CD format abandoned in 2012?

Warthur wrote: Could this turn into a boon for smaller labels? I can foresee the circumstances going like this: Major labels abandon CDs -> Brick and mortar stores realise that devoting themselves to mainstream CD sales is a loser's game, and turn to independent labels to acquire stock, reasoning that they can survive by catering to niche/connoisseur markets instead -> Independent labels suddenly find it easier to get their CDs into stores where previously major label releases crowded them out. The upshot of this would be a market where mainstream music is sold on a song by song basis on the internet, whilst CDs/albums are the purview of particular musical scenes (the indie/hipster crowd, the metal crowd, classical fans, jazz fans, us). When you want to acquire the hit song you just heard on the radio, you hit up Google, when you want to discover new music from outside of your comfort zone you stroll down to the CD store and use the listening booths to check out artists you wouldn't normally hear on the radio. I could live with that.

This is the future, no doubts whatsoever.

^ but there are some software products where you buy a license to use only, are you saying that these are a con job?

ExittheLemming wrote: ^ but there are some software products where you buy a license to use only, are you saying that these are a con job?

The point is the fact that you technically only bought a license to play Diablo 2 is a legal sleight of hand: you have a CD to install it from and you can play it offline without Blizzard ever being aware of your existence. But Diablo 3 requires you to be connected to the internet constantly, so you have to tell them what you're doing all the time, and they have the power to take away your ability to play the game at all if they wanted to (hax don't count for the purposes of this discussion). Similarly, with the Cloud, you are putting your data in the hands of Google or Microsoft for all time. Why anyone would get one of those Chromebooks is completely beyond me.

Although I would point out to Dean that you don't have to run Windows update. ;-)

clarkpegasus4001 wrote: PS: I have heard vinyl is on the increase?

It's not really a significant number of people, it's just increased from zero. Personally, I am planning to live my entire life without owning a turntable, and if someone wants to release a vinyl only album with no digital download then I just won't listen to it.


Edited by Henry Plainview - November 05 2011 at 13:00

Another thing which is becoming apparant now is that the top seller lists is a joke now. Vera Lynn got a top 1 album by selling 60 000 copies in a week. Susan Boyle is releasing her new album on Monday and is a sure candidate for the top 1 for a long while without selling even a fraction of what a chart topper sold 20 years ago.  

And here is the whole point.

Buyers of Vera Lynn and Susan Boyle is not likely to illegally or even legally downloading their albums. There is no hit lists on piracy, but I would guess the new Justin Bieber or even the new Metallica/Lou Reed album is illegally downloaded twenty - fifty times more than Susan Boyle's new album. That is not even a guess. That is an almost certainty. What does this tell the bean counters in the multi national companies ? That the CD/LP paying customers are middle aged and pensioneers in the age group 45 to 105 years old. Those are the ones paying your bills now. The youth market from 10 to 45 years old are thieves which you cannot trust to buy your stuff/pay your bills. 

This is going to dawn on the Warner bosses and the new owners of EMI who are taking over a sinking ship and somehow have to stop the ship from going under. Where are the labels going to invest their money again ? Take a guess. 

 

ExittheLemming wrote: ^ but there are some software products where you buy a license to use only, are you saying that these are a con job?

No - if you know you are buying a licence then that isn't a con. But if you buy a download Kindle eBook for example many people are unaware that they are buying a licence to read the book, not to own it (http://www.law.yale.edu/news/10288.htm) - now extrapolate that to download mp3s from Amazon or iTunes, for the moment we "own" what we download, but in the future when your hardware (iPad) is tied to one piece of software (iTunes) and only one store/storage (iTunes Store/iCloud) then who can really say tht they "own" what they buy.

Sean Trane wrote: this thread is in its 7th page (and almost over) in Prog Ears...   This is mostly a hoax IMHO   CDs still represent over 50% of revenues to the music industry, so they'd be stuuuuuuupid to shoot a bullet in the own foot

Interesting graph, a drop from 71$ to 26$ per head in just 10 years. No wonder these majors are running around in panic.
And just 26$ per head per year, I must be crazy buying at least 50 cds per year.

Mr ProgFreak wrote: stonebeard wrote: As long as they provide .wav or .flac files. I'm not going to pay for lossy crap. The "lossy crap" is virtually indistinguishable from the original. If you keep ignoring it it may in fact be your loss.

Dean wrote: s ".wav" files, are not the best possible fidelity.

Dean wrote: stonebeard wrote: 2) if I'm going to own music, I'm going to own it in it's best possible fidelity. That's just the way it is. And that is how it should be, but bear in mind that CD, and thus ".wav" files, are not the best possible fidelity.