology.

Most of the CDs I've bought the past couple years have been 'rare' items or cheap used discs.

Rex Fenestrarum

When Best Buy first came to Atlanta, their CD selection almost rivaled Tower. CDs took up a giant chunk of the sales floor, and there was even an large room off to the side dedicated to entirely to classical music: tons of opera box sets, lots of stuff by more obscure composers (Leopold Mozart had his own section!). They even had fully-stocked comedy and soundtrack sections. It was great! But then they got rid of the classical room to make room for scratch-and-dent appliances. Whole genres were nearly gutted. The last time I was in a Best Buy I almost had to ask where the CDs were: instead of a huge selection front and center, they'd moved the tiny selection off to the side, buried behind cell phones and video games. The days of the CD are numbered, at least at retail.


I rarely buy CDs these days, and have probably only bought 10 in the past 15 years. And of those 10, most fall into two categories: a) stuff I bought on vacation overseas, because the CD that only costs £10 in London is $50 back home; and b) longtime favorite acts I already have all\most of their stuff on CD already.

I bought a CD from an Amazon Marketplace seller last year because it was the only way to get three bonus tracks. I chose this particular seller because they're located 31 miles from my house. Should only take a day or two to get the CD, right? But no, they shipped via DHL Mail, so the package went from their office to the Charlotte airport, then to the Atlanta airport, where it sat for 8 days before being put back on a plane and sent back to Charlotte (note: my house is 10 minutes from the Charlotte airport). There it sat for another day or two before being handed over to my local post office. I finally got the package... to find the jewel case smashed to bits, despite the vendor's decent packaging. So I contacted the seller via Amazon, and was told that they wouldn't ship a new one until they received the damaged one, and I could only send the package back via their shipping option: DHL Mail. So I printed out the goddamn shipping label, waited 12-14 days for it to travel 500 miles to get to the seller 31 miles away. I then had to wait 2-3 days for them to send a new one, which took an additional 12-14 days to get to me. And when I opened the new package... it too was smashed. The damage wasn't as bad, so I considered it a reminder of why I don't buy CDs any more.