If you just see one word , it's because my manifesto was 'ET (Willie the Groundskeeper voice.) , in which case , I'll have to do it all over.....(Anyone here see "Stripes" ? SON OF BITCH....SHIT !)

John Battles said:

Saving…

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.

 Well , it's a LOT to take in....If I had heard this news about 20 - 25 years ago , I'd be jumping for joy. When CDs came in , I did'nt oppose them , per se , until people were so willing to give up on LPs , entirely , without a fight. I did'nt have a CD player until about 1992 (And I got it at a yard sale !) , but , by then , I accepted it as just another medium , one that had it's pros , as well ax it's cons. It did'nt drastically affect my purchasing vinyl , or even cassettes. But , in time , I got used to it , and stopped trying to fight it (However, I still buy more records than CDs , today.). What I did'nt like then , or now , is being told we don't have freedom of choice. I generally don't bother with MP3s. I have had an ipod for several years (Won it in a costume contest at a Los Straitjackets show. Otherwise , I probably would'nt have one.) , I guess , like almost everybody , but , I've generally burned , transferred , whatever , tracks that friends have sent me , or on friends' bands' websites. Otherwise, I just have CDs that I put there ..... I'm not a slave to my ipod. In fact , I'm kind of tired of it. I take it with me , when I go out , once in a while , but , lately , if I'm walking or taking the train , I'll bring something to read (And usually be the only person with an actual book or magazine on the bus or train. I LIKE the internet , but , I use it about a 1/3RD AS MUCH AS THE AVERAGE JOE , AND I'M STILL TRYING TO CUT BACK.....The thought of no REAL books , magazines or newspapers makes me want to vomit , but , people should have access to what they prefer.) , or , I'll take my Walkman and a few cassettes. Yes.   What the Hell , I still have 'em . A Duracell AA battery lasts for weeks , sometimes months. My freshly charged Ipod might survive two hours. Also , I'm less likely to get pushed down a flight of stairs in the train station for a Walkman , or just have my earphones yanked off , and the tape player taken out of my hands , by force  . I don't know if these things are happening to Ipod owners in Omaha . They're happening here.   Someone asked about 8 Tracks , I had 'em , we all had 'em in the 70's and very early 80's ( I still used 'em , because they were selling for 50 cents at a time when Michael Jackson , inexplicably , sold Billions with an effort so bland , even Vincent Price could'nt save it from it's own plasticity. Also , I was in college , and did'nt have a big music budget.) ..... I still have some 8 Tracks , now. Why ? Because they're hilarious !

Anyway , I've been hearing and reading about vinyl , and even cassettes , making a comeback . Maybe not a HUGE one , but enough to keep some stores in business , and even some new stores , purveying a medium that was pronounced dead before The MP3 was even introduced. But , the irony is , it's the independents that are keeping this stuff going , and even seeing a profit , more recently (Not all of them , of course.). The idea of a mainstream record and/or CD store , well , I can't name one , can you guys ?

Special edition CDs , special packaging , that's cool , but that's something the industry shouldhave considered 15 years ago , or so. I got suckered in by a special packaging of the new Motorhead CD , with a hardbound , booklike cover , a Mojo or Uncut size magazine , a two - sided poster , and a metal Motorhead pin , for about 6 or 7 dollars more than the CD in a plain plastic jewelcase , and maybe two , three pages of liners . I thought it was pretty damn sweet , but , I could have , should have , seen the same thing when Grunge  was still "King" . Of course , there's the simple fact that these changes stand to put small businesses , as well as major corporations , out of business.   I was'nt happy when Tower Records went tis - up , but , I'm more concerned about local small business. Not because I'm a goddamned tree - hugger, but , because music sounds better that way.

Although time rarely allows me to sit in front of a stereo and appreciate music uninterrupted these days, vinyl is still king here.

CD’s provide excellent sound quality, durability, and portability, which made them a perfect alternative to the cassette.  Admittedly, most of my CD’s are ripped to itunes and loaded onto my ipod so I can listen to them in transit where – sadly - I spend a great bulk of each day. 

CD Deluxe Edition’s are pretty awesome because they include single tracks that are long out of print and unreleased recordings. I have an edition of the Who’s ‘Live at Leeds’ that includes a coffee table book.  That makes for a pretty cool set.  I also like those BEAR FAMILY “complete recordings” box sets a lot.  A collection of 5-11 CD’s worth of music on vinyl would be unmanageable and costly.

I can’t imagine paying for an MP3.  For me, they are exclusively to sample new music or a last resort when the music isn’t available on either vinyl or CD.  

You really have nothing to worry about at the moment.  If anyone is trying to get rid of the CD in a hurry, it's the makers of Kanye West and Taylor Swift products, not the manufacturers of multi box sets and deluxe packaging.  Independents, especially those who deal in back catalogs are actually doing quite well.  The Beach Boys' SMILE SESSIONS is a great example.  And it will continue into the next year.  Sure, CDs are on the decline just like anything but it'll probably still be another 10 to 15 years before it's totally gone.  The industry back in 1986 predicted that there would no longer be any vinyl manufacturing by the end of 1988 and the cassingle was how we were going to get the latest hit without having to shell out cash for an entire CD.  Look where the cassingle is now.  Yeah, that's right. Goodwill if you're lucky.



Sean said:

Wow, while I kinda saw this coming...I didn't actually think it would happen so soon. I own way more records than I do CD's, but CD's have become convenient for me regarding box sets, imported comps, etc. I've been collecting records since I was 8 when I got my first turntable for Christmas and I've gained a collection of over 12,000 records which include 12'', 10'', 7'' and even some 5'' records and some even smaller ones from cereal boxes, magazines (MAD Magazine being one) and whatnot. While I only have about 300 CD's, and they're not usually pursued often by me, I will miss the extensive multi-disc box sets that came in handy. Like the awesome Memories Of Times Square Record Shop double box set of 11 CD's total. I hope they don't plan on using this treatment toward vinyl since it's recently been making a huge comeback. I absolutely LOVE the fact 99% of the underground Rock & Roll bands are putting their albums out on vinyl, for a lil' while there I thought they were a goner and I'd only be able to buy classic records of the past. And yes, I had a few eight-tracks, but never had a player, they were given to me by my uncle as a kid. Cassettes on other hand, I still take the time to make mix tapes for people, it's a shit-ton of fun. Also, the last digital LP I purchased online was The Booze - Rebirth Of The Cool.

Wow, while I kinda saw this coming...I didn't actually think it would happen so soon. I own way more records than I do CD's, but CD's have become convenient for me regarding box sets, imported comps, etc. I've been collecting records since I was 8 when I got my first turntable for Christmas and I've gained a collection of over 12,000 records which include 12'', 10'', 7'' and even some 5'' records and some even smaller ones from cereal boxes, magazines (MAD Magazine being one) and whatnot. While I only have about 300 CD's, and they're not usually pursued often by me, I will miss the extensive multi-disc box sets that came in handy. Like the awesome Memories Of Times Square Record Shop double box set of 11 CD's total. I hope they don't plan on using this treatment toward vinyl since it's recently been making a huge comeback. I absolutely LOVE the fact 99% of the underground Rock & Roll bands are putting their albums out on vinyl, for a lil' while there I thought they were a goner and I'd only be able to buy classic records of the past. And yes, I had a few eight-tracks, but never had a player, they were given to me by my uncle as a kid. Cassettes on other hand, I still take the time to make mix tapes for people, it's a shit-ton of fun. Also, the last digital LP I purchased online was The Booze - Rebirth Of The Cool.

Buy an out of date model of an ipod on craigslist or kijiji.

Got a nice ghetto 8 GB ipod nano for 30 bucks on there

Also a LOT of music can be downloaded by googling "Band Title Mediafire"

And you can go on to support your favorite artists by buying their tshirts or going to see them live! then you don't feel that guilty after gutting them of their discography

dying slowly said:

i am sad

but as long as i gt my vinyl ill live

but relying on downlodes no way ive never downloded inmy life idont posses an i pod how will i get new releases????

i am sad

but as long as i gt my vinyl ill live

but relying on downlodes no way ive never downloded inmy life idont posses an i pod how will i get new releases????

I've got kids, my daughter is 14 and had a party last year and some of her friends had never seen a record before.

I'll still buy them if it's something I *really* want and can't find on vinyl, but I usually just end up ripping the songs to MP3 and listening to them on my iPod. Because of that, these days I pretty much stick to buying MP3s. I have two kids—very little time for much else! But I love eMusic and the fact that I can buy songs there for around 49 cents each. It doesn't mean I still don't love to buy the physical specimen (such as the vinyl LP), but the way that I *listen* to music nowadays is completely different than it was 30, 20, 10, or even five years ago. And ripping MP3s from vinyl is a PITA. I have to do it in GarageBand on my Mac and the importing/editing/exporting can take a while for each song. I don't have all the time in the world to sit around doing that, unfortunately, so a lot of my vinyl has yet to be ripped and sits on my shelves at home rarely ever getting played. :(

I think record stores will be all right. Like I mentioned earlier, vinyl sales continue to rise... so people have to buy them somewhere! And record stores will still be able to sell used CDs. Niche stores like Apop in St. Louis, Goner in Memphis, etc. will be OK, but if it's not a niche store like that, then they're going to have a harder time staying afloat.
Polyvinyl Craftsmen said:

I've more or less stopped buying CDs, they lost their appeal as soon as I could burn my own at home, much the same reason I never bought albums on cassettes in years gone by. Vinyl is still my format and with so many LPs coming with a download code too I won't mourn the death of the CD. Doesn't bode well for the record store though.

I've more or less stopped buying CDs, they lost their appeal as soon as I could burn my own at home, much the same reason I never bought albums on cassettes in years gone by. Vinyl is still my format and with so many LPs coming with a download code too I won't mourn the death of the CD. Doesn't bode well for the record store though.

A nice sentiment, Jamie. I too despise MP3's for their quality and am amazed by the sheer ignorance of not only normal people but the major labels that when you buy an MP3 you buy a crap product which is worth 0 and only has a lifespan of whatever harddrive it's on and nothing further. This isn't record collecting. I have vinyl and cds and I back my digital onto I-Tunes but enjoy listening to vinyl. Vinyl has a massive collectable factor which surpasses both cds and digital downloads.

This essence of collectability will keep vinyl thriving. I wished people would wake up to the digital streams but they haven't. Until 4G is recognised under our ISP's then we too won't have the speed required for instant glich free streaming of larger video files. Or audio. There is a lot of problems with relying on the Internet for streaming. Buffering. Capacity. Throttling from your network provider. How much the artist actually receives in compensation for their product. How does the artist receive it. Yet they are using this more and more over physical audio. 

I can't wait until the day we have a set standard where products last but largely due to money and poor long term gain understanding this isn't happening. I'd like more Blu-ray as I think the codec range on those for audio is stunning. I hope bands do work with them. I can only see an increase in vinyl sales when cds are left behind. There has to be something better than cds and scratch free.

The reason why I like going to the shop and buying CDs, is its a good way to stem the flow of the infinite music available on internet blogspots that i would never have the time to download and actually listen to. When so much music becomes instantly accessable, it loses its meaning, and its no longer possible to connect with it in the same way as when you were 15 years old and could only afford a few albums a year.

I hate having thousands of songs on an ipod. You put it on random and end up flicking through to the next song after about 30 seconds, impatient for the next one to come on, till eventually you just skip each song in the hopes that the next one will be better. Then you just sit there in silence admiring how good your taste is while reading your playlist.

I cant imagine paying money for an mp3 file. I don't feel that Ive actually bought anything by doing that. I might as well go onto youtube and listen to the song on there, while watching a video of it.

This future we are in now really freaks me out. Culture used to be a shopping list that you chose to buy from. Now it means even less.

This is really gonna suck for people with shitty internet connections and even those with broadband given the talk of ISPs putting up "tollbooths" and limiting bandwidth.  Maybe people will start going back out to see live music again *GASP*!

Meanwhile, vinyl sales are up.

http://www.economist.com/node/21526296

http://mashable.com/2011/08/15/vinyl-record-sales-rise-uk/

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/vinyl-sales-increase-despite-industry-slump-20110106

http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2011/08/uk-vinyl-record-sales-jump-55-so-far-this-year-.html

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2011-02-25-vinyl25_ST_N.htm
Michelle Magnero said:

Talk about a retarded idea.  It's not like anyone actually wants to go to the store and purchase an album or hold it in their hands or look at the art or anything...or what if they might actually want to have the album just to, I don't know, own it or something?  Just doesn't make sense to me. What the hell is the point in downloading other than the fact that it is portable and on demand? What about the idea of the album as cultural artifact? This is the same type of thing that is happening to libraries and such. People have been saying for awhile now that all books will be digital too. Someone on here was saying magazines will probably disappear as well. They are probably right. Technology has made it so that people don't really care so much about the tangibility of the object anymore, or about collecting etc (and as much debate as there is about collections and the status of the collector in society, I would say that in these days collecting is fading out as well, maybe not within groups such as Hideout members, but that is just one small microcosm of society, not the larger picture.)

Talk about a retarded idea.  It's not like anyone actually wants to go to the store and purchase an album or hold it in their hands or look at the art or anything...or what if they might actually want to have the album just to, I don't know, own it or something?  Just doesn't make sense to me. What the hell is the point in downloading other than the fact that it is portable and on demand? What about the idea of the album as cultural artifact? This is the same type of thing that is happening to libraries and such. People have been saying for awhile now that all books will be digital too. Someone on here was saying magazines will probably disappear as well. They are probably right. Technology has made it so that people don't really care so much about the tangibility of the object anymore, or about collecting etc (and as much debate as there is about collections and the status of the collector in society, I would say that in these days collecting is fading out as well, maybe not within groups such as Hideout members, but that is just one small microcosm of society, not the larger picture.)

I'm excited! I have never really been a big fan of cd's myself. 

   I am also a man who gets asked and hears others ask, "Why did you put it out on cassette?"

However, this article mentions the digital download becoming the head honcho. I like the digital download. I like the idea of not lugging around, wait... I dont purchase or listen to cd's. 

   For people who don't own record or cassette players or other forms to import and listen to music, I don't see this being an issue. 

   As for people who purchase cd's on the regular, they'll have to get used to keeping their Down Load cards in one place. 

   Most of all I think that the environmental impact that cd's leave, and for that matter all types of music media, could be altered and improved greatly. 

Then again, who the Hell am I? What do I know?

This is just a badly written article which so far is the only web-site that has such a story.  Billboard hasn't written anything.  Neither has Rolling Stone (which you know would have jumped on this if there was a shred of truth).  While major labels are probably having problems with their r & b and hip hop sales, there is an uprise in labels that sell back catalogs and oldies collections, Sundazed having the most success.  But there isn't one quote from an industry insider even with the "update".  CDs will most certainly disappear but not by the end of next year.  That's like saying that vinyl was going to be done with by the end of the 80s.

Yeah don't hold your breath because that's never going to happen. 

Thomas Marshall said:

Well mp3s are lossy and I want my audio lossless which is both vinyl and cds! I'm waiting for hd blu-rays to be properly used for artists. Albums on those will be truly awesome. 

LOL!  That did happen to a friend of mine:)

DammitDave said:

"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."

I wonder how many people have dropped their phone or tablet in the bowl when they want to read the USA Today on the toilet.  Make sure to wash your hands before using the touch screen!

"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."

I wonder how many people have dropped their phone or tablet in the bowl when they want to read the USA Today on the toilet.  Make sure to wash your hands before using the touch screen!

I can see it now: "thanks for coming out, tip your bartenders and servers, and make sure to take out your smartphone and download our new album right now!"

That's more punk rock than me!

Well mp3s are lossy and I want my audio lossless which is both vinyl and cds! I'm waiting for hd blu-rays to be properly used for artists. Albums on those will be truly awesome. 

Wow, I couldn't imagine life without a turntable. Sounds like a curse!

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.  

I might become a convert soon:)  See my previous post.

Old School Hero said:

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