CDs Are Dying Three Times as Fast as Vinyl Is Growing

[Mike C]

I loved that "Scarecrow" album when I was a kid. Got it from the RCA Record Club I believe.

Heartland Rock as they called it then.

[pmp]

I know that this news will devastate some of those that have been telling us the CD is dead, but the RIAA in America states that sales from CDs went up by 21% last year.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/14/22976557/cd-sales-increase-2021-recording-industry-association-of-america

[YDKM]

Well i was pretty shocked when i visited HMV in Oxford yesterday!.....i found about just 20 Elvis cd's only and most of the store was filled up with what i call "junk"!
They did have a live band playing in the store and Loads of T shirts, merchandise and rubbish though.

[On Tape 1972]

I must admit this is rather sad. But, as vinyl has come back, I am sure CDs will do the same one day.

Not going to happen. CDs are an inefficient, resource intensive and costly way to move data around. The internet, on the other hand, is efficient. A valid use case for CDs, that still matters to some extent: you can put them in a box and / or sell them at retail stores. And CDs are really good for bootlegging.

No educated person would say printed newspapers are about to return some day.

[iplayastrat]

Printed newspapers are about to return some day.

[r&b]

I must admit this is rather sad. But, as vinyl has come back, I am sure CDs will do the same one day.

Not going to happen. CDs are an inefficient, resource intensive and costly way to move data around. The internet, on the other hand, is efficient. A valid use case for CDs, that still matters to some extent: you can put them in a box and / or sell them at retail stores. And CDs are really good for bootlegging.

No educated person would say printed newspapers are about to return some day.

My son (almost 30) just dumped his entire CD collection, even the artists he likes. I asked why. Well the obvious answer I just dont play them, even in the car (he has a 2004 Honda). All the music he likes is on his phone now. CDs wont come back

[elvis-fan]

I must admit this is rather sad. But, as vinyl has come back, I am sure CDs will do the same one day.

Not going to happen. CDs are an inefficient, resource intensive and costly way to move data around. The internet, on the other hand, is efficient. A valid use case for CDs, that still matters to some extent: you can put them in a box and / or sell them at retail stores. And CDs are really good for bootlegging.

No educated person would say printed newspapers are about to return some day.

My son (almost 30) just dumped his entire CD collection, even the artists he likes. I asked why. Well the obvious answer I just dont play them, even in the car (he has a 2004 Honda). All the music he likes is on his phone now. CDs wont come back

I agree... digital is digital... this generation doesn't need to hold a piece of plastic in their hands to enjoy the music. And CD's don't have the nostalgic appeal or sound of vinyl. I think vinyl will eventually die down as well... once more of our generation is gone. Besides... vinyl pricing has moved into the "beyond stupid" category along with the appearance of more and more trash labels pressing from mp3 or worse sources.

[Swedish]

I agree... digital is digital... this generation doesn't need to hold a piece of plastic in their hands to enjoy the music. And CD's don't have the nostalgic appeal or sound of vinyl. I think vinyl will eventually die down as well... once more of our generation is gone. Besides... vinyl pricing has moved into the "beyond stupid" category along with the appearance of more and more trash labels pressing from mp3 or worse sources.

There are lots of people who still buy 78 RPM shellac records to this very day

[r&b]

And now Subaru 2023 models no longer have CD players. It was the last car I knew of which still had them as recently as 2022. I bought a 2021 model just because they still had them. No one I know except 1 guy (who is now 80) buys CDs and he only buys them used off Ebay or a music store near his house. Sad. I cant get into vinyl or streaming so this car better last me!

By the way DVDs are even deader. No one wants that subpar quality anymore and with all the streaming options available you dont even have to look hard for old TV shows. I left some beautiful DVD boxsets at the train station because I couldnt sell them on Ebay even starting at a 1.00! Some are still there after a month!

[Rocker77]

I believe once cd’s die out label’s like FTD there cd’s will increase in value like the records did. When recorded FS went out you could not hardly give them away and now some if the albums are worth a ton. I believe some ofvv bc the cd’s will f do on the same

[r&b]

I believe once cd’s die out label’s like FTD there cd’s will increase in value like the records did. When recorded FS went out you could not hardly give them away and now some if the albums are worth a ton. I believe some ofvv bc the cd’s will f do on the same

I don't see that happening. People can't be bothered with physical media anymore - except vinyl, for some reason. Even DVD's are on their way out now. I accept that I am the last of the dinosaurs.

Back in March the Barnes & Noble where I browsed and bought CDs lost their lease and had to move. They are opening their new store about a mile away November 24th. There will no longer be a music department with CDs but vinyl will be sold in the store in what they call the entertainment section. No mention of DVDs or blu-rays thus far. CDs are basically gone from retail. Online orders are the only means I have now.

[r&b]

My library has sold all their remaining CDs, for 25 cents each!! They no longer had any members taking them out . A dead form of media as far as they're concerned. I will never understand how CDS became so out of favor while LPs are so much more in favor. Watching Shakira on the Fallon show they other day she was promoting her new album and Fallon showed several variations of the LP , different covers, different color vinyl, etc. I am sure they are not cheap. Are young people really buying this stuff?? I know streaming much remains king, the numbers are unimaginable, in the millions for many artists, but when it comes to physical media nothing is as easy to me as sticking a CD in a player. Cant even imagine playing an LP anymore, to me a thing of the past.

[pmp]

My library has sold all their remaining CDs, for 25 cents each!! They no longer had any members taking them out . A dead form of media as far as they're concerned. I will never understand how CDS became so out of favor while LPs are so much more in favor. Watching Shakira on the Fallon show they other day she was promoting her new album and Fallon showed several variations of the LP , different covers, different color vinyl, etc. I am sure they are not cheap. Are young people really buying this stuff?? I know streaming much remains king, the numbers are unimaginable, in the millions for many artists, but when it comes to physical media nothing is as easy to me as sticking a CD in a player. Cant even imagine playing an LP anymore, to me a thing of the past.

R&B. of course libraries are selling off their CDs, you can rent as much music as you want for $10 a month on Spotify or Amazon music. There's no need for an old-style music library anymore, and that space can be better used. And yet Amazon.com have over 2000 items CDs as pre-orders, and 37 million CDs sold in the US last year. Hardly a format on its knees.

[Greystoke]

My library has sold all their remaining CDs, for 25 cents each!! They no longer had any members taking them out . A dead form of media as far as they're concerned. I will never understand how CDS became so out of favor while LPs are so much more in favor. Watching Shakira on the Fallon show they other day she was promoting her new album and Fallon showed several variations of the LP , different covers, different color vinyl, etc. I am sure they are not cheap. Are young people really buying this stuff?? I know streaming much remains king, the numbers are unimaginable, in the millions for many artists, but when it comes to physical media nothing is as easy to me as sticking a CD in a player. Cant even imagine playing an LP anymore, to me a thing of the past.

Shakira is 47 years old with a longer career than Elvis had. She doesn't have what you might call a young fanbase. But there is clearly an audience for vinyl that is seeing sales reach a dollar value that isn't necessarily reflected in how many copies are being sold.

Taylor Swift is one of the exceptions to the rule in this regard, as her vinyl sales alone are greater for her individual albums than Shakira's new album is likely to garner in its entirety when vinyl, CD, and streaming equivalents are taken into consideration.

Billboard's Top Album Sales chart is competitive all the same, with vinyl being the dominant format, and it isn't uncommon for artists to release numerous editions of an album on vinyl to gain greater interest and increase sales. Spotify has even offered exclusive vinyl releases to those who are among the highest streamers of certain artists when new albums are released. It's great marketing, in my opinion.

Streaming might be king, but there's a genuine market for vinyl and there is still interest in CDs, especially when appealing new CD packages are offered. And this is something that collectors lean more towards in a similar respect to Blu-ray and 4K, which doesn't rely on big box stores anymore to find an audience. Quite the opposite, in fact. Although the resurgence of record stores, HMV offering exclusive editions, National Album Day, Record Store Day, etc., also comes with that collector's appeal.

Personally, I stream the vast majority of the music I listen to, although I still play CDs and I have bought vinyl releases of favourite albums to frame, however, I can appreciate why vinyl costs so much. There's an audience, certainly. And this includes young fans and teenagers. But most artists don't benefit from streaming revenue in ways that are equivalent to what they gain from physical sales, with exceptions being in most instances, those who came to prominence during the digital era. Otherwise, even the biggest and most popular artists from twenty-plus years ago, probably see more revenue from perhaps 20,000 physical albums sold, than millions of streams when a new album is released.

[vinelvis]

My library has sold all their remaining CDs, for 25 cents each!! They no longer had any members taking them out . A dead form of media as far as they're concerned. I will never understand how CDS became so out of favor while LPs are so much more in favor. Watching Shakira on the Fallon show they other day she was promoting her new album and Fallon showed several variations of the LP , different covers, different color vinyl, etc. I am sure they are not cheap. Are young people really buying this stuff?? I know streaming much remains king, the numbers are unimaginable, in the millions for many artists, but when it comes to physical media nothing is as easy to me as sticking a CD in a player. Cant even imagine playing an LP anymore, to me a thing of the past.

Shakira is 47 years old with a longer career than Elvis had. She doesn't have what you might call a young fanbase. But there is clearly an audience for vinyl that is seeing sales reach a dollar value that isn't necessarily reflected in how many copies are being sold.

Taylor Swift is one of the exceptions to the rule in this regard, as her vinyl sales alone are greater for her individual albums than Shakira's new album is likely to garner in its entirety when vinyl, CD, and streaming equivalents are taken into consideration.

Billboard's Top Album Sales chart is competitive all the same, with vinyl being the dominant format, and it isn't uncommon for artists to release numerous editions of an album on vinyl to gain greater interest and increase sales. Spotify has even offered exclusive vinyl releases to those who are among the highest streamers of certain artists when new albums are released. It's great marketing, in my opinion.

Streaming might be king, but there's a genuine market for vinyl and there is still interest in CDs, especially when appealing new CD packages are offered. And this is something that collectors lean more towards in a similar respect to Blu-ray and 4K, which doesn't rely on big box stores anymore to find an audience. Quite the opposite, in fact. Although the resurgence of record stores, HMV offering exclusive editions, National Album Day, Record Store Day, etc., also comes with that collector's appeal.

Personally, I stream the vast majority of the music I listen to, although I still play CDs and I have bought vinyl releases of favourite albums to frame, however, I can appreciate why vinyl costs so much. There's an audience, certainly. And this includes young fans and teenagers. But most artists don't benefit from streaming revenue in ways that are equivalent to what they gain from physical sales, with exceptions being in most instances, those who came to prominence during the digital era. Otherwise, even the biggest and most popular artists from twenty-plus years ago, probably see more revenue from perhaps 20,000 physical albums sold, than millions of streams when a new album is released.

As a "young person" I can confirm that vinyl is really popular, at least in my city. I personally buy new vinyl at record stores, and old vinyl at fairs and such. And every year I see more people my age (20-30) so vinyl is still a growing market. Beginning in 2023 I see CD's getting more popular as well, albeit in a small sub culture that I happen to be part of (as a die hard Elvis cd collector )