Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
02-07-18, 08:31 PM
#101
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
Stuff like that wasn't going to be at Best Buy anyway. There will always be a niche audience for physical media and rare stuff. There will always be a way to track that stuff down, just like anyone who like Vinyl can get whatever they want, even if it's not in Best Buy, Target or Wal Mart.
Places like Wallyworld, BB, Target, Virgin, HMV (in the uk and canada), Tower, etc ... were largely useless. Most of these places wouldn't do special orders of vinyl/cd titles from overseas.
02-07-18, 09:37 PM
#102
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Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
I don't see this as a nail in cd's coffin. I see this as yet another nail in Best Buy's coffin. They have eroded to the point that the only thing I've bought from them in the last six years were android phones ... and a Mad Max steelbook because it was exclusive.
For those writing about experiences of high-priced retail cd's - I didn't have that same experience throughout the last 30 years of buying/collecting cd's (and vinyl).
I have worked for just about every music retailer in Southern New Hampshire (First started in a department store: Lechmere's music department), then heading down to a TRAX Music in Norfolk VA (which turned into a Blockbuster Music [remember them??]), then moving to a mom-and-pop record shop (Rockit Records) and then helping open the Newbury Comics in Manchester NH. That covers roughly all of the 90's and early 00's.
New releases were always between 10.99 and 14.99. Catalog titles were usually less, unless it was double-disc or more sets. I also did a lot of buying of imports and out of print titles from the back of Goldmine magazine, and import singles were always 9.99 or 10.99. They never fluctuated in price - always the same cost.
The only places that had sky-high cd pricing was RecordWorld/TapeWorld in the big malls (all the record shops in our malls locally, regardless of name, were all owned by the same conglomerate - so it didn't matter what one you went to in the mall - you were buying from the same entity. We had two Tower Records near me (one in Boston, one near the NH border) and those usually had really high prices, but most buyers I knew only went to Tower for import titles (as did I).
Out of all the cd's I have (at the moment somewhere around 1,600), only 1 cd has ever gotten any kind of cd rot: a Mike & the Mechanics import cd-single that for some reason became absolutely roached just sitting in it's case in my cd rack. No idea why.
I'm a big flea-market junkie, and during the flea season I'm regularly coming home with cds each Sunday. Lots of old and out-of-print stuff, and I'm paying roughly 75 cents a cd. Usually 50 cents. Some times a buck. Never more than $2. There is so much good shit out there just waiting to be bought and listened to.
I have a big iPod and over the last decade I'll rip a few cds a week while I'm working. But an iPod can cause what I call "selection exhaustion" - never knowing what to listen to because there is simply too much there for the brain to digest. I'd rather spend an extra five minutes in the morning going through the collection and grabbing four cds and taking them with me.
And for vinyl - I've recently upgraded to a U-Turn Orbit, and I busted out the 100+ vinyl I've had.
Vinyl is a whole other beast for me; it's a large format that really grabs the listener and makes them part of the process. You have this gorgeous 12"x12" artwork that you open like a book. There is photography and design to digest. There is the album sleeve to let your eyes move around and read. A vinyl album makes you sit down and listen. You get four or five songs, then you have to get up and flip it for the 2nd act. There is more involvement when listening to a record. I love that. I love nice, big artwork to look at. I love seeing a whole complete package to digest. And, again, go into any Goodwill and you'll find bins of vinyl priced at pennies on the dollar. TONS of out-of-print stuff, right under your nose, and well worth the 50 cents to take a chance and maybe learn about some new musician.
Sales might be dwindling, but there will always be avenues for finding physical media - especially music. I think the return of Vinyl (though I don't agree with the crazy high prices for new vinyl: $40-50 is crazy high, unless it's an import or a limited edition) is a direct reaction to how impersonal an iPod and digital music has become. As a photographer that learned on film, I see people who only learned on digital cameras now taking a strong interest in film, and, even earlier processes like tin-type and wet-plate. They are searching for something that connects them more into the process.
Vinyl, and cd's - they were ways to be physically connected to the bands you listed to; to take their creation and hold it in your hands and read along with the singer, and collect, and share.
...that was a lot more typing that I intended.
Viva la Vinyl. Spin that black circle.
Cheers,
Sid
For those writing about experiences of high-priced retail cd's - I didn't have that same experience throughout the last 30 years of buying/collecting cd's (and vinyl).
I have worked for just about every music retailer in Southern New Hampshire (First started in a department store: Lechmere's music department), then heading down to a TRAX Music in Norfolk VA (which turned into a Blockbuster Music [remember them??]), then moving to a mom-and-pop record shop (Rockit Records) and then helping open the Newbury Comics in Manchester NH. That covers roughly all of the 90's and early 00's.
New releases were always between 10.99 and 14.99. Catalog titles were usually less, unless it was double-disc or more sets. I also did a lot of buying of imports and out of print titles from the back of Goldmine magazine, and import singles were always 9.99 or 10.99. They never fluctuated in price - always the same cost.
The only places that had sky-high cd pricing was RecordWorld/TapeWorld in the big malls (all the record shops in our malls locally, regardless of name, were all owned by the same conglomerate - so it didn't matter what one you went to in the mall - you were buying from the same entity. We had two Tower Records near me (one in Boston, one near the NH border) and those usually had really high prices, but most buyers I knew only went to Tower for import titles (as did I).
Out of all the cd's I have (at the moment somewhere around 1,600), only 1 cd has ever gotten any kind of cd rot: a Mike & the Mechanics import cd-single that for some reason became absolutely roached just sitting in it's case in my cd rack. No idea why.
I'm a big flea-market junkie, and during the flea season I'm regularly coming home with cds each Sunday. Lots of old and out-of-print stuff, and I'm paying roughly 75 cents a cd. Usually 50 cents. Some times a buck. Never more than $2. There is so much good shit out there just waiting to be bought and listened to.
I have a big iPod and over the last decade I'll rip a few cds a week while I'm working. But an iPod can cause what I call "selection exhaustion" - never knowing what to listen to because there is simply too much there for the brain to digest. I'd rather spend an extra five minutes in the morning going through the collection and grabbing four cds and taking them with me.
And for vinyl - I've recently upgraded to a U-Turn Orbit, and I busted out the 100+ vinyl I've had.
Vinyl is a whole other beast for me; it's a large format that really grabs the listener and makes them part of the process. You have this gorgeous 12"x12" artwork that you open like a book. There is photography and design to digest. There is the album sleeve to let your eyes move around and read. A vinyl album makes you sit down and listen. You get four or five songs, then you have to get up and flip it for the 2nd act. There is more involvement when listening to a record. I love that. I love nice, big artwork to look at. I love seeing a whole complete package to digest. And, again, go into any Goodwill and you'll find bins of vinyl priced at pennies on the dollar. TONS of out-of-print stuff, right under your nose, and well worth the 50 cents to take a chance and maybe learn about some new musician.
Sales might be dwindling, but there will always be avenues for finding physical media - especially music. I think the return of Vinyl (though I don't agree with the crazy high prices for new vinyl: $40-50 is crazy high, unless it's an import or a limited edition) is a direct reaction to how impersonal an iPod and digital music has become. As a photographer that learned on film, I see people who only learned on digital cameras now taking a strong interest in film, and, even earlier processes like tin-type and wet-plate. They are searching for something that connects them more into the process.
Vinyl, and cd's - they were ways to be physically connected to the bands you listed to; to take their creation and hold it in your hands and read along with the singer, and collect, and share.
...that was a lot more typing that I intended.
Viva la Vinyl. Spin that black circle.
Cheers,
Sid
02-07-18, 09:44 PM
#103
Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
Just for the record, as a huge Ennio Morricone fan, I am happy to have found several previously unheard Morricone albums on Amazon Music and listen to those on my Kindle. Saves the me the cost of buying the CDs. I have tons of Morricone albums on vinyl that I haven't listened to in years because my stereo has a problem that can probably be easily fixed and yet I put the whole setup in storage. I have tons of Morricone albums on CD that I never transferred to iTunes and tons more that I have transferred to iTunes. So when I need a Morricone fix I have places to turn.
02-08-18, 03:06 PM
#104
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
It's only a matter of time before Best Buy also drops DVDs and Blu-rays. CDs are just the canary in the coalmine.
Best Buy makes their living these days on large appliances and cellphones.
Best Buy makes their living these days on large appliances and cellphones.
02-08-18, 03:31 PM
#105
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
I don't see this as a nail in cd's coffin. I see this as yet another nail in Best Buy's coffin. They have eroded to the point that the only thing I've bought from them in the last six years were android phones ... and a Mad Max steelbook because it was exclusive.
For those writing about experiences of high-priced retail cd's - I didn't have that same experience throughout the last 30 years of buying/collecting cd's (and vinyl).
I have worked for just about every music retailer in Southern New Hampshire (First started in a department store: Lechmere's music department), then heading down to a TRAX Music in Norfolk VA (which turned into a Blockbuster Music [remember them??]), then moving to a mom-and-pop record shop (Rockit Records) and then helping open the Newbury Comics in Manchester NH. That covers roughly all of the 90's and early 00's.
New releases were always between 10.99 and 14.99. Catalog titles were usually less, unless it was double-disc or more sets. I also did a lot of buying of imports and out of print titles from the back of Goldmine magazine, and import singles were always 9.99 or 10.99. They never fluctuated in price - always the same cost.
The only places that had sky-high cd pricing was RecordWorld/TapeWorld in the big malls (all the record shops in our malls locally, regardless of name, were all owned by the same conglomerate - so it didn't matter what one you went to in the mall - you were buying from the same entity. We had two Tower Records near me (one in Boston, one near the NH border) and those usually had really high prices, but most buyers I knew only went to Tower for import titles (as did I).
Out of all the cd's I have (at the moment somewhere around 1,600), only 1 cd has ever gotten any kind of cd rot: a Mike & the Mechanics import cd-single that for some reason became absolutely roached just sitting in it's case in my cd rack. No idea why.
I'm a big flea-market junkie, and during the flea season I'm regularly coming home with cds each Sunday. Lots of old and out-of-print stuff, and I'm paying roughly 75 cents a cd. Usually 50 cents. Some times a buck. Never more than $2. There is so much good shit out there just waiting to be bought and listened to.
I have a big iPod and over the last decade I'll rip a few cds a week while I'm working. But an iPod can cause what I call "selection exhaustion" - never knowing what to listen to because there is simply too much there for the brain to digest. I'd rather spend an extra five minutes in the morning going through the collection and grabbing four cds and taking them with me.
And for vinyl - I've recently upgraded to a U-Turn Orbit, and I busted out the 100+ vinyl I've had.
Vinyl is a whole other beast for me; it's a large format that really grabs the listener and makes them part of the process. You have this gorgeous 12"x12" artwork that you open like a book. There is photography and design to digest. There is the album sleeve to let your eyes move around and read. A vinyl album makes you sit down and listen. You get four or five songs, then you have to get up and flip it for the 2nd act. There is more involvement when listening to a record. I love that. I love nice, big artwork to look at. I love seeing a whole complete package to digest. And, again, go into any Goodwill and you'll find bins of vinyl priced at pennies on the dollar. TONS of out-of-print stuff, right under your nose, and well worth the 50 cents to take a chance and maybe learn about some new musician.
Sales might be dwindling, but there will always be avenues for finding physical media - especially music. I think the return of Vinyl (though I don't agree with the crazy high prices for new vinyl: $40-50 is crazy high, unless it's an import or a limited edition) is a direct reaction to how impersonal an iPod and digital music has become. As a photographer that learned on film, I see people who only learned on digital cameras now taking a strong interest in film, and, even earlier processes like tin-type and wet-plate. They are searching for something that connects them more into the process.
Vinyl, and cd's - they were ways to be physically connected to the bands you listed to; to take their creation and hold it in your hands and read along with the singer, and collect, and share.
...that was a lot more typing that I intended.
Viva la Vinyl. Spin that black circle.
Cheers,
Sid
For those writing about experiences of high-priced retail cd's - I didn't have that same experience throughout the last 30 years of buying/collecting cd's (and vinyl).
I have worked for just about every music retailer in Southern New Hampshire (First started in a department store: Lechmere's music department), then heading down to a TRAX Music in Norfolk VA (which turned into a Blockbuster Music [remember them??]), then moving to a mom-and-pop record shop (Rockit Records) and then helping open the Newbury Comics in Manchester NH. That covers roughly all of the 90's and early 00's.
New releases were always between 10.99 and 14.99. Catalog titles were usually less, unless it was double-disc or more sets. I also did a lot of buying of imports and out of print titles from the back of Goldmine magazine, and import singles were always 9.99 or 10.99. They never fluctuated in price - always the same cost.
The only places that had sky-high cd pricing was RecordWorld/TapeWorld in the big malls (all the record shops in our malls locally, regardless of name, were all owned by the same conglomerate - so it didn't matter what one you went to in the mall - you were buying from the same entity. We had two Tower Records near me (one in Boston, one near the NH border) and those usually had really high prices, but most buyers I knew only went to Tower for import titles (as did I).
Out of all the cd's I have (at the moment somewhere around 1,600), only 1 cd has ever gotten any kind of cd rot: a Mike & the Mechanics import cd-single that for some reason became absolutely roached just sitting in it's case in my cd rack. No idea why.
I'm a big flea-market junkie, and during the flea season I'm regularly coming home with cds each Sunday. Lots of old and out-of-print stuff, and I'm paying roughly 75 cents a cd. Usually 50 cents. Some times a buck. Never more than $2. There is so much good shit out there just waiting to be bought and listened to.
I have a big iPod and over the last decade I'll rip a few cds a week while I'm working. But an iPod can cause what I call "selection exhaustion" - never knowing what to listen to because there is simply too much there for the brain to digest. I'd rather spend an extra five minutes in the morning going through the collection and grabbing four cds and taking them with me.
And for vinyl - I've recently upgraded to a U-Turn Orbit, and I busted out the 100+ vinyl I've had.
Vinyl is a whole other beast for me; it's a large format that really grabs the listener and makes them part of the process. You have this gorgeous 12"x12" artwork that you open like a book. There is photography and design to digest. There is the album sleeve to let your eyes move around and read. A vinyl album makes you sit down and listen. You get four or five songs, then you have to get up and flip it for the 2nd act. There is more involvement when listening to a record. I love that. I love nice, big artwork to look at. I love seeing a whole complete package to digest. And, again, go into any Goodwill and you'll find bins of vinyl priced at pennies on the dollar. TONS of out-of-print stuff, right under your nose, and well worth the 50 cents to take a chance and maybe learn about some new musician.
Sales might be dwindling, but there will always be avenues for finding physical media - especially music. I think the return of Vinyl (though I don't agree with the crazy high prices for new vinyl: $40-50 is crazy high, unless it's an import or a limited edition) is a direct reaction to how impersonal an iPod and digital music has become. As a photographer that learned on film, I see people who only learned on digital cameras now taking a strong interest in film, and, even earlier processes like tin-type and wet-plate. They are searching for something that connects them more into the process.
Vinyl, and cd's - they were ways to be physically connected to the bands you listed to; to take their creation and hold it in your hands and read along with the singer, and collect, and share.
...that was a lot more typing that I intended.
Viva la Vinyl. Spin that black circle.
Cheers,
Sid
Good shit right here, man!
02-09-18, 03:27 PM
#106
Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
I haven't bought a CD from Best Buy for ages with the exception of the latest Warrant CD I was shocked they had it.
Amazon has everything so no biggie.
Amazon has everything so no biggie.
02-10-18, 10:31 AM
#107
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Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
Great discussion here. I have about 1700 CDs or so, 300 vinyl records (most from the 80's of collecting) and have been ripping all my CDs to FLAC so I can access them a bit easier. I have about 25K songs in iTunes of various quality, but I have many CDs that aren't ripped at all. I moved last year, and don't have room to store the CDs out (but I don't want to get rid of them) so I figure the FLAC project will make them accessible, and easier to play. I use a cloud backup, and they are all getting saved as I do them. Once it's all done, I will get a external drive to backup locally as well.
I agree with most here, saying it's more a nail in best buys coffin than CDs. I buy all my CDs on Amazon, love Auto-Rip to get right away. But I want the physical copy too.
I agree with most here, saying it's more a nail in best buys coffin than CDs. I buy all my CDs on Amazon, love Auto-Rip to get right away. But I want the physical copy too.
02-10-18, 12:21 PM
#108
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Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
I don't see this as a nail in cd's coffin. I see this as yet another nail in Best Buy's coffin. They have eroded to the point that the only thing I've bought from them in the last six years were android phones ... and a Mad Max steelbook because it was exclusive.
For those writing about experiences of high-priced retail cd's - I didn't have that same experience throughout the last 30 years of buying/collecting cd's (and vinyl).
I have worked for just about every music retailer in Southern New Hampshire (First started in a department store: Lechmere's music department), then heading down to a TRAX Music in Norfolk VA (which turned into a Blockbuster Music [remember them??]), then moving to a mom-and-pop record shop (Rockit Records) and then helping open the Newbury Comics in Manchester NH. That covers roughly all of the 90's and early 00's.
New releases were always between 10.99 and 14.99. Catalog titles were usually less, unless it was double-disc or more sets. I also did a lot of buying of imports and out of print titles from the back of Goldmine magazine, and import singles were always 9.99 or 10.99. They never fluctuated in price - always the same cost.
The only places that had sky-high cd pricing was RecordWorld/TapeWorld in the big malls (all the record shops in our malls locally, regardless of name, were all owned by the same conglomerate - so it didn't matter what one you went to in the mall - you were buying from the same entity. We had two Tower Records near me (one in Boston, one near the NH border) and those usually had really high prices, but most buyers I knew only went to Tower for import titles (as did I).
Out of all the cd's I have (at the moment somewhere around 1,600), only 1 cd has ever gotten any kind of cd rot: a Mike & the Mechanics import cd-single that for some reason became absolutely roached just sitting in it's case in my cd rack. No idea why.
I'm a big flea-market junkie, and during the flea season I'm regularly coming home with cds each Sunday. Lots of old and out-of-print stuff, and I'm paying roughly 75 cents a cd. Usually 50 cents. Some times a buck. Never more than $2. There is so much good shit out there just waiting to be bought and listened to.
I have a big iPod and over the last decade I'll rip a few cds a week while I'm working. But an iPod can cause what I call "selection exhaustion" - never knowing what to listen to because there is simply too much there for the brain to digest. I'd rather spend an extra five minutes in the morning going through the collection and grabbing four cds and taking them with me.
And for vinyl - I've recently upgraded to a U-Turn Orbit, and I busted out the 100+ vinyl I've had.
Vinyl is a whole other beast for me; it's a large format that really grabs the listener and makes them part of the process. You have this gorgeous 12"x12" artwork that you open like a book. There is photography and design to digest. There is the album sleeve to let your eyes move around and read. A vinyl album makes you sit down and listen. You get four or five songs, then you have to get up and flip it for the 2nd act. There is more involvement when listening to a record. I love that. I love nice, big artwork to look at. I love seeing a whole complete package to digest. And, again, go into any Goodwill and you'll find bins of vinyl priced at pennies on the dollar. TONS of out-of-print stuff, right under your nose, and well worth the 50 cents to take a chance and maybe learn about some new musician.
Sales might be dwindling, but there will always be avenues for finding physical media - especially music. I think the return of Vinyl (though I don't agree with the crazy high prices for new vinyl: $40-50 is crazy high, unless it's an import or a limited edition) is a direct reaction to how impersonal an iPod and digital music has become. As a photographer that learned on film, I see people who only learned on digital cameras now taking a strong interest in film, and, even earlier processes like tin-type and wet-plate. They are searching for something that connects them more into the process.
Vinyl, and cd's - they were ways to be physically connected to the bands you listed to; to take their creation and hold it in your hands and read along with the singer, and collect, and share.
...that was a lot more typing that I intended.
Viva la Vinyl. Spin that black circle.
Cheers,
Sid
For those writing about experiences of high-priced retail cd's - I didn't have that same experience throughout the last 30 years of buying/collecting cd's (and vinyl).
I have worked for just about every music retailer in Southern New Hampshire (First started in a department store: Lechmere's music department), then heading down to a TRAX Music in Norfolk VA (which turned into a Blockbuster Music [remember them??]), then moving to a mom-and-pop record shop (Rockit Records) and then helping open the Newbury Comics in Manchester NH. That covers roughly all of the 90's and early 00's.
New releases were always between 10.99 and 14.99. Catalog titles were usually less, unless it was double-disc or more sets. I also did a lot of buying of imports and out of print titles from the back of Goldmine magazine, and import singles were always 9.99 or 10.99. They never fluctuated in price - always the same cost.
The only places that had sky-high cd pricing was RecordWorld/TapeWorld in the big malls (all the record shops in our malls locally, regardless of name, were all owned by the same conglomerate - so it didn't matter what one you went to in the mall - you were buying from the same entity. We had two Tower Records near me (one in Boston, one near the NH border) and those usually had really high prices, but most buyers I knew only went to Tower for import titles (as did I).
Out of all the cd's I have (at the moment somewhere around 1,600), only 1 cd has ever gotten any kind of cd rot: a Mike & the Mechanics import cd-single that for some reason became absolutely roached just sitting in it's case in my cd rack. No idea why.
I'm a big flea-market junkie, and during the flea season I'm regularly coming home with cds each Sunday. Lots of old and out-of-print stuff, and I'm paying roughly 75 cents a cd. Usually 50 cents. Some times a buck. Never more than $2. There is so much good shit out there just waiting to be bought and listened to.
I have a big iPod and over the last decade I'll rip a few cds a week while I'm working. But an iPod can cause what I call "selection exhaustion" - never knowing what to listen to because there is simply too much there for the brain to digest. I'd rather spend an extra five minutes in the morning going through the collection and grabbing four cds and taking them with me.
And for vinyl - I've recently upgraded to a U-Turn Orbit, and I busted out the 100+ vinyl I've had.
Vinyl is a whole other beast for me; it's a large format that really grabs the listener and makes them part of the process. You have this gorgeous 12"x12" artwork that you open like a book. There is photography and design to digest. There is the album sleeve to let your eyes move around and read. A vinyl album makes you sit down and listen. You get four or five songs, then you have to get up and flip it for the 2nd act. There is more involvement when listening to a record. I love that. I love nice, big artwork to look at. I love seeing a whole complete package to digest. And, again, go into any Goodwill and you'll find bins of vinyl priced at pennies on the dollar. TONS of out-of-print stuff, right under your nose, and well worth the 50 cents to take a chance and maybe learn about some new musician.
Sales might be dwindling, but there will always be avenues for finding physical media - especially music. I think the return of Vinyl (though I don't agree with the crazy high prices for new vinyl: $40-50 is crazy high, unless it's an import or a limited edition) is a direct reaction to how impersonal an iPod and digital music has become. As a photographer that learned on film, I see people who only learned on digital cameras now taking a strong interest in film, and, even earlier processes like tin-type and wet-plate. They are searching for something that connects them more into the process.
Vinyl, and cd's - they were ways to be physically connected to the bands you listed to; to take their creation and hold it in your hands and read along with the singer, and collect, and share.
...that was a lot more typing that I intended.
Viva la Vinyl. Spin that black circle.
Cheers,
Sid
But I feel that even though there will always be a market for physical media, the problem is these big corporations pretty much dictating the future of the music industry. By taking discs out of big stores like Target and Best Buy, the average consumer won't always want to go to Amazon and wait even the two days for a CD to show up at their house, effectively forcing them to go with streaming. Rather than these big companies surrendering to streaming and digital, they're putting no money and no effort into enticing people to staying with physical media.
I also suffer from "selection exhaustion". I've stated in another thread that I also own roughly 1,000 CDs, and while it isn't practical to sift through Spotify to save everything I own digitally (which would be impossible since there's a handful of stuff that isn't even on there), the problem is that even for premium users there's a limit to how much you can have saved, which is bullshit. My Spotify library is pretty big, and it does get overwhelming to scroll through a ton of stuff and trying to decide on something. Like you said, I find it much easier to just grab a few discs from my collection on my way out the door and take them with me, at least while I still have a CD player in my car. Plus, I find it much easier to simply swap out the discs while in the car. I'm not going to pull the car over to pick up my phone and have to go through my library to find something else to listen to.
Let Best Buy dig themselves into an even deeper hole. I just used my rewards certificate the other night to pick up a few CDs, and I think it was probably my last purchase with them. They've made it harder and harder to support them as a company over these past few years, and I personally won't miss them one bit. Maybe if this were 8-12 years ago, I'd have been singing a different tune.
02-12-18, 12:53 PM
#109
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Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
I mean, Big Box stores going out of business and stuff isn't new.
Between all the Lechmere's and Ames and Caldor's and Bradlees and .... there are still record shops and places to buy music. Big Box might think they can dictate what everybody buys, but I think there will be plenty of avenues for music fans who crave hands-on, physical product.
I was at a local Goodwill on Saturday pawing through the vinyl. In the time I was there about six other people of varied ages and gender slide up besides me and poked through them as well. Good stuff.
Between all the Lechmere's and Ames and Caldor's and Bradlees and .... there are still record shops and places to buy music. Big Box might think they can dictate what everybody buys, but I think there will be plenty of avenues for music fans who crave hands-on, physical product.
I was at a local Goodwill on Saturday pawing through the vinyl. In the time I was there about six other people of varied ages and gender slide up besides me and poked through them as well. Good stuff.
02-14-18, 11:37 AM
#110
DVD Talk Godfather
02-14-18, 12:44 PM
#111
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
A couple of months ago,I started buying CDs for the first time in over 15 years.
Is Best Buy still going to sell CDs online?
Is Best Buy still going to sell CDs online?
02-14-18, 01:05 PM
#112
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Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
02-14-18, 01:50 PM
#113
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Join Date: Nov 2009
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Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
I won't be buying from them if they continue to selling them online. Not only are their shipping prices insane ($3.99 for an item that could take up to 9 days to get to me? No thank you), but their prices in general suck. A CD that costs anywhere from $12 - $14 will end up costing up to $20 when all is said and done. I'd much rather order from Amazon, who is by far cheaper, and with Prime I'll have it in two days. Even without Prime, their prices are much better.
02-15-18, 01:15 PM
#114
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
Yeah, I disagree with the whole price argument. I bought a ton of CDs in high school, back in the 80s, when CDs cost $16.99. That's $38.53 in 2017 dollars. I've only bought a handful of CDs this century, but most were $11.99 or less - so CDs are two-thirds cheaper now than they were in the 80s. Hell, I picked up Madonna's Hard Candy at Walmart (even though I didn't care for the album. At all.) because I was once a fan, and have all her other stuff on CD. It was $7.87... which would have cost $4 in 1986!
I think the bottom line is that people value convenience over quality. CDs sound great, but they're a pain to carry around (who remembers having a binder of 80 discs in the car?). They're a pain to swap out, especially when driving or exercising. They take up space, and are a giant pain the ass when it's time to move. And every single living American over the age of 30 (maybe 35) and under 80 has, at one point in their lives, had to buy an entire CD when they only wanted one song.
Compare that to an iPod, which can hold thousands of songs for any occasion, and has easily-made playlists for working out or studying. Or a streaming service, which is much like an iPod with a 30 million song library that never requires manual syncing and works on your computer(s), phone, tablets and TV. Why would I want silver discs I have to move from device to device to listen to when I can use Spotify on my desktop or laptop, on my phone (or tablet) with wireless headphones while doing chores, on my phone in the car via BT or aux cable, on my TV via BT soundbar (or directly via my Android TV box)? And any changes I make (add\remove songs from a playlist) are instantly reflected on all my devices!
I get that some people can hear the difference between CD audio and a good MP3 rip. I don't think there are nearly as many as people claim, though. I generally can't, and am more than happy to have ditched physical media. 'Cos in the end, I don't want little silver discs... I want music.
I also think the electronics industry kinda shot itself in the foot with all the different formats. Seems like as soon as people switched their collections from vinyl\cassette to CD... here comes MiniDisc! Don't you wanna ditch all the CDs you just bought for a new format? But don't get too attached to MiniDisc, 'cos here comes SACD! Then DVD-Audio! Then Hi-MD! Then BD-Audio! No wonder consumers got format fatigue - especially when those formats really only matter when you're actively listening to music over a really nice set of speakers in a controlled environment or with a really good pair of headphones... which no one does any more.
I think the bottom line is that people value convenience over quality. CDs sound great, but they're a pain to carry around (who remembers having a binder of 80 discs in the car?). They're a pain to swap out, especially when driving or exercising. They take up space, and are a giant pain the ass when it's time to move. And every single living American over the age of 30 (maybe 35) and under 80 has, at one point in their lives, had to buy an entire CD when they only wanted one song.
Compare that to an iPod, which can hold thousands of songs for any occasion, and has easily-made playlists for working out or studying. Or a streaming service, which is much like an iPod with a 30 million song library that never requires manual syncing and works on your computer(s), phone, tablets and TV. Why would I want silver discs I have to move from device to device to listen to when I can use Spotify on my desktop or laptop, on my phone (or tablet) with wireless headphones while doing chores, on my phone in the car via BT or aux cable, on my TV via BT soundbar (or directly via my Android TV box)? And any changes I make (add\remove songs from a playlist) are instantly reflected on all my devices!
I get that some people can hear the difference between CD audio and a good MP3 rip. I don't think there are nearly as many as people claim, though. I generally can't, and am more than happy to have ditched physical media. 'Cos in the end, I don't want little silver discs... I want music.
I also think the electronics industry kinda shot itself in the foot with all the different formats. Seems like as soon as people switched their collections from vinyl\cassette to CD... here comes MiniDisc! Don't you wanna ditch all the CDs you just bought for a new format? But don't get too attached to MiniDisc, 'cos here comes SACD! Then DVD-Audio! Then Hi-MD! Then BD-Audio! No wonder consumers got format fatigue - especially when those formats really only matter when you're actively listening to music over a really nice set of speakers in a controlled environment or with a really good pair of headphones... which no one does any more.
Last edited by Rex Fenestrarum; 02-19-18 at 12:16 PM. Reason: Cleaned up some text. Also "sliver" isn't "silver".
02-15-18, 01:57 PM
#115
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
I don't see this as a nail in cd's coffin. I see this as yet another nail in Best Buy's coffin. They have eroded to the point that the only thing I've bought from them in the last six years were android phones ... and a Mad Max steelbook because it was exclusive.
For those writing about experiences of high-priced retail cd's - I didn't have that same experience throughout the last 30 years of buying/collecting cd's (and vinyl).
I have worked for just about every music retailer in Southern New Hampshire (First started in a department store: Lechmere's music department), then heading down to a TRAX Music in Norfolk VA (which turned into a Blockbuster Music [remember them??]), then moving to a mom-and-pop record shop (Rockit Records) and then helping open the Newbury Comics in Manchester NH. That covers roughly all of the 90's and early 00's.
New releases were always between 10.99 and 14.99. Catalog titles were usually less, unless it was double-disc or more sets. I also did a lot of buying of imports and out of print titles from the back of Goldmine magazine, and import singles were always 9.99 or 10.99. They never fluctuated in price - always the same cost.
The only places that had sky-high cd pricing was RecordWorld/TapeWorld in the big malls (all the record shops in our malls locally, regardless of name, were all owned by the same conglomerate - so it didn't matter what one you went to in the mall - you were buying from the same entity. We had two Tower Records near me (one in Boston, one near the NH border) and those usually had really high prices, but most buyers I knew only went to Tower for import titles (as did I).
Out of all the cd's I have (at the moment somewhere around 1,600), only 1 cd has ever gotten any kind of cd rot: a Mike & the Mechanics import cd-single that for some reason became absolutely roached just sitting in it's case in my cd rack. No idea why.
I'm a big flea-market junkie, and during the flea season I'm regularly coming home with cds each Sunday. Lots of old and out-of-print stuff, and I'm paying roughly 75 cents a cd. Usually 50 cents. Some times a buck. Never more than $2. There is so much good shit out there just waiting to be bought and listened to.
I have a big iPod and over the last decade I'll rip a few cds a week while I'm working. But an iPod can cause what I call "selection exhaustion" - never knowing what to listen to because there is simply too much there for the brain to digest. I'd rather spend an extra five minutes in the morning going through the collection and grabbing four cds and taking them with me.
And for vinyl - I've recently upgraded to a U-Turn Orbit, and I busted out the 100+ vinyl I've had.
Vinyl is a whole other beast for me; it's a large format that really grabs the listener and makes them part of the process. You have this gorgeous 12"x12" artwork that you open like a book. There is photography and design to digest. There is the album sleeve to let your eyes move around and read. A vinyl album makes you sit down and listen. You get four or five songs, then you have to get up and flip it for the 2nd act. There is more involvement when listening to a record. I love that. I love nice, big artwork to look at. I love seeing a whole complete package to digest. And, again, go into any Goodwill and you'll find bins of vinyl priced at pennies on the dollar. TONS of out-of-print stuff, right under your nose, and well worth the 50 cents to take a chance and maybe learn about some new musician.
Sales might be dwindling, but there will always be avenues for finding physical media - especially music. I think the return of Vinyl (though I don't agree with the crazy high prices for new vinyl: $40-50 is crazy high, unless it's an import or a limited edition) is a direct reaction to how impersonal an iPod and digital music has become. As a photographer that learned on film, I see people who only learned on digital cameras now taking a strong interest in film, and, even earlier processes like tin-type and wet-plate. They are searching for something that connects them more into the process.
Vinyl, and cd's - they were ways to be physically connected to the bands you listed to; to take their creation and hold it in your hands and read along with the singer, and collect, and share.
...that was a lot more typing that I intended.
Viva la Vinyl. Spin that black circle.
Cheers,
Sid
For those writing about experiences of high-priced retail cd's - I didn't have that same experience throughout the last 30 years of buying/collecting cd's (and vinyl).
I have worked for just about every music retailer in Southern New Hampshire (First started in a department store: Lechmere's music department), then heading down to a TRAX Music in Norfolk VA (which turned into a Blockbuster Music [remember them??]), then moving to a mom-and-pop record shop (Rockit Records) and then helping open the Newbury Comics in Manchester NH. That covers roughly all of the 90's and early 00's.
New releases were always between 10.99 and 14.99. Catalog titles were usually less, unless it was double-disc or more sets. I also did a lot of buying of imports and out of print titles from the back of Goldmine magazine, and import singles were always 9.99 or 10.99. They never fluctuated in price - always the same cost.
The only places that had sky-high cd pricing was RecordWorld/TapeWorld in the big malls (all the record shops in our malls locally, regardless of name, were all owned by the same conglomerate - so it didn't matter what one you went to in the mall - you were buying from the same entity. We had two Tower Records near me (one in Boston, one near the NH border) and those usually had really high prices, but most buyers I knew only went to Tower for import titles (as did I).
Out of all the cd's I have (at the moment somewhere around 1,600), only 1 cd has ever gotten any kind of cd rot: a Mike & the Mechanics import cd-single that for some reason became absolutely roached just sitting in it's case in my cd rack. No idea why.
I'm a big flea-market junkie, and during the flea season I'm regularly coming home with cds each Sunday. Lots of old and out-of-print stuff, and I'm paying roughly 75 cents a cd. Usually 50 cents. Some times a buck. Never more than $2. There is so much good shit out there just waiting to be bought and listened to.
I have a big iPod and over the last decade I'll rip a few cds a week while I'm working. But an iPod can cause what I call "selection exhaustion" - never knowing what to listen to because there is simply too much there for the brain to digest. I'd rather spend an extra five minutes in the morning going through the collection and grabbing four cds and taking them with me.
And for vinyl - I've recently upgraded to a U-Turn Orbit, and I busted out the 100+ vinyl I've had.
Vinyl is a whole other beast for me; it's a large format that really grabs the listener and makes them part of the process. You have this gorgeous 12"x12" artwork that you open like a book. There is photography and design to digest. There is the album sleeve to let your eyes move around and read. A vinyl album makes you sit down and listen. You get four or five songs, then you have to get up and flip it for the 2nd act. There is more involvement when listening to a record. I love that. I love nice, big artwork to look at. I love seeing a whole complete package to digest. And, again, go into any Goodwill and you'll find bins of vinyl priced at pennies on the dollar. TONS of out-of-print stuff, right under your nose, and well worth the 50 cents to take a chance and maybe learn about some new musician.
Sales might be dwindling, but there will always be avenues for finding physical media - especially music. I think the return of Vinyl (though I don't agree with the crazy high prices for new vinyl: $40-50 is crazy high, unless it's an import or a limited edition) is a direct reaction to how impersonal an iPod and digital music has become. As a photographer that learned on film, I see people who only learned on digital cameras now taking a strong interest in film, and, even earlier processes like tin-type and wet-plate. They are searching for something that connects them more into the process.
Vinyl, and cd's - they were ways to be physically connected to the bands you listed to; to take their creation and hold it in your hands and read along with the singer, and collect, and share.
...that was a lot more typing that I intended.
Viva la Vinyl. Spin that black circle.
Cheers,
Sid
Physical media ain't going anywhere, and it's still good times finding plenty of good stuff at flea markets, garage sales and even indie record store used bins.
Amazon has upped the game with Vinyl as well, bought the new B0rns last week for $14 and I thought that was a pretty fair amount for new vinyl. I will sample on Spotify first, but if I like it, I will see if a new artist will crack the $15 barrier at Amazon and away we go...
02-16-18, 06:56 PM
#116
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Part of the Left-Wing Conspiracy
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118 Posts
Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
I love vinyl for just what you said, its more of a planned actual LISTEN, than just background music.
02-17-18, 10:48 AM
#117
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
This pretty much sums up why physical media is dead, and alive all in one quote. Many people don't want that involvement. They want background music for their drive, or chores, or whatever. A few folks mentioned that music for many people, is not what it was, its something different than that involved thing it used to be. Singles, hits and playlists are more "important" to some, than a great album or experience.
I love vinyl for just what you said, its more of a planned actual LISTEN, than just background music.
I love vinyl for just what you said, its more of a planned actual LISTEN, than just background music.
I play music through a "music server" (HAP-Z1ES) and I usually sit and actually listen to the music, and I know people who always listen to vinyl while doing other things (reading, chores, watching TV, laying new flooring, etc). Getting up to flip the side over doesn't make you more involved with the music - it's just a task you have with the limitations of the format.
02-17-18, 10:26 PM
#118
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
I also think the electronics industry kinda shot itself in the foot with all the different formats. Seems like as soon as people switched their collections from vinyl\cassette to CD... here comes MiniDisc! Don't you wanna ditch all the CDs you just bought for a new format? But don't get too attached to MiniDisc, 'cos here comes SACD! Then DVD-Audio! Then Hi-MD! Then BD-Audio!
SACD should have been the next level, but they were overpriced and there wasn't a lot of great content on the format that made me want to buy into it right away. Blu-Ray audio discs have sort of made those obsolete, as they can carry the same sound quality and don't require a specialized player, but of course I'm glad that Oppo players support them along with DVD-Audio. SACDs could also be dual-layered with the 2nd layer being a regular CD playable in any player- that SHOULD have become the new standard, but not all SACDs had the standard CD layer, and in a perfect example of recording industry greed, the hybrid discs required TWO royalty payments instead of the usual one, because they counted it as two separate recordings.
02-19-18, 12:11 PM
#119
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
Heh. I always wondered why, any time there's a new format, record labels trot out the same damn 20 albums they've released over and over again. Hey, record labels, I didn't buy The Doors or Dark Side of the Moon or Brothers in Arms on CD, or Audio Fidelity 24k gold CD, or MiniDisc, or cassette or even vinyl... what makes you think I want it on SACD? Kinda makes you wonder how they're gonna roll out new formats 20 years from now, when all the classic rock fans are dead.
02-19-18, 03:29 PM
#120
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Another nail in physical music's coffin - Best Buy to pull CDs by July
Heh. I always wondered why, any time there's a new format, record labels trot out the same damn 20 albums they've released over and over again. Hey, record labels, I didn't buy The Doors or Dark Side of the Moon or Brothers in Arms on CD, or Audio Fidelity 24k gold CD, or MiniDisc, or cassette or even vinyl... what makes you think I want it on SACD? Kinda makes you wonder how they're gonna roll out new formats 20 years from now, when all the classic rock fans are dead.
I plan on still being here 40 years from now. I'm too stubborn to die!!
