Is the CD era really coming to an end?

[daviddesper]

Different sources say that CDs are being phased out and that within the next year to 18 months the only way we will be able to get new music will be by downloading, which is just not a practice I have embraced. So do you guys agree with that? Are our days of buying new CDs coming to an end? If artists do stop releasing new material on CD, does that also mean that the re-issue era will also be over?

On a related note, I am long overdue for a Denise LaSalle fix. So is our old friend Heikki [[hope I am close on that spelling) still on the case and what can you report to us about her? I know she is still around because I have read about a blues cruise she is scheduled for in August.

[soulster]

Different sources say that CDs are being phased out and that within the next year to 18 months the only way we will be able to get new music will be by downloading, which is just not a practice I have embraced. So do you guys agree with that? Are our days of buying new CDs coming to an end? If artists do stop releasing new material on CD, does that also mean that the re-issue era will also be over?

Is this 2012? 2013? They gave been saying this for the last couple of years and it hasn't happened yet.

Apparently, that observation was taken from an unknown source at a record label and plastered all over the internet. Then, after the uproar, the industry tried to downplay the story.

What has happened since that initial story? Rhino started streaming a large part of their catalog via Spotify, and Universal and Sony/BMG seem to have cut back on reissues. Download sales have been steadily dropping in favor of streaming. As it turns out, the public would rather stream music rather than own it at all. The record labels make out well with streaming, and has complete control over the content. Retailers like best Buy and Walmart continue to reduce or eliminate their inventory of CDs.

Who loses? The consumers who want to own their music, particularly the ones who like tangible items. The artists lose because they are getting a raw deal with streaming and downloads. People tend to desire buying individual songs rather than entire albums, although they usually have the power to control that aspect. Audiophiles lose because most downloads, and streaming, means a further loss in audio quality in most cases, and for the music lover, it really means further reduced availability of titles. People who love artwork and liner notes lose bigtime! The prices for downloads isn't consistent with the lack of manufacturing. And, all of this this drives the demand for illegal downloads of pirated CDs and very high quality needle drops.

Even sales of downloads have taken a dive in favor of these streaming services like Spotify and Pandora. The advantage of Pandora is that it is available in an increasing number of cars, including Sirius/XM radio.

On the bright side: the online market for major label legitimate hi-rez albums made from the first generation analog and digital masters, are available to the public from a growing number of stores, including Music Direct, HD Tracks, one in Canada, and one or two in Europe. There have been constant rumors that Sony/BMG will start selling lossless downloads on their site. And soon, rocker Neil Young is expected to start selling them from his company Pono. And, there are strong rumors that iTunes will begin selling redbook quality and/or hi-rez downloads through its iTunes store.

What is the appeal of downloads and streaming? There is almost zero cost to the labels beyond hiring someone to retrieve a master from the vault and making a copy for the online store, or to hire a mastering engineer to make a new transfer. No manufacturing or A&R costs. No distribution costs. It's all profit. The consumer gets their music on demand, and doesn't have more "things" to clutter up their living spaces.

If you still want CDs, they are still being made in smaller quantities than in the past. Some retailers are selling [[or dumping) new catalog titles at as low as $2! People continue to sell off their CDs as they favor downloads and streaming services. So, now is a good time for the consumer who likes tangibles to buy up music. Today, you can load up thousands of songs on a USB, or even a hard drive, and play them in your car! Every couple of months, I rotate the album selection in my car by loading them up on a USB and sticking it in the car. No unsafe fumbling around with CD-Rs, and I listen to exactly what I want all the time with no loss in sound quality. I've been in an Isley Brothers kick and loaded up several of their albums, as they usually released a new one every spring. I have Syreeta, MFSB, The Temptations, Spinners, my homemade compilations...all kinds of stuff. 182 albums right now. It's great!

If you download music, you can still burn it on a CD-R and play those in a traditional CD player. It means you old farts will have to learn how to use a computer for more than Facebook or this place.

More good news? The sales of vinyl records has held steady. Their popularity is fueled by young people who grew up in the digital age, believe that vinyl is more "real". Audiophiles like them because, for the most part, it offers much better sound over highly compressed CD counterparts. In fact, a well-cut record will sound closest to the master source from which it was made. That fact is backed by many seasoned recording engineers. But, then, a well-made CD is no slouch, either, as proven by countless gold CD reissues by audiophile labels like Audio Fidelity and Mobile Fidelity.

But, the CD isn't gone yet. You may not be able to find what you want in a store, but you can go to Amazon, CD Universe, or Dusty Groove, and find almost anything, new or used. And, if you want something on CD bad enough, let the labels know. If they think there is a large enough market to warrant a CD reissue, they will most likely do it.

But, just like many collectors have had to deal with having a turntable, many more music lovers will have to start thinking about the realities of downloading, especially if lossless and hi-rez becomes more available.

[heikki]

Hi David!

The latest news is that Denise will be performing at the Porretta Soul Festival in Italy in July.

Best regards
Heikki

[Soul Sister]

DD,
I hope not! I have not embraced downloading either, plus I like the album jackets and liner notes. Love photo's of the Artists, I didn't like when the LP Jackets shrunk to CD size, lol........
Like everything else in the past that has disappeared unforuneatly CD's probably will disappear too. [[sigh).............

S.S.
***

[antceleb12]

According to this website, physical formats still make up 51% of the purchases, while digitals make up 39%.

http://www.ifpi.org/global-statistics.php

A 2012 guide by the RIAA shows some different, but more specific, numbers. Accordingly, the popularity of physical formats is still right up there with digital formats.

Billboard reported that digital sales fell 5.7% in 2013.

http://www.billboard.com/biz/article...t-time-in-2013

http://www.riaa.com/keystatistics.ph...nsumer-Profile

[marv2]

If the CD era is coming to an end, it is only because of the powers in the "industry" want it to end. If you recall back when vinyl was being phased out in favor of CD's, it was not the public that were demanding it! It was the manufacturers, the companies in the industry that stood to make more money by switching the format of which popular music was bought and sold.

Downloading is a way for the companies to cut costs and improve their profits. It is a desparation measure in my opinion. It will backfire. I still believe that the majority of music lovers do not buy and download music regularly because most still do not know how to do it! It will backfire and they will back off from this strategy as well. It's all about survival and profit with a good dose of greed thrown in!

[milven]

I worked in the industry most of my life, and have seen so many jobs eliminated because of the switch from physical format to downloading , streaming and stealing. Record Stores, One Stops, Distributors, Promoters , Chain Music Stores and so much more are already gone.

It is obvious that the CD is on its way out of being the preferred format. I bought a new car recently and it came with a CD player, but it is on the passenger side of the car, hidden away in the glove compartment. How often will it be used?

I have Rhapsody on my computer. I create my own playlists using my own owned music and the music that I rent from Rhapsody. After putting it on an MP3, I can play my favorite music in the car. I can also play music in my car using the Bluetooth function on my I-phone. It is a lot more convenient than carting around a bunch of CDs and constantly changing them.

I have joined the new generation, but it was mixed emotions because I miss the industry that that I grew up in. It no longer exists

[splanky]

If I cannot physically collect and own the music I listen to most I will be in MAJOR distress.
I don't do mp3 downloads for the most part. I think I've only bought 2 songs online in my life. The Ohio Players Silly Billy and Willie Hutch's I Choose You. I was desparate. Hell, I
still miss the days when component set came with graphic equalizers and I could customize
the sound of whatever I was listening to according to my mood. Maybe I wanted to brighten
the horns up or dim the vocals in midrange. I made my big concession sonically with the introduction of cds and cd players. "Super Bass on...Super Bass off..." Unless you had chunks of money to shell out , that all the funk you get. To the "powers" trying to eliminate cds,
Mother funk you...

[marv2]

If I cannot physically collect and own the music I listen to most I will be in MAJOR distress.
I don't do mp3 downloads for the most part. I think I've only bought 2 songs online in my life. The Ohio Players Silly Billy and Willie Hutch's I Choose You. I was desparate. Hell, I
still miss the days when component set came with graphic equalizers and I could customize
the sound of whatever I was listening to according to my mood. Maybe I wanted to brighten
the horns up or dim the vocals in midrange. I made my big concession sonically with the introduction of cds and cd players. "Super Bass on...Super Bass off..." Unless you had chunks of money to shell out , that all the funk you get. To the "powers" trying to eliminate cds,
Mother funk you...

Whoomp! There it is!!!!

[soulster]

According to this website, physical formats still make up 51% of the purchases, while digitals make up 39%.

http://www.ifpi.org/global-statistics.php

I think you'd better take a look at these links:

http://www.itproportal.com/2012/05/3...take-physical/

A 2012 guide by the RIAA shows some different, but more specific, numbers. Accordingly, the popularity of physical formats is still right up there with digital formats.

Billboard reported that digital sales fell 5.7% in 2013.

http://www.billboard.com/biz/article...t-time-in-2013

http://www.riaa.com/keystatistics.ph...nsumer-Profile

http://pulseradio.net/articles/2014/...-sales-in-2014

http://lazytechguys.com/news/digital...pass-cd-sales/

They are a bit old, but still point to the exact opposite of what you posted. However, the real threat isn't from downloads, the real threat is:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomal...reaming-soars/

http://www.billboard.com/biz/article...own-streams-up

http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/perm.../04/08/q1sales

As I mentioned in my long post above that probably no one read, is that streaming is lucrative for the labels and casual consumers, while bad for the rest for deveral reasons. But, that is the real direction we are headed for.

I believe that the CD, along with vinyl records, will become a small, niche market. It will get harder to find CDs we want. There may be a silver lining in that. Perhaps, with smaller CD runs, we will get better mastering.

[soulster]

It is obvious that the CD is on its way out of being the preferred format. I bought a new car recently and it came with a CD player, but it is on the passenger side of the car, hidden away in the glove compartment. How often will it be used?

Hah! That's interesting! What model of car is that? I have seen that some new cars don't even have CD players in them anymore. They have hard drives and USB/iPod/Aux ports, and Bluetooth. CDs are so archaic now.

I have used the CD player in my new car maybe three times in the last eight months. All I use is my USB. The sound is better, too, as I can also play lossless WMA files as well as mp3. I need to find out if I can hook up a SSD drive.

I have Rhapsody on my computer. I create my own playlists using my own owned music and the music that I rent from Rhapsody. After putting it on an MP3, I can play my favorite music in the car. I can also play music in my car using the Bluetooth function on my I-phone. It is a lot more convenient than carting around a bunch of CDs and constantly changing them.

Absolutely right! But, I can't see myself renting music. I have to own it. I'm happy with lossless files, just as long as I can do whatever I want with them, when I want.

I have joined the new generation, but it was mixed emotions because I miss the industry that that I grew up in. It no longer exists

I also miss the old model. I miss going CD shopping every Tuesday morning and striking my wish-list like I did in the 90s. I now have a CD collection to be proud of. But, what I did many years ago is rip all those CDs to hard drives so I can play them on demand and reduce my clutter. Its been great! There is no use whining about how it used to be. With every door closed, there are new ones to be opened. I just hope the choices are good.

[soulster]

If I cannot physically collect and own the music I listen to most I will be in MAJOR distress.
I don't do mp3 downloads for the most part. I think I've only bought 2 songs online in my life. The Ohio Players Silly Billy and Willie Hutch's I Choose You. I was desparate. Hell, I
still miss the days when component set came with graphic equalizers and I could customize
the sound of whatever I was listening to according to my mood. Maybe I wanted to brighten
the horns up or dim the vocals in midrange. I made my big concession sonically with the introduction of cds and cd players. "Super Bass on...Super Bass off..." Unless you had chunks of money to shell out , that all the funk you get. To the "powers" trying to eliminate cds,
Mother funk you...

As an audiophile, I haven't wanted or needed to use tone controls or equalizers in over 20 years! I want to hear what's on the source.

Now, if you rip all of your CDs and records to lossless formats, you can use an endless set of tools to do whatever you want to your sound. So, equalizers haven't gone away, they are just in the computer now. You can use the exact same software the mastering guys use to make our music with now. I create my own digital comps and vinyl transfers, and master them to my exact specifications. That's freedom! I can even do that with hi-rez downloads. Have you ever had an album and wish it had been done like you want it? Now you can! You just have to use a computer to do it.

I recently downloaded a nice, free little plug-in that allows me to easily align and tweak the azimuth on files created from cassette tapes. I just now used it on an old Average White Band tape I had with material I have not seen on CD. I love restoring tapes and records.

It's good to be a geek today.

[milven]

Hah! That's interesting! What model of car is that? I have seen that some new cars don't even have CD players in them anymore. They have hard drives and USB/iPod/Aux ports, and Bluetooth. CDs are so archaic now.

I have used the CD player in my new car maybe three times in the last eight months. All I use is my USB. The sound is better, too, as I can also play lossless WMA files as well as mp3. I need to find out if I can hook up a SSD drive.



Absolutely right! But, I can't see myself renting music. I have to own it. I'm happy with lossless files, just as long as I can do whatever I want with them, when I want.



I also miss the old model. I miss going CD shopping every Tuesday morning and striking my wish-list like I did in the 90s. I now have a CD collection to be proud of. But, what I did many years ago is rip all those CDs to hard drives so I can play them on demand and reduce my clutter. Its been great! There is no use whining about how it used to be. With every door closed, there are new ones to be opened. I just hope the choices are good.

The new cars you've seen may have CD players but you don't see them. I have to actually lean over to glove box, and open it to see the CD player. Mine is a Cadillac, but it is probably like that in all GM cars.

In my older cars, I used to have a 10 CD player in the trunk. How inconvenient was that? Having MP3, USB, and Bluetooth in the car is great. I never use the radio.

I did a lot of whining about the changes in the industry and how going to a record shop is incomparable to sitting in front of a computer, but at some point I realized that technology wins and the past is now the past. I love the new technology. Renting the music for a few dollars a month is terrific. I have millions of albums and songs to choose from to compile a playlist of music that I like. And it is easy.

[soulster]

The new cars you've seen may have CD players but you don't see them. I have to actually lean over to glove box, and open it to see the CD player. Mine is a Cadillac, but it is probably like that in all GM cars.

No, I have a late-model GM car. It has the CD player slot right below the entertainment system screen and controls. Remember that the Cadillac, GMC, and Buick divisions are autonomous. In my case, the slot is hardly noticeable, and the USB and Aux ports are tucked away in the middle armrest storage case.

In my older cars, I used to have a 10 CD player in the trunk. How inconvenient was that? Having MP3, USB, and Bluetooth in the car is great. I never use the radio.

I'm thinking of rigging up a system that will allow me to play my entire music collection like my recording engineer friend did with his Lexus.

You are right! I have no use for radio with all those choices! I don't even bother playing music on XM radio because of the lousy sound quality.

Renting the music for a few dollars a month is terrific. I have millions of albums and songs to choose from to compile a playlist of music that I like. And it is easy.

That's the one thing I draw the line at. I will not rent my music! That's final!

[jillfoster]

Many times I still like riding in my brother's 1970 Lemans and listening to the 8 track. I had always felt that car companies were a bit behind the times technologically, but maybe not anymore. I used to a drive a 1986 Ford ranger for work with NO air, NO power steering, NO power brakes, and a factory 8 track! In 1986!

[alanh]

Is the CD era really coming to an end? .........
eventually it will. All things change along with technology and time. However I don't think it will come to an end as soon as many people predicted. CD is still the major proportion of music sales [[if only just) and I think the industry has realised that it might have 'forgotten' the CD too soon in favour of trying to adapt to newer methods of 'supplying'. While the general public might be happy to download or stream the latest fad music, I think the industry now recognises that true music lovers are still an important part of their market - hence the growing number of deluxe editions, multi-album reissue packages etc. A while back it was thought that downloads would kill off CDs, but now it seems the demand for downloads might have peaked. Meanwhile CDs are still here........just like vinyl is still here and growing again. I'm hoping the CD will still be with us for a while yet, but alongside all the other options.

[jack020]

Seeing how many soul and dance lps are getting a cd release at the moment, I don't think the cd is coming to an end.
The real problem is illegal downloads.
Specially younger people don't buy their music anymore.

[soulster]

Seeing how many soul and dance lps are getting a cd release at the moment, I don't think the cd is coming to an end.

I think the demise of the CD is country-specific. Most of the reduction in CD sales is happening in the U.S..

[Amithesameboy]

I think the demise of the CD is country-specific. Most of the reduction in CD sales is happening in the U.S..

I agree. Also, there will continue to be CDs produced for some time to come. It will certainly be more of a niche market, and the major artists and major record companies may well move out of this medium, but smaller companies will continue to produce CDs so long as there is money to be made by so doing. After all, vinyl records are still going, a quarter century or so after CDs first appeared.

[texassoul]

Here's a Denise LaSalle fix! So soulful, it hurts!!

Denise LaSalle - Sit Down And Hurt Awhile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4WphGI_m3g

[milven]

While we are discussing the demise of the CD here, the download of mp3's are also on the decline and streaming is on the rise. Apple is in the process of spending over a billion dollars just to get a streaming service.

The music industry has always been ever-changing. And since Tom Edison invented the reproduction of sound, we have always had choices.
sheet music or cylinder
cylinder or 78
78 or 45
LP or 8 track
LP, 8 track or cassette
LP , cassette or CD
CD or download
CD or download or streaming
and of course just stealing the stuff off the internet.

Why Apple May Need Beats' Music Streaming More Than Trendy Headphones

Apple established itself as the center of digital music for most of the world over the course of a decade. The company has resisted all-access music streaming services under the assumption that people would rather own, not rent, their music.

This belief is turning out to be false for more people every year, as music-industry data show. After years of steady growth, digital-music downloads globally declined slightly last year, according to IFPI, the recording industry trade group. Downloads still dwarf streaming — 67 percent versus 27 percent worldwide last year — but tastes are changing. Revenue from streaming has more than tripled since 2010, surpassing $1 billion for the first time last year, IFPI data show.


Full story with statistics and some interesting comments from readers is at this link:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...eadphones.html

[soulster]

The music industry has always been ever-changing. And since Tom Edison invented the reproduction of sound, we have always had choices.
sheet music or cylinder
cylinder or 78
78 or 45
LP or 8 track
LP, 8 track or cassette
LP , cassette or CD
CD or download
CD or download or streaming
and of course just stealing the stuff off the internet.

Don't forget:

Playtape - a miniature cartridge shaped much like an 8-track cartridge, but smaller - marketed in the mid-late 60s

Reel-to-reel - recorded product on this format was very popular until the mid-70s. Still popular among some audiophiles

SACD - introduced in 2001, but is only a niche product for the audiophile market today

Minidisc - enjoyed a brief time on the market in the early 90s, but gave way to CD-R

DCC Digital Cassette - never had a chance

[milven]

Also forgot Mono and Stereo

[marv2]

Check this out:

Timeline of audio formats

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_audio_formats

[daviddesper]

Thanks for the Denise "fix." But I really need something new from her, which I hope is forthcoming. As your example illustrates, there is more to her than her frisky side. She can get serious and do a tender ballad when the mood strikes her. If you like the one you mentioned, you should also check out "I Forgot to Remember," "Sometimes," and "Why Does it Feel So Right," just to name a few?

[texassoul]

Thanks for the Denise "fix." But I really need something new from her, which I hope is forthcoming. As your example illustrates, there is more to her than her frisky side. She can get serious and do a tender ballad when the mood strikes her. If you like the one you mentioned, you should also check out "I Forgot to Remember," "Sometimes," and "Why Does it Feel So Right," just to name a few?

Thanks David. I will check out those songs.

[soulster]

Also forgot Mono and Stereo

Well, mono and stereo aren't really formats per se, they are just just ways of encoding information onto a given format.

[arr&bee]

I hate cd's,gimme a good ol cassette and an album and i'm good..got any 45's??

[robb_k]

http://pulseradio.net/articles/2014/...-sales-in-2014

http://lazytechguys.com/news/digital...pass-cd-sales/

They are a bit old, but still point to the exact opposite of what you posted. However, the real threat isn't from downloads, the real threat is:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomal...reaming-soars/

http://www.billboard.com/biz/article...own-streams-up

http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/perm.../04/08/q1sales

As I mentioned in my long post above that probably no one read, is that streaming is lucrative for the labels and casual consumers, while bad for the rest for deveral reasons. But, that is the real direction we are headed for.

I believe that the CD, along with vinyl records, will become a small, niche market. It will get harder to find CDs we want. There may be a silver lining in that. Perhaps, with smaller CD runs, we will get better mastering.

I agree with this. Companies like Ace/Kent will continue to make high-quality CDs in small quantities with a minimum level of pre-orders received to ensure the minimum level of profitability needed to support the projects.