It seems like mp3s are replacing the cd by now.
Do you think artists will still release CDs in 10 years from now?

Why not? Musicians are already disposable as far as the music industry is concerned; might as well continue on with the folks that make the actual CDs.

I believe so.

Vinyl is still somewhat popular, but look at cassettes, which i would say are worthless now.

SunnySkies said:

The reason cassettes are dead is because like VHS, going from part to part is not instant. Records and CDs are similar in that way.

Unlike cassettes and 8-tracks which suffer from sonic anomalies such as tape hiss, compact discs still offer a certain level of sonic quality.

CDs have already fallen out of popularity with the public in favor of mp3s, but I can imagine CDs will still be manufactured in the future for the devoted few (like vinyl is these days).

Mp3's are the worst in quality, to qoute someone i heard the other day...Digital and mp3's "suck donkey balls" and that a scratched record that was stepped on by an elephant and pissed on by a dog would sound better.

But all kidding aside, its not so much the cd going away, its just music all together. Best buy cuts 40% of its stock, and in some stores 60%, Virgin is to close both NYC stores by this time next year perhaps sooner, FYE is preaparing to go out, and circuit city is doing the same downsizing that best buy is doing, the only way you might get a cd now, is used, or direct from the artist, just pray that artists are always able to produce their own.

lastdecember said:

Circuit City is downsizing period. It isn't just their music selection; the whole chain is getting smaller. Granted, the economy has been rough on nearly all retailers, but the "geniuses" who were running Circuit City shot themselves in the foot by firing all of their most experienced and commissioned salespeople and replacing them with minimum wage hourly workers who have no clue about the products they are selling. My guess is that Circuit City will not be around this time next year.

Everyone keeps talking about the mom-and-pop record stores disappearing, but they are probably more likely to survive than the chain record stores. Tower Records, Coconuts, and Blockbuster music are long gone , Sam Goody, Virgin and FYE are terminally ill and on life support, and Best Buy, Walmart and Target are moving on to more profitable items. As for the mom-and-pop, there will always be a need for a specialty shop which caters to particular genres like jazz, folk, bluegrass, or hard to find music.

I'm sorry but I'm not familiar with all these new gadgets. Once you scan a CD into your computer, isn't the song that remains in the computer an MP3. Is that what an MP3 is? As for new music, aren't MP3s strictly downloaded from music sites either buy purchasing the download or by having a friend share the file with you?

If so, I don't see CDs ever dying out. First of all, computers are still too damn expensive for every person to afford. Just look how many years it took for CD players to go down. I couldn't afford one until 1996. Also, even if you get a computer, if you want to download music, that means you need an internet services, which costs. And an internet service that is fast enough to not take two or three hours downloading one song certainly isn't affordable to everyone. Hell, I know lots of folks that can't afford cable televison (don't even get me started on this rediculous digital TV takeover in February ).

And most importantly, CDs will always be needed because you could get a virus in your computer and lose all your music. People definately need backup....well, people with good sense anyways.

MP3s are fucking shitty. CDs are still valuable.

728huey said:[quote]lastdecember said:

Circuit City is downsizing period. It isn't just their music selection; the whole chain is getting smaller. Granted, the economy has been rough on nearly all retailers, but the "geniuses" who were running Circuit City shot themselves in the foot by firing all of their most experienced and commissioned salespeople and replacing them with minimum wage hourly workers who have no clue about the products they are selling. My guess is that Circuit City will not be around this time next year.

Everyone keeps talking about the mom-and-pop record stores disappearing, but they are probably more likely to survive than the chain record stores. Tower Records, Coconuts, and Blockbuster music are long gone , Sam Goody, Virgin and FYE are terminally ill and on life support, and Best Buy, Walmart and Target are moving on to more profitable items. As for the mom-and-pop, there will always be a need for a specialty shop which caters to particular genres like jazz, folk, bluegrass, or hard to find music.


Well its a little of both, i felt the mom and pop stores could survive, till i saw 6 of them drop in the last year in NYC, and they all had their niche, and they also supported "indie" music which is what everyone talks about being the "save all". The mom and pop can not survive selling cd's its that simple, they have to have a niche, the cost of a new cd from a label has gone up almost 2 dollars in the last 3 years, so for them to pay 13 bucks from a label they would have to sell a new cd for 15 to break even at least, and people wont pay it, thats why tower and others couldnt survive and now Best Buy is finally feeling the crunch of their 9.99 cd, those days are gone for them.
[Edited 8/8/08 15:25pm]
[Edited 8/8/08 15:27pm]

First, let's not categorize all digital downloads as MP3s. MP3s are lossy, which means data is lost in the ripping stage. Lossless files don't lose any data in the rip.

With faster download speeds, the new forms of lossless audio are really going to become the standard in a few years. You'll download the lossless files, and then from there you can transcode into MP3s or AAC or whatever you want while still maintaining your originals. NIN is already offering lossless downloads, and even went one step further and is offering Hi-Definition audio downloads, which is better than CD-quality. Think Blu-Ray compared to regular DVDs and you get the idea - but the files are HUGE.

So, in that regard, yes I agree that downloads in general will slowly phase out CDs.

Aside from the speed and convenience factor, downloading music also makes sense ecologically. There is no plastic production, no paper liner notes/covers, and no packaging. It's the green way to go.

On a side note: vinyl LPS are making a comeback - some even offer digital download vouchers on the records themselves. The idea is that you have your home copy (the LP) and a portable copy (the MP3).

SunnySkies said:

As long as DJ have turntables to scratch CDs & vinyls, then the answer is yes.

The mp3 format was already THE norm by the mid 1990's. The only problem was the fact that the American music industry (especially the RIAA) were the only idiots that foolishly didn't take advantage of the mp3 format when they have the chance long before Steve Jobs invented iTunes.

TonyVanDam said:

And iTunes is a disaster for the industry, lol.

Timmy84 said:

As least iTunes is legal in the USA.

eMule, Liweware, & bittorrent on the other hand are illegal. But that hasn't stop people for getting the music they want.

I'm always behind the times. I have yet to convert to mp3. I don't have a good way of playing them except hooking up my headphones to the computer, which I hate. I only have about 5 mp3 songs that people on the org have sent me.

Besides people say mp3's are lower quality than CDs. Why would anyone want to downgrade in quality?

heartbeatocean said:

Because mp3 files can travel across the earth via the internet a lot faster than high quality audio.

TonyVanDam said:

yeah, but we're talking about music, not news. It's an art form not pair of shoes.

Music has ceased to be a profitable commodity.

People prefer MP3s for their size. Fitting your entire music library on something the size of a deck of cards is amazing.

Se7en said:

Exactly. It's also important to note that lossless files allow you to burn your own copy (or copies) of the CD.

BlaqueKnight said:

Records still have track seperation though.

I think vinyl will (already has) make a comeback as the physical medium. MP3's for the iPods. A lot of bands are into vinyls now, and the records come with a iTunes card so the customer can get the album for free on iTunes for the iPod, and the vinyl for hme use. But kids these days don't care about quality. Musicwise or soundwise. It's all about the trend

Se7en said:

That too. I forget that some people don't enjoy being the curator of a huge collection.

Cinnie said:

True. I definitely prefer digital over CD because of my lifestyle. I travel a lot and I want my music to be as accessible and portable as possible. I try to minimize bulk when possible.

Mara said:

Forreal, all I can think about when I'm moving is what a bitch it's gonna be hauling around my collection, besides the essentials (bed, dresser).

Cinnie said:

Mannn, I knowwww. That is probably drama and a half trying to lug all your stuff. It's hard. I remember one time foolishly moving my entire CD collection cross-country in several shoeboxes. When I got off that plane, dude, I had crack cases everywhere. It hadn't dawned on me, 'til afterwards, to get 2 or 3 huge CD wallets. This was like 2000, though. Three years before I got an iPod.