CD's, how I will miss thee

Via Metal Insider

Yesterday was the 27th anniversary of the CD. Being that I'm 21, I remember cassettes slowly dying and CD's coming to the forefront. They began selling like crazy, with superior sound quality and easier use (at least for me). CD's were simpler superior to cassettes, and the sales proved that.

Of course, today, sales are down. Way down. The music industry simply isn't making money through records sales. It's no secret that illegal downloads are the preferred method for most people to get their music. Digital downloads via iTunes and other services are another aspect, but the number of these legal, paid for, downloads is still a smaller portion than the illegal portion.

And CD's with their massive inflation and, now, inconvenience of use, have been floundering. Their sales have been going downhill for years now. People realized that paying $12 or more for something that takes $3 or less total to make is a little unfair. And with the advent of MP3 players and the subsequent prices drops, CD's lost yet another positive aspect: their portability. Having an entire music library in something smaller than my wallet is pretty fucking sweet, all things considered.

But still I am sad to see CD's die. Sure, I hardly ever use them once I buy them. I basically pop them open, put it in on the way home from the store and then rip it to my iTunes and never touch it again. And yes, I really do buy CD's still. I'll borrow friends music, but I don't download music (either legally or illegally).

There's just something visceral about having a physical copy of an album. Fighting with the cellophane, popping the disc out of the jewel case for the first time, and looking at the art. It's all part of the experience. And it's just something you don't get when you download the album.

One aspect that I'm really afraid will fade away is the artistic value of new releases. To me, cover and liner art is a major part of music. A good album cover can inspire, terrify or simply make you pick up the CD and flip it over. In a market awash with so many products, art is one distinguishing factor.

But with the advent of downloadable content, art may disappear. And that, for me, is a major loss.

But, the train of technology waits for no man. So I supposed I will eventually adopt the digital revolution. But not today, not tomorrow and hopefully, not for a little while at least. For me, getting new music is a very visceral, tactile event. And I don't want to lose that.