CDs Are Dying Three Times as Fast as Vinyl Is Growing

[Rich_TCB]

Recording Industry Association of America’s mid-year report spells optimism for vinyl and death for CDs

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/cds-are-dying-three-times-as-fast-as-vinyl-is-growing-727090/

[Mike C]

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

[r&b]

No one, and I mean no one I know buys CDs anymore and haven't done so for at least 5 yrs. Too many alternate ways to hear the music you want. They dont buy vinyl either for that matter. Personally I don't get the vinyl boom. Nice to look at, but for 30.00 an album? They are still prone to pop and clicks.

[Rob]

If they start releasing Elvis material that I'm interested in on anything other than CD, my collecting days are over. I'm not starting again in any other format and I'm certainly not going to download anything.

I've got enough CDs to listen to from now 'til doomsday.

[Mike C]

If they start releasing Elvis material that I'm interested in on anything other than CD, my collecting days are over. I'm not starting again in any other format and I'm certainly not going to download anything.

I've got enough CDs to listen to from now 'til doomsday.

But, Rob, you still need your This Is Elvis FTD set.

[Rob]

I already have enough drink coasters in my Elvis room.

[MB280E]

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

Hahahaha!!!!

Sincerely
MB280E

[DarrylMac]

I still buy CD's, mainly from Amazon, or in shops that I come across that have a nice selection. I like to have, and own the media - you never actually own a download, you just have the right to listen to it.

Plus, I still believe a CD played on a high end sound system sounds better than the equivalent download / steam.

As Rob says, I'll never buy the same thing for a 3rd time, having spent years buying albums, then replacing them with CD's.

[R2-D2]

It's funny how when CD's were first introduced we all complained that it was just a con by the record companies to make us buy the same material all over again. Now we are buying the same material again but on the original format and in many cases we are asked to pay at least ten times more than the LP cost when first released. Like Rob, I'll stick with CD's.

[TJ]

These headlines tend to be a little misleading, as CD sales are still much larger than vinyl sales. The gap is certainly closing though.

[r&b]

These headlines tend to be a little misleading, as CD sales are still much larger than vinyl sales. The gap is certainly closing though.

Overall I think yes. I really dont know anyone who buys vinyl, but according to my Paramus Barnes & Noble store, sales are about equal with the majority of people under 40 buying vinyl, and over 40 buying CDs. Regular DVD sales however are almost non-existent , with people only looking at Blu-ray or 4k(?) product.

[TJ]

I can't remember the last time that I bought a DVD. As soon as higher resolution was available, it felt like a backwards step to be buying them.

[r&b]

I can't remember the last time that I bought a DVD. As soon as higher resolution was available, it felt like a backwards step to be buying them.

Not buying The Searcher then? I have to say I enjoyed the DVD. Im not sure how much a blu-ray would have improved the old footage

[MRM]

Standard DVDs still sell a surprising number of units, at least compared with CDs. Blu-ray has never had the market penetration DVDs do, which is why you still see them for sale in places like grocery stores and Target, Walmart, etc.

And 4K Blu-ray is a niche, like laserdisc in the 90s.

[r&b]

Finally got out to a local record store, well not really local its a 45 min. drive. What I saw was sad. The once great display of the latest CDs is gone, replaced by a variety of items none related to music. The vinyl section has grown since the last time I was there. It is now half the room. The CDs are now housed in the back room. They no longer take used Cds as they cant get rid of the ones they have. Of course I asked about sales. The guy said they only Cds he is able to sell is when an artist like Taylor Swift or Bon Jovi send signed copies out to boost sales. Those flew off the shelves. He told me vinyl outsells CDs by a lot.

[Mike C]

Finally got out to a local record store, well not really local its a 45 min. drive. What I saw was sad. The once great display of the latest CDs is gone, replaced by a variety of items none related to music. The vinyl section has grown since the last time I was there. It is now half the room. The CDs are now housed in the back room. They no longer take used Cds as they cant get rid of the ones they have. Of course I asked about sales. The guy said they only Cds he is able to sell is when an artist like Taylor Swift or Bon Jovi send signed copies out to boost sales. Those flew off the shelves. He told me vinyl outsells CDs by a lot.

I am willing to be that in 20 years Cds make a resurgence and prices for many limited items go through the roof.

[Gamma Master]

Well I suppose a lot of this is down to the fact that CDs have been around for a long while, if people want proper HD music then they can just stream it online, my friends often laugh at me when I talk about my CD collection, it just seems a bit outdated to buy CDs nowadays. I personally like to actually have a physical copy of what I listen to, and these bootlegs (or FTDs!) aren't available on spotify or whatever so in some respects I'm forced to buy the physical copy, although I would buy the CD regardless. The thing with vinyls nowadays is that they're somewhat of a gimmick, particularly for many of my generation, they'll listen to an album by whoever online, they decide they like it and then they buy the vinyl because it is the cool thing to do, they probably don't give it more than a couple of spins and then it goes on the shelf and they go back to listening to the more HQ version online, although some artists do release vinyl only editions of songs to encourage more lucrative vinyl sales (new vinyls sell for around £20). For a lot of young people vinyl has a special feel to it that CDs or Tapes just don't have, hence why they are seen as more collectible. People often talk about CDs having a resurgence but I personally doubt that, then again I'm sure people said the same thing about vinyls when they went out of fashion

[elvis-fan]

Well I suppose a lot of this is down to the fact that CDs have been around for a long while, if people want proper HD music then they can just stream it online, my friends often laugh at me when I talk about my CD collection, it just seems a bit outdated to buy CDs nowadays. I personally like to actually have a physical copy of what I listen to, and these bootlegs (or FTDs!) aren't available on spotify or whatever so in some respects I'm forced to buy the physical copy, although I would buy the CD regardless. The thing with vinyls nowadays is that they're somewhat of a gimmick, particularly for many of my generation, they'll listen to an album by whoever online, they decide they like it and then they buy the vinyl because it is the cool thing to do, they probably don't give it more than a couple of spins and then it goes on the shelf and they go back to listening to the more HQ version online, although some artists do release vinyl only editions of songs to encourage more lucrative vinyl sales (new vinyls sell for around £20). For a lot of young people vinyl has a special feel to it that CDs or Tapes just don't have, hence why they are seen as more collectible. People often talk about CDs having a resurgence but I personally doubt that, then again I'm sure people said the same thing about vinyls when they went out of fashion

By your inane assessment here, I can only assume you're accustom to listening to music through your iPhone speaker... or perhaps a transistor radio...

[Gamma Master]

Well I suppose a lot of this is down to the fact that CDs have been around for a long while, if people want proper HD music then they can just stream it online, my friends often laugh at me when I talk about my CD collection, it just seems a bit outdated to buy CDs nowadays. I personally like to actually have a physical copy of what I listen to, and these bootlegs (or FTDs!) aren't available on spotify or whatever so in some respects I'm forced to buy the physical copy, although I would buy the CD regardless. The thing with vinyls nowadays is that they're somewhat of a gimmick, particularly for many of my generation, they'll listen to an album by whoever online, they decide they like it and then they buy the vinyl because it is the cool thing to do, they probably don't give it more than a couple of spins and then it goes on the shelf and they go back to listening to the more HQ version online, although some artists do release vinyl only editions of songs to encourage more lucrative vinyl sales (new vinyls sell for around £20). For a lot of young people vinyl has a special feel to it that CDs or Tapes just don't have, hence why they are seen as more collectible. People often talk about CDs having a resurgence but I personally doubt that, then again I'm sure people said the same thing about vinyls when they went out of fashion

By your inane assessment here, I can only assume you're accustom to listening to music through your iPhone speaker... or perhaps a transistor radio...

What I mean is that I am friends with people of my own age, and I can say from my experience and theirs that vinyl is not their primary method of listening to music, they buy vinyl records to have them, not necessarily to listen to them, especially when they can just stream the exact same thing on spotify, from their phone, through headphones. Whatever I said in my previous post I said in reference to how vinyl is consumed by 99% of my generation, and how they view it, it was never intended to be viewed objective fact

[r&b]

I still like to have a physical product. Why would I buy a download? The whole download/streaming thing reminds me of when I sat by the radio as a teenager, waiting for my favorite songs to get played so I could record them. I couldn't afford to buy every song I liked, but I bought what I could; and for the artists I really loved, I bought their albums. So even if I was to download a song from itunes or wherever, eventually I would still want the physical package - be it cd or vinyl.
I resisted cd's when they first came out. "Wait a minute, I've been trying to collect everything by (insert artist name) on records; now I gotta dump them and start all over?" I never did dump my vinyl. Oh sure, I had some very common titles that I gave away. I didn't need to own a copy of Frampton Comes Alive or Rumours when they were still on the radio constantly 15 years later; but I kept my Elvis vinyl, kept my Rick Nelson, Beatles, Beach Boys. I did eventually start buying cd's when it was material I didn't have on vinyl, or when the vinyl was worn and scratched.
I don't imagine CD's will ever come back, though. The new generations love to tell me that they've got all their favorite music on their computers. To me, CD's are just something that will rot; records are big and clunky to much of a chore to move.

I kept my albums from those artists as well along with Darin, the 4 Seasons, Buddy Holly, Jack Scott and Gene Vincent. I dont buy any new vinyl but will probably keep those originals forever. I remember when CDs came out and the consumer was forced to switch to them as stores stopped stocking records. Many including me were upset. I never thought they would be replaced by anything, but times evolve. I continue to buy CDs on artists I want to hear. I actually still prefer them for their ease. I agree though, they will never come back to prominence as I see them constantly being dumped and not even selling in lots on ebay. No one wants them anymore even at rock bottom prices. One more thing, they will never have the allure of old vinyl to collectors simply because the old time collectors had a real love for their original vinyl, took care of it and couldnt wait for the next record show. I never saw that with newer generations collecting CDs. It was something to carry around and toss in the back seat of your car. Plus who can love a plastic jewel case with a little booklet like you can a beautiful album cover, with beautiful record labels and inserts. Today its all about storage for music. I cannot argue with someone who prefers to have thousands of songs on a device in his pocket. I just dont understand the current trend for 30.00 vinyl albums.

[iplayastrat]

I buy both CD's and vinyl.
Like some of you I think
vinyl is overpriced, but
it sure is cool.

[pmp]

Here in the UK, Sainsburys have announced that they will no longer stock CDs and DVDs, which is going to have a significant boost for HMV if the other supermarkets follow suit. Some interesting comments within the BBC write-up of the story.

Sainsbury's stops selling CDs and DVDs
By Robert Plummer
Business reporter, BBC News

Supermarket giant Sainsbury's says it has decided to stop selling CDs and DVDs as streaming services take their toll on sales of the products.

A spokesperson said Sainsbury's customers increasingly went for music and films online instead of buying the shiny silver discs.

The firm said sales were being phased out, although it would continue to sell vinyl records in some stores.

CD sales have shrunk in the past decade but were still worth £115m last year.

Other big supermarkets show no sign of following Sainsbury's lead, with larger branches of Tesco, Asda and Morrisons still stocking a range of CDs and DVDs.

"Our customers increasingly go online for entertainment, so earlier this year we took the decision to gradually phase out the sale of DVDs and CDs, so that we can dedicate extra space to food and popular products like clothing and homewares," Sainsbury's said.

The decision is another sign that the CD, once the dominant means of buying and selling recorded music, is long past its heyday.

With sales hit first by the MP3 music file, then by streaming services such as Spotify and Deezer, the silver disc is now seen as unfashionable in many circles.

Worse still, the format that it was designed to kill off, the vinyl record, has enjoyed a resurgence, with UK sales climbing to 4.8 million last year, bringing in revenue of more than £86m.

That was still well short of the money brought in by CDs. But according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the value of record sales in 2021 is expected to surpass that of CDs for the first time since the late 1980s.

"The CD has proved exceptionally successful for nearly 40 years and remains a format of choice for many music fans who value sound quality, convenience and collectability," said a BPI spokesperson.

"Although demand has been following a long-term trend as consumers increasingly transition to streaming, resilient demand is likely to continue for many years, enhanced by special editions and other collectible releases.

"If some retailers now see the format as less of a priority, this will create a further opportunity for others, such as independent shops and specialist chains such as HMV, to cater to the continuing demand."

Out of fashion
Music industry observer Graham Jones points out that supermarkets have always carried a very limited selection of CDs, with an emphasis on big names such as Ed Sheeran.

But as his book Last Shop Standing makes clear, the supermarkets could still make life difficult for record shops, especially by undercutting them on price.

In one chapter, he recounts an incident from 2008, when a shop in the East Midlands found that rather than ordering copies of the latest Coldplay CD from the record company, it was cheaper to buy them on special offer from Morrisons and Asda and resell them.

However, such incidents are unlikely to be repeated these days.

"Sales of CDs are slowing down, so I can understand why Sainsbury's are pulling out, really," he told the BBC.

"Vinyl is incredibly fashionable and the CD has gone out of fashion.

"A lot of indies [independent shops] may be stocking less CDs than they used to, but they're still selling. There's this myth that the CD is completely dead."

If we combine the totals spent on vinyl and CDs here in the UK each year, that comes to around £200m. That's without what we spend on DVDs and blu rays. It's hardly surprising that HMV has been seen as a viable business considering it has the monopoly of the share spent on the high street. And, having made an order online today and seeing it shipped ninety minutes later, it's pretty clear they have got their act together online too.

[elvis-fan]

It makes me wonder why Sony isn't producing new Elvis releases only on vinyl instead of CD... given the collectable nature of LP's and the fact that CD values have tanked over the years...

[RaZon]

I own over 10,000 CD's, from old prewar Blues, to Country, Soul, R&B, Big Band, Jazz, Rock & Roll, Funk, Punk, Rap, Hip Hop, Classical. The thing with CD's is the information you will find. Many times an actual mini bio of the artists. i like that.

Just today added John Cougar Mellencamp's "Scarecrow".

I would never get rid of any CD.

[Rich_TCB]

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