IT'S ABOUT FRIGGIN' TIME!!!!!!!!

From http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=46980_0_2_0_C

You read it well. The major labels plan to abandon the CD format by the end of 2012 (or even earlier) and replace it with download/stream-only releases via iTunes and related music services. The only CD formats that will be left over will be the limited edition ones, which will of course not be available for every artist. The distribution model for these remaining CD releases would be primarily Amazon which is already the biggest CD retailer worldwide anyhow.

3 weeks ago we heard it for the first time and since then we have tried getting some feedback from EMI, Universal and Sony. All declined to comment.

The news doesn't come as a surprise to those who have been working in the business. In a piece that was published in a Q&A with the Alfa Matrix people back in June 2011 in the 1st issue of "Matrix Revelations", our chief editor Bernard Van Isacker said the following when asked if a CD would still exist in 5 years: "Yes, but in a different format. Normal CDs will no longer be available because they don't offer enough value, limited editions on the other hand will remain available and in demand for quite a few more years. I for one buy only limited editions because of the added value they offer: a nice design, extra bonus gadgets, etc. The album as we know it now however will be dead within 5 years, if it isn't even sooner. I predict that downloads will have replaced the CD album within the next 2 years. I don't see that as something negative, it just has run its course, let's leave the space to limited editions (including vinyl runs for bigger acts) and downloads instead."

It's a move that makes completely sense. CD's cost money, even when they don't sell because there is stock storage to be paid; a label also pays money to distributors when CDs get returned to the labels when not sold and so on. In short, abandoning the CD-format will make it possible to just focus on the release and the marketing of it and no longer focus on the distribution (since aggregators will do the work as far as dispatching the releases to services worldwide) and - expensive - stock maintenance. In the long run it will most surely mean the end for many music shops worldwide that only stock and sell CD releases. In the UK for instance HMV has problems paying the labels already and more will follow. It makes the distribution of CDs no longer worth it.

Also Amazon will benefit from this as it will surely become the one and only player when it comes to distribution of the remaining CD productions from labels. Packaged next to regular album downloads via its own Amazon MP3 service it will offer a complimentary service.

The next monument to fall? That will be printed magazines as people will want to consume their information online where they also read most of the news.

What are your feelings? is it a move that you like or not?

Update: We were approached by several people working with major labels, who indeed re-confirm that plans do exist to give up the CD. We keep on trying to get an official confirmation, but it seems that the matter is very controversial, especially after Side-Line brought out the story.

@ SWT....If you're doing a vinyl show at just about any campus radio station, you're best to bring your own cartridges. Where i do a show, (campus radio) the needles are constantly bent or damaged yet people still use them. And yes, it'll damage your records.

I always bring my own headshells, turntables mats etc and have no problems with record damage...now if the fucking hiphoppers (or whatever they are) would stop fucking with the wiring to the turntables i'd be all set...vent over.

(kopper said) "You get used to the convenience of being able to pop a CD into a disc player and hitting the track number and pause button, cued up and ready to go."

Boy, I second that. I lug a crate of CDs into KSFR twice a week for my shows. But I used to lug in two crates. These days about half my shows are from my iPod.

What you said about vinyl is true too. A huge pain in the ass to cue and the ever present danger of fucked up needles.

kopper said:

Well, having a few radio shows spanning over 20 years spoiled me. You get used to the convenience of being able to pop a CD into a disc player and hitting the track number and pause button, cued up and ready to go. Cuing up vinyl LPs every two minutes for two or three straight hours is a huge pain in the ass, especially when you're also supposed to be going on mic every so often, keeping a log of the songs you're playing, plugging in PSAs, commercials, etc., and still finding time to answer the phone, run to the bathroom, smoke a cigarette, take transmitter readings, whatever. CDs made being a radio DJ a LOT easier. But these days you don't even need to lug your CDs around to do a radio show... all you need is an iPod or two, plug them into the control board and no one will know the difference. Also, playing your precious vinyl on radio station turntables with questionable needle quality (you have no idea how the other jocks on the station are treating these needles, and they may go six months or a year before getting replaced) you often find your records getting worn down a lot sooner than they should be. So anyway, while I saw the convenience of CDs from a radio DJ's point of view (to the point where I would actually prefer bands send CD promos to me instead of vinyl), I can also totally understand why we've reached the end of their lifespan. They're just not necessary anymore when you can purchase 320 kbps MP3s from just about anywhere and burn your own CDs, or put them on your MP3 players or whatever. They've just become the next dinosaur.

that's a relief. i wonder how long it'll be until people quit coming to the merch booth requesting CD's

Istill stick to my opinion that they aren't going anywhere. cd's still out sell our vinyl 4 to 1.  We've sold about 3000 records this year compared to around 12,000 cds in 2011, mp3's are kind of stagnant. Punk rock just doesn't sell very well via digital services.

Salv-8Track Army

Weirdonia said:

I'll form the rival church, Our Lady of Cassettes

Old School Hero said:

Who wants to start the Born Again Vinyl church with me?

well....since vinyl sales are on the rise again, maybe it's time the automakers go back to this idea....

This scares me, I'm usually trying to avoid all this stuff like smartphones just because I don't think I like the idea about being connected all the time that it becomes hard to stop. Although I think a lot of new cars come with USB ports so I think even people like me should still be able to cope in the future world of driving.

Nevertheless CDs were a good way of having portable albums that you could hear in the car. MP3s do tend to make you want to mix your own stuff and so completely skip over things you didn't think much of the first time but might have given a second chance had the been on a album you're spinning.

kopper said:

Just saw this news:

Automakers shedding CD players

By msnbc.com news services

CD players in cars look set to go the same way as the dodo bird, according to a report in industry trade publication Automotive News.

With content and computing power migrating to smartphones, which can now channel music, navigation and other applications to relatively simple and low-cost onboard infotainment systems, CD players are becoming increasingly irrelevant in cars, the report says.

Automakers also want to get rid of optical drives — that is, CD or DVD players — because they are expensive and appeal mainly to older motorists, according to the report.

Indeed, the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS, which debuted this week at the Detroit auto show and will go on sale in the United States this summer features an optional MyLink infotainment system that lets motorists make hands-free phone calls, listen to MP3 music and get route guidance by linking their smartphones to the vehicle's infotainment system. But no CD player, Automotive News said.

“We asked potential Sonic and Spark customers what they were looking for in infotainment,” Sara LeBlanc, MyLink's global infotainment program manager, told Automotive News. “They were very worried about cost. They said to us: ‘Get rid of the CD player. We don’t use it.’”

Just saw this news:

Automakers shedding CD players

By msnbc.com news services

CD players in cars look set to go the same way as the dodo bird, according to a report in industry trade publication Automotive News.

With content and computing power migrating to smartphones, which can now channel music, navigation and other applications to relatively simple and low-cost onboard infotainment systems, CD players are becoming increasingly irrelevant in cars, the report says.

Automakers also want to get rid of optical drives — that is, CD or DVD players — because they are expensive and appeal mainly to older motorists, according to the report.

Indeed, the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS, which debuted this week at the Detroit auto show and will go on sale in the United States this summer features an optional MyLink infotainment system that lets motorists make hands-free phone calls, listen to MP3 music and get route guidance by linking their smartphones to the vehicle's infotainment system. But no CD player, Automotive News said.

“We asked potential Sonic and Spark customers what they were looking for in infotainment,” Sara LeBlanc, MyLink's global infotainment program manager, told Automotive News. “They were very worried about cost. They said to us: ‘Get rid of the CD player. We don’t use it.’”

Wow, crazy article, well done! If they stop making CD's, it won't be any big deal to me. They've never had the emotional connection that I have w/ vinyl, tho' they were handy to carry around and play at work. I think Billy Childish called them drink coasters. Besides the cold digital sound, CD's don't have colored wax, readable lyrics, decent-sized art, gimmicks in mastering (33/45 singles, plays from outside-in, etc.). While I never cared about selling CD's, selling records genuinely hurt. Good riddance, I say...

Hmmm... Lots of interesting perspectives here. Personally i doubt whether CDs will 'disappear' - certainly not by next year. But they have now joined vinyl and cassette as 'old-tech', but like them, will continue to be produced for the forseeable future. All the formats, digital and hard-copy, can - and do - co-exist, with people using whatever suits or attracts them.

I agree with kopper that, as a long-time radio DJ, playing ALL vinyl on-air was a pain-in-the-arse and that CDs were a boon! We have been mp3-ing our new release CDs at the station for the past seven years or so, and have an on-going job of adding the older CDs to that collection, whilst still keeping our CD/vinyl/tape collection active (we have over 70,000 items from our 31 years of broadcasting, a very cool library to play from, I can assure you!), so, as DJs, we have the choice of using all, or just one, of the various formats (including using our personal iPods). On our shows, the Cat and I generally use CDs because of their 'easiness', with some vinyl (particularly rare local singles or albums) and very occasionally, something from the mp3 collection. We hardly ever use the iPod due to its inferior sound quality... though we do use music sourced from downloads in our "Obscured by..." show, this is because it's the only way we can get hold of some of these rarities to play, so we put up with the sound.

All these formats have their positives and their negatives and each person will use/buy whichever is most relevant to them... but I do agree that there is nothing quite like the feel/look/sound - and even smell - of vinyl products! [I am very proud of the vinyl that my music has been released on - though last year's single had a download card included - but as it was a 'limited release' of 200 (pic sleeve and bonus inserts etc), I am glad it still lives on available to buy as a download-only]

Yep... I'm still a vinyl junkie!!!

Horrible, that they should stop CDs. Having to download albums would suck. I hate the industry. Wish they'd keep all the shops open and stop downloads instead.

I personally, don't think cds are going anywhere, anytime soon. For just about all labels, cd's are still their bread and butter.  As popular as vinyl and digital have become, they are still dwarfed by cd sales.

 I believe cd's still have a fairly healthy life left in em, as well as a larger profit margin. Vinyl is pretty much a loss when your selling at a 12.98 or so retail cost. Distributor pays label 7.00 or so, the product cost the label 5 bucks a piece to make, not including promotion, advertising, pr. etc. And the 2-3 bucks a piece made from vinyl does not stretch very far.  Digital is still just a "happy perk" to most labels. Seeing a couple hundred bucks in your account per month certainly doesn't account for much in the grand scheme of things. But cds are still selling well, at least in my experience. They cost about a buck a piece, they still retail for 8-12 bucks. The money made from cd sales help pay for the more costly vinyl releases, and promotion and such. I can't imagine what would happen right now if cds just disapeared. It would have a profound effect on not only labels, but the entertainment industry job market, advertising would plummet which would effect websites and zines, pr companies would drown. It would be almost an industry wide panic.

 Anyway, my half asleep thoughts on it..

I can see it now "360 Gram Vinyl Compact Discs" selling at 2x the normal "DL" price.

I think most here have pretty much covered my feelings on the matter, I never really loved CDs. I can tell that by the quality of my CD collection. I usually have to go to my vinyl to hear a lot of what I want to hear. I could probably cut my CD collection by a third and not really miss it much. A lot of my CD purchases now are usually my trolling around for cheap used stuff I already have on vinyl, so that I can download it to MP3 easily. It guess it's a generational thing perhaps, but I have a hard time paying for a product that I can't hold in my hand. I never really asigned much value to CD's, but when it's a choice between buying a 10 or 12 song disc for $5 used or paying 50 cents a song for a download, I will go with the disc.With that said, things like many of my Bear Family releases and box sets, I would be hard pressed to ever get rid of. Quality sound and packaging will always sell to the die hards I think.

I would like to thank all the labels nowdays that include a MP3 download with their Vinyl. (In The Red, Goner, etc etc). On some of these releases the difference in sound quality between the Vinyl and the MP3 is glaring, but it keeps me from having to hunt down the CD release just so I can enjoy the songs on my commute to & from work.

I had a decent collection of 8 tracks when i was but a wee lad. Believe it or not I had DEVO, Sex Pistols, and a few others that were actually pretty good.

MikeL said:

Kind of sad, but inevitable.  I still have a big CD collection, but lately I've been downloading LPs more often because that's the only way I can get a release that I want.  

 

Since vinyl has been enjoying such a huge resurgence, I've been toying with the idea of getting a turntable, after doing without a turntable for over 25 years.  It would feel weird, especially after turntables were made obsolete by CD players so many years ago, and now CDs are officially obsolete.

 

BTW, did anyone here ever have eight tracks?  I remember them when I was a kid, but I never had any myself.  

Yup I'm Up for that, It's vinyl for me Ha Le LOO Yah!

Old School Hero said:

Who want's to start the Born Again Vinyl church with me?

I saw where a guy was asking where to sell his used MP3s that he didn't listen to any more.  He was being cheeky but still...  Funny!

Cheers, John. I'm in the sub-30 generation whom are supposed to lap-up mp3's like they're no tomorrow. Well I know how bad lossy is, I've been using it since 1995! Give me a big audio file instead. I see there's some nice digital players from South Korea which specialise in lossless. I hope to get one at some point. 

Man , I was going to rewrite my lost manifesto , but , you practically have ! Right on the money , right on the Pounds , Shilling , Pence!
iT'S AS THOUGH YOU READ MY MIND....and that's be a short read....
Thomas Marshall said:

I was pretty unhappy when Tower went under. It was too expensive but it DID have Zeke stocked, good three chord punk music, real music, the staff gave a crap about an excellent selection range but £15 for a Zeke album on cd is taking the piss. 

 

Music on cds has either been too expensive or too cheap. Now rights in the industry have moved digital. I have an I-Pod but the battery life is crap. I fall asleep listening to my music and the next thing I know is the battery has drained.

 

I don't appreciate how people have been conned with MP3's; only a few musicians I hang out with tell me how poor its quality is. I used several trading sites and all are anti-lossy.

 

Next year I will be buying a digital solution for my vinyl to preserve it. I want to keep it all safe and on display. I am still waiting for better audio solutions for playback than I-Tunes. Foobar is fantastic but lacks the artwork.

 

I really miss the Walkman.

And just like when it's purchased in a record store , music sounds better , purchased at a live show. You know you're helping the band with the bare necessities (No , not beer and porn , I mean gas , food , guitar strings , whatever...) , and you're probably saving money getting it straight from the source....

DammitDave said:

"...bands who are clueless how to distribute their music via the Internet..."

 

I guess I am clueless.  I would have thought that a band would have a better chance at selling music at the show right after having played live.  If you don't have something to sell right then and there, the music purchase will get blown off and forgotten about unless you made a huge impression.  Though I prefer vinyl, CDs are a lot cheaper to make and easier to transport than records (2 big plusses for labels, bands, and buyers) so in my opinion, they still have a place.

"to people on low incomes/no bank account who have limited or no access to internet facilities".

I think this was more in reference to people who have problems BUYING stuff on line, not bands who have trouble selling on line.  Not clueless. Just don't have a credit card or a bank card with enough funds on the account, not to mention fees a bank will hit you with for using the card.

"...bands who are clueless how to distribute their music via the Internet..."

I guess I am clueless.  I would have thought that a band would have a better chance at selling music at the show right after having played live.  If you don't have something to sell right then and there, the music purchase will get blown off and forgotten about unless you made a huge impression.  Though I prefer vinyl, CDs are a lot cheaper to make and easier to transport than records (2 big plusses for labels, bands, and buyers) so in my opinion, they still have a place.

It doesn't matter how much you like them or how handy you might think they are for bands who are clueless how to distribute their music via the Internet (*ahem*, Bandcamp?), but it has a LOT to do with the fact that CDs JUST AREN'T SELLING anymore. Period. And when stuff stops selling, it doesn't matter how fancy you think it is/was, it's gonna go the way of the dinosaur, or, in this case, the 8-track tape.

Jonclock said:

CD's might well become obsolete but not in the next two years? CD's are still relative to bands that want to get their own music out and to make it as accessible as possible to as wider audience as possible i.e to oldies like myself who can't be bothered signing up to yet another internet music provider or to people on low incomes/no bank account who have limited or no access to internet facilities. Not to mention that small independent vinyl/cd shops are some of the more interesting places to go on the high street these days. What about CD audio superiority and audio production aspects? I'm not being nostalgic - I like CD's. Don't believe the hype - long live the cd.