Cds 💿 forever better sound quality u own the music support the artist bonus tracks No internet and it’s yours forever 📀📀📀💿💽👍👍🤙👍👍 physical media forever let’s have a cd 💿 revival in 2025 💪💪💪💪
I'm glad to see the numbers indicate the CD is still alive and well. It has always been my preferred format. I do wish that the mastering of CDs in the 2020s would move away from the excessive loudness and compression. CDs allow for a greater dynamic range than other formats. Some of my oldest CDs can sound absolutely amazing.
Hi Phil I’m still buying CDs, absolutely love them, I prefer them over vinyl out of sheer convenience. Not to mention the cost difference. Really glad CDs are taking off again.
@myles7522 CD's are my prized possessions and define a person's personality. My last CD count was 1568 too. All killer no filler. Started in 1987 before I had a CD player and bought a player in 1989 . I have culled about the same, but in the last decade a lot were 2nd hand CD's more due to the thinning availability of CD's to make way for vinyl.
Very interesting stats on CD sales for Coldplay. CD's are still my format of choice- I'm one of those people old enough to have collected vinyl the first time round, moved to CD and never went back to vinyl. I've nothing against vinyl, it is just a personal choice. I still own part of my original vinyl collection, and have picked up the odd LP and single in recent years for nostalgic reasons, but I still buy CDs as my go to format. I do stream on Spotify sometimes, but something you quoted in your video resonated with me, about owning the CD, or vinyl record, is like having your own master copy of the artists music. I feel the need to own the music I care about. Like you have commented before, streaming is like listening to the radio, but when you really like something you want to own it.
I have been buying optical discs since the 80’s, cd, sacd, dvd-audio and blu ray audio and I won’t stop as long as music I like is being made in those formats.
CDs deluxe box is my thing. I LOVE THEM !!! ❤❤❤❤ And I became aware about a forthcoming one which will be release by the good people of Edel Records, on 28th february next year. Something great, I mean, Godley and Creme, no less then 11 CDs!! B-sides, 7" and 12" versions, booklet. Altogether !!! What a dream. THANK YOU EDSEL RECORDS !!! ❤❤❤❤
@@richmorrison8194Hello! Now the tracklist is available. Sadly 10000 Angles (7"), Snack Attack (81) 7" and 12" versions and Under Your Thumb (7") are missing !!! I wonder why do records companies never do THE RIGHT JOB. There's always something missing... What's the hell happens to these companies!!!! I CAN'T UNDERSTAND 😡🤬😡🤬
Massively expanded cd boxed sets are an art form in themselves. Very niche & very expensive when expanding a single retro album to up to 10 + cds ! They consist of a mix of unreleased takes, songs that didn't make the original cut & live concert performances. From a playing point of view I wouldn't personally have time to spend 10 hours + with 1 album as I already have many hundreds of cds to listen through. Having said that I might buy an expanded version of an album that is very special to me. I have purchased a few blu ray audio discs - sometimes bundled with the cd. For example Peter Gabriel's I O - the dark/brightside cds were widely criticised to be over compressed but not the" inside" blu ray mix - which you can by bundled with cds for about £5 difference 👍
The new Coldplay cd is also marketed as the 1st ECO cd - also it was stated the packaging was "premium" but only for the initial issue of this. So some collecters will have definitely purchased 2 + thanks to the pre - release marketing. Musically their are many negative reviews of the album from buyers. Like more of a Chris Martin solo LP hurriedly recorded between Coldplay tours. As you say they are a very "marmite" having transitioned from a niche indie to a stadium filling poppy band 🎶 (I like the single despite it being a well trodden formula for Chris & Co) 👍
I’ve always bought CDs. It’s the best of all worlds. I get the albums to listen to and the liner notes to read all in an easily storable package at an affordable price. Thanks for the information Phil.
The last vinyl I purchased was in 1982. Within a year, I had purchased a portable CD player, and never looked back. I never liked vinyl, so that was an easy, and obvious choice for me.
Grew up in the 70s with vinyl and amassed a collection of thousands. But I was happy to make the switch to CD in the late 80s. 35 years now and zero regrets. CDs are great. Just got my first DAC and now they sound even better.
Bang on ! CD's are the best bang for your buck. I have been a vinyl collector for 50 years but vinyl is out of control pricewise. The remastered Cd's sound like a million bucks. The record companies tried to bury vinyl in the eighties, and now they are trying to bury CD's because the profit margin for vinyl is through the roof. Trust your ears folks. CD's sound great, and they give you the best quality for price ratio !
I'll keep buying CDs. Got out of vinyl when CDs came into prominence in the late 80s, & have been buying ever since. And now with bands going back into their back catalog & remastering their albums on CD - makes it even more worthwhile for me. Because, of course the only problem when CDs first came out - the music companies didn't truly know how much music they could put on a CD or how much a CD could take volume wise. So, those early CDs have such a low volume, that you really have to crank them to get the full effect. But, like with the new Black Sabbath remasters - you can hear & feel the difference
My thought has been for years that if vinyl can come back, CD will bounce back as well. I am glad I snapped up as many as I could during the “vinyl resurgence.”
Another good video Phil. You’re spot on about people switching to CD from Vinyl. I personally know some younger collectors (early 20s) that 4-5 years ago would laugh at me for still buying CDs but now they’ve moved away from Vinyl and it’s all down to pricing. I’m not complaining though that people are buying more discs. For me it’s always been the better format. I love them. 💿
Onya Phil for saying it. CD was never dead and has to have its day again. Nobody wants to keep paying ever increasing prices for vinyl when the CD can sound purer and cleaner on any man’s average set up. Vinyl was always going to out-price itself and those who were misled by marketing of the Vinyl resurgence will discover that a lot of the “best sounding versions on Vinyl” are more likely to have had a digital step in the recording anyway. (You might notice that CD prices for quality recordings are starting to rise now also). Cheers from Oz
I grew up with vinyl but couldn’t get rid of it fast enough when a better format (CD) came along. To my ears CD’s still sound better. Sure, the gatefold LP artwork you get with vinyl looks nice but to my mind the pluses of the CD format vastly outweigh those of the vinyl format. Whether it’s down to production costs or price gouging by the record companies, it is ridiculously expensive to buy vinyl and they have now killed the proverbial goose that laid the golden egg. I think the current infatuation with vinyl is now starting to wane and I can only see this trend continuing.
Until about ten years ago, new LPs cost around £20 a throw here in the UK. I was happy to pay that. Now they weigh in at £30-£40 or more, with pressing quality that is far more variable. I'm NOT happy to pay that. CDs are also more expensive these days - what isn't - but to nowhere near the same extent as vinyl. When a CD costs a third of the cost of the equivalent LP - often with extra tracks to boot - there's no competition as far as I'm concerned. Add the fact that I'm far less likely to get a faulty CD than vinyl, and I'm afraid that my vinyl buying days are pretty much over. Your excellent resume would seem to indicate that I'm not alone.
Agree 100%. I'd also like an explanation from someone in a record company as to why the prices of CDs seem to be increasing when the popularity of the format is also doing the same. Surely if people are buying more then more are manufactured and therefore the cost of production of each single item decreases? I also still vehemently maintain that if you're a record company that is making box sets of re-releases of albums with some remastering, it's entirely possible to keep to an average price per CD of no more than £5 - they managed that recently with the Rory Gallagher and Who's Next box sets, a bit further back for the Billy Bragg and Camel box sets. Everything else in that box set is just printed paper and cardboard, albeit "nice to have" a lot of the time.
As soon as CDs came out I was thrilled, the first few years they were made poorly sonically, but they didn't skip! After a few years, early 1990s, they started improving the quality and I have been collecting them for like 30 plus years. They never went away. But I have noticed a few more low/middle budget CD players being made lately. Tells me CDs are not coming back because they never went away, but that LP's market is dying. And CD market is growing
I think CD's will still be around for a long while for a lot of music fans depending on who the artists are i guess thank you for your videos and talking about the future of the CD's thanks Phil.🎶🎸🎸🎶
Also a CD will last for 100s of years with no deterioration. Vinyl, no matter how well it is kept will deteriorate, either with ring wear, cover edge fraying, vinyl popping eyc.
I was an early adopter of the CD format in ~'83, and actually had a number of CDs before getting my first CD player (Marantz CD-73) in '84. While I bought few vinyl titles during the late '80s and '90s and sold much of my vinyl collection out of financial necessity, I never gave up on the format. All the 'death of CD' talk in recent years is eerily reminiscent of what was being said about vinyl in the late '80s, but I've never given up on the CD format. IMO CD mastering was generally quite good by roughly the early '90s, and really only got a bad rap during the 'loudness wars' of the last 15 to so years. I still have all the fantastic CD box sets that started appearing in the '90s. CD remains the best format for releasing large bodies of archival work by artists or labels. Don't forget that many in the TH-cam 'VC' that would have you believe that CD sound sucks are the same people who praised a certain premium vinyl record company right up until the moment they learned that the company had been using a DSD step in its mastering chain. CD box sets were and are fantastic.
CD is the best format by far and probably too good as the purity and non deterioration of sound means you never needed to replace them, not like favourite cassettes and vinyl. The so called "loudness wars" demonised CD's and made people run to the "purity" of vinyl. Also the kids/kidults liked the "cache" of social value having a vinyl album to boast about with their uni latte drinking crowds whilst wearing their man-bun hair and manicured beards. So it really just a fashion rather than practical item. The "over-brickwalled" cds distorted the sound and you would have to lower the volume, or with for example ZZ Top's "Mescalero" cd, the most brickwalled CD ever released in my opinion, play with the equaliser to settle to music to stop distortion. The really early cd's also sounded great too. I bought the Japanese ELO "Out of the Blue". Very expensive in 1986, cost $58 then on double CD, but the sound is noticibly expansive and less compressed than the later single CD and early 2000 remaster. CDs are also getting expensive again so those early 80's issue, "Pre barcode", or "Target" the on-line sellers like to showcase, or the Japanese, Austrian or Korean made cd's will be valuable.
I've been converting my vinyl to CDs since 1993 and haven't looked back. In the year I've discovered numerous prog rock bands that have their material available CDs and I couldn't be happier. There is intrinsic value in physical media that is invaluable in the age of streaming apps.
I'm into buying SACDs presently (Super Audio Compact Discs) as I let them pass twenty years' ago when they were being sold the first time. That's the way forward for me...
Coldplay’s strategy with the CDs this time out was pretty brilliant: 1. Make the initial run about its being low impact on the environment. The Amazon listing solely revolved around the technical aspects of its creation as an eco-friendly product. 2. Have several limited run options in the same vain as Taylor Swift. Tour Edition, Notebook Edition, Full Moon Edition, Indie Retail edition (in a jewel case!!!), signed Barnes & Noble edition, and so on. I bought nearly all of them, and it was a pleasure to collect them. And they were all very inexpensive. I haven’t purchased a Coldplay album since 2008, but they’ve won me back. And, thankfully, the album was quite good.
I've definitely got more CDs this year than vinyl records. I only got three vinyl records this year, and they were on sale. But I have gotten 10+ CDs this year and am not done yet. CDs are definitely the way to go. They are way cheaper. And way easier to use. CDs take up less room. Yes, the covers are smaller, but we can still enjoy the covers. But most importantly we get to enjoy the music. That's what matters the most.
I was one of the early adopters of CD in the 80's buying my first player the Sony CDP 101 which cost £1k back in the day (more than the cost of the rest of my hi-fi setup at the time) Have a large collection of CD's still and they are the goto to listen to original music, I did have big hopes for mini-disc but the humble CD has outlived it...nuff said.
I was born in 1992, been a cd buyer since 2001 and still am. I know it won't go back to the glory days of cd sales from when i bought my first album, but it is still very much an important thing for people who care about music on a bit deeper level than most. The masses don't see a reason to buy cd's anymore. Even back in the day the majority only cared about the hits. Because before digital downloads, you could only hear your favorite songs on either radio or MTV at random if you didn't own the album... So of course you would buy it in case you could afford to, just to hear the song as often as you wanted. I mean, singles did exist but i can tell you i personally did not often see those in the stores i went to. I think cd's will be there as long as music fans are, which is ALWAYS.
I'm not a kid anymore but I can't afford vinyl with the price that it is now , so I too just buy my music on CD. Generally after investigating my prospective purchase on You Tube. The price of vinyl LPs fair makes my eyes water. CD box sets are all very well, but for those of us on a limited income it would be nice to have the opportunity to buy the individual CDs too. The recent Tony Martin era Sabbath box set being a case in point. Keep on championing the CD Phil!
I was in a book store just this morning that also carries new records and CDs. Saw the Fleetwood Mac album "Rumours" in LP form at $28.99 and the same in CD for $10.99 That is an insane price difference.
Great video. This is a subject that has interested me for a while. Digital V Physical. My feeling is that with physical media you are 'vested' in the purchase i.e. you have spent money and committed to your purchase. This relationship is not the same in digital media. Hence your enjoyment and appreciation of a bought CD is deeper and more meaningful. In addition the advent of CD box set means a deep dive with a favourite artist is a truly wonderful phenomenon. Very encourging this resilience of CD long may it continue.
Great to hear CDs and vinyl still selling reasonably well . In my collection i've got 4k vinyl albums and about 2k CDs . My new passion is purchasing 4K movies in their physical format , got about 60 at the minute , will have to count again in a couple of decades . It's tough being an analogue kid in a digital world ... cheers Phil 🦾
I believe that CDs are the finest physical media we have. They sound great, and it's hard to do better with digital files that are higher bit rate because the differences are near impossible to hear, at least by my ears. I don't buy that vinyl sounds better as it has less dynamic range, more noise and needs more expensive gear to sound it's best. CDs are more compact and portable media and don't suffer from the issues that vinyl does in terms of skipping poor pressings, etc. I still collect vinyl, and there is a kind of charm to that medium, but I'm not fooled into believing that it's a superior medium. It costs far more, has more issues with quality control, wears out, etc...
I grew up listening to vinyl & cassette tapes in the 80s. Finally got a CD player in 1995 & basically bought CDs from then. Went back to vinyl in 2012, but I've gone cold on it. Haven't bought a record in over 2 years. I'm sick of the price gouging, the quality issues, the audiophile spend more bs. I'm happy enough with CDs tbh.
The price is nuts for vinyl - especially when a new CD is $10-$13 new. I bought probably 15-1 CDs vs Vinyl. And I grew up similar as you…LPs & Tapes…went all in on CDs in 1991
Hi Phil. If the media think that cds are on the wane i invite people to go to the bristol hifi show in February and see how many new cd players are being launched by most companys. I buy as many cds as i do vinyl. In fact i’ve bought cassette, cd and vinyl copies of the new Cure album so i’m not biased to any format.
Hi Phil, thanx for this brilliant analysis. I've noticed that not only CDs; but CD-era music genres ( 90s Alternative, Brit-Pop) are also on the rise. Imho there's a corelation between these two. Btw, I still collect CDs!💿
Hi Phil, this was a very good episode! We’re from the USA and we’ve slowly gone back to CD’s and only buy the occasional vinyl record, usually for mostly an audiophile experience, especially jazz and/or new Blue Note releases, ie-Chris Botti, Tone Poet, etc. I am 56 and have a form of Parkinson’s which is mostly why I have I went back to CD’s due to it being easier for me to use. The other reason is the sheer expense of vinyl. It adds up because the amount of music we buy. Love your channel!-Danny & Beth🎧🙏🏻
Great post! If mastered right, CDs are the best way to hear what the artist intended. That is why I love them. And reissues have been getting the sound right. I only feel connected to an album if I own the physical copy. As for cassettes, I worked for a cassette duplicator in the 80s and 90s and I DO NOT like them at all. They were good for home recording back when we had no other way to make a compilation for a portable device or a car. But I can count on my fingers how many times I spent money on a mass produced cassette. Due to the high speed of the duplication, the quality of vinyl and cd could never be replicated. Lord knows we tried. and if the customer wanted to pay, we could duplicate on chrome tape, but the average cassette was compressed way too much IMO.
You make some good points Phil. I think though the reason why Shed Seven and Coldplay especially have a higher ration of CDs is because of their original fan base. 90’s and early 2000s it was all about CDs.
To be honest, I have 30 or so vinyl LPs. But only for some nostalgia. If I want an album for real, I will buy the CD. 📀 Let's be practical about this. You can play a CD in a CD player, a DVD player, a laptop, and even some tablets.
Been buying CD's for more than 20 years ❤ Edited to add: Have never bought vinyl records in my life, but I hope to start a vinyl collection, but CD's will still be my preferred format of choice.
I collect both. Having said that, I only buy used and I rarely spend more than $1 for CDs. I won't pay more than $5 for vinyl and typically only spend $1 or $2 on it. I have been given over 200 CDs in the last year or so. Most of it wasn't great but I kept about 20% of them. I give most of the rest away or salvage them for cases.
I balanced my music between vinyl, tapes, and CDs well. The digipak and media books on cd are great. Box sets on CD save space. I bought less new vinyl and more used vinyl this year.
I'm very happy that many people have gone all in on streaming and have dumped their CD collections, as it has been a benefit to me! I hit one of my local record stores every week and I never fail to come home with some great used CDs cheap.....along with new ones as well. For those selling their CDs....keep them coming!
It’s Literally the same for me….was gifted a CD player on Christmas in ‘88 and have purchased nothing but CDs since, until this day. I own nearly 4k CDs and approximately 200 box sets.
Hi Phil, I buy cds and vinyl, if it's a band I love I'll by both (the Damneds Darkadelic for example) I reason that I have the Vinyl for home and the cd for the car. I must state though, that I really don't see the point in all these Vinyl variations, different colour Vinyl, swirl, etc!. It's madness and the re emergence of the cassette is madness too. I bet Wh Smiths will see an increase in pencil sales and collectors will have fun winding their tapes back in (anyone over the age of 40 will get that reference). Very informative video, thanks Phil. Have subscribed
Hi Phil, thanks for the video and great news about the CD! I've got a lot of my old CDs here with me in Spain and it's great to listen to them and I've made a few additions as well. My teenage daughter enjoys playing them too and she's got new CDs of bands she's into, so we're helping to keep it going here!)) A key advantage to CDs and maybe this isn't focused on enough, is that the hardware to play a cd is much better value than for vinyl. You can buy something half decent for under 50 euros no problem. You can't say that about turntables. My daughter got a Bluetooth enabled personal cd player for Christmas and I was surprised by how good it was. Send that audio out to some decent headphones or speakers (something that a lot of people have for streaming off their phones anyway) and you're away! Also the cheap new cd boombox I bought some years ago to play her audiobooks of Paddington and Thomas etc is still going strong and has a surprisingly good sound to it so just as good at cranking out AC/DC or Falling in Reverse! Plus the second hand market is good too. I got my 90s Panasonic boombox (very good sound) as well an old personal cd and had change from 20 euros. There's also the added advantage that being already digital CDs can easily be ripped to other devices. The problem with cassettes on the other hand is that it can be pretty difficult to get anything half decent to play them on these days... There are companies trying to address this but it is an uphill battle
I couldn't afford the new vinyl of today, but I also remember moving away from vinyl as CDs became readily available and cheaper. (I even got imported CDs of the XTC albums I loved back when because, domestically, Geffen wasn't releasing them yet and I appreciated the sonic clarity of the CDs.) When vinyl started it's resurgence, especially with the Beatles, and everybody was talking about the sound, I got out my 80s era Capitol LPs out to see if I had been wrong moving to CDs. Put on the White album on my SL-DL5 linear tracking turntable and was still of the same mind, I think the big difference between now and then is that everything is being pressed on 180 graham vinyl that was once the providence of boutique labels like Mobile Fidelity. The only thing I have in my collection that was even close to that was a Capitol rainbow-label LP of "Revolver" gited to me by my then brother-in-law that felt heavier than my 80s Beatles vinyl (though I seem to remember too, my late, older, Cousin's copy of "Band On the Run" had a similar heft to it). On the new Coldplay album I do have one question though, did they only plan on pressing so many LPs, was there a pre-order with a cut-off date? You could say that might skew those numbers you were talking about. It's still probably easier to put out CDs too, I would imagine. of course it's funny how people used to scoff at CDs back when, saying their booklets didn't compare with the sleeve notes of LPs. The thing is, with both you ARE getting something you can hold and look at which some appreciate, and you don't necessarily get that with a download. I do like carrying music on my phone, but I do appreciate physical media too. In fact I think the resurgence of cassettes is cool too, I just think it's too bad new decks don't have the DBX, Dolby C, B and HX Pro that allowed for some surprisingly great recordings! I always remembered being impressed with the sound quality you could even get out of pre-recorded ones with my friend's Nacamich BX-300, so much so I bought one all these years later, though I still have my Technics RSM-253X and 228X. And another thing I can say about my taste in physical media is that there was a point, back when, where it was dictated by what format you could get an album on. Some things might only be available on LP, some might be available on LP & cassette but NOT CD, or some might be on all 3. And the process of discovering things from the 80s to the early to mid-90s was different too. Radio, reading music magazines, going to record stores, it was WAY different than Google. In the end, though, I still dream of some on-line library of sorts that preserves every recording ever made as a trust to all of Humanity so nothing would ever go out of print. But that would have to be based around valuing artists not profit because what is profitable doesn't always sell big so, sadly some things just disappear.
Owning physical media like cd's will just become more and more desirable as the powers that be try to phase it out and make it a renting/subscribing world only. I've noticed that many of my more interesting albums, books and dvd sets have either skyrocketed in price, or are now unavailable to buy for any price.. a lot of obscure stuff won't come out again physically now.
Started buying vinyl late 60s up to 80s run out of space ,now cd for me wasn’t the sound I expected but as remastering improved my enjoyment grew ,now it’s my favourite form ,sound quality is far better than when they first came out .in a word a love cds & will always be buying them mind you I have never stopped .😊
After getting rid of a large part of my CD collection about a decade ago and building up my dream vinyl collection since, I’ve slowly become more judicious about vinyl because of limited space, and have dipped back into buying CDs from time to time. As one becomes more knowledgeable about vinyl pressings it becomes evident that the format is better suited for some music while CDs are better for other -this also being dependent on pressing quality, but also how the music was produced. So… now it’s a matter of finding out which albums to get on which format. Oh… and this includes cassettes as well ❤. A The Cramps live record might sometimes feel livelier with that good ol’ tape hiss, no? As a collector and sometimes producer and album packaging designer, I’m just happy with having choices more readily available again.
Hi Phil, I'm from Poland and vinyls are very expensive here too. Nevertheless, I usually bought them on special occasions... even 20 years ago. This year I only bought 1 vinyl. Everything else is only CDs, and I listen to all types of metal (black metal, heavy metal, metalcore, deathcore, death metal, progressive metal, etc.), some jazz and more ambitious pop. Sometimes I will also focus on classical music. This year (I'm mentioning from memory) I bought new albums: Ihsahn (also in the version with only orchestration), Uzurpator Niebiańskiego Tronu, Odraza, Opeth, Marylin Manson, Linkin Park, Oceans of Slumber, Bütcher, Bring Me The Horizon, Knocked Loose, The Cure, Orden Ogan (Box with game and CD), Gabriels (Deluxe edition with 2 CD's), Billie Eilish, Blood Incantation, Jinjer (concert album with CD, DVD and Blu-Ray), Ghost (pre-order concert Blu-Ray), Fantastic Negro, Rotting Chtist (CD BOX), Behemoth (Concert CD'S with BLu-Ray), Raye ( Concenrt album with CD and DVD), Iotunn, The Lemon Twigs, MOZART Requiem Pygmalion conducted by Pichon, reedition "Bewitched The Goddess Edition" by Laufey (only vinyl), Organek, Zorza, new Alcest, Ghostkid, DVNE, Zeal & Ardor, Crypt Sermon, new Seth, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Samara Joy, new boxset QUEEN "1", box with all albums from Bauhaus, Myrath, Judas Priest, Jakub Józef Orliński with Dembicz "Letsbarock" album, Folterkammer, Patty Gurdy "Tavern" album with music movie on DVD, Never Obey Again, Beth Hart, "Blue Spirits: 85 Years of Blue Note Records" selected by Don Was, Immanuel Wilkins, Gaerea, The Police "Synchronicity" Reedition, finally "Half a Century of Witchcraf" CD box from Coven, Leon Bridges, Spectral Wound, Hauntologist, Toń, Gatecreeper, Dogma, Blues Pills, Serpentwithfeet, Bruce Dickinson album with comic book, Beyonce, Chelsea Wolfe, Kamasi Washington, Brittany Howard, Nick Cave, Alfie Templeman, JANN from Poland, Green Day, Idles, Within Temptation, 200 Stab Wounds, " Stop making sense" Talking Heads album CD/BLU-RAY reedition, "Stop Making Sense’ Tribute Album" (2024), Untervoid, Krzysztof Zalewski, Tides from Nebula, Black Sabbath "Headless Cross" (2024 reedition), Lucifer, Eivor, Bruce Liu, Hania Rani, Palaye Royale, Louis Cole (with Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley, Jacob Collier, Amythyst Kiah, Twin Temple (album from 2023), Geordie Greep, Rhapsody (rap artist), Múr (new album, soon I buy it), St. Vincent, Eldingar, new album form Poppy ( I pre-oreder that one), Vampire Weekend, new Jon Batiste form 2024 (probably i'll buy a vinyl record also ) Unto Others, and i'm still waiting for new Tyler The Creator album on CD. I Think it's kinda diverse:)
Started with vinyl in the 70’s. Made my own copies in cassette. This became quite a hobby with tweaking for the best possible sound. Went to CD’s when they came out. It helped my lp’s were stolen. I have at least two thousand CD’s. 96/24 two channel and 5.1 has become quite the hobby now. So have deluxe box sets as many of the high res releases come in them. I have started buying lp’s again, too.
Thanks Phil, a very interesting and insightful video. I started collecting CD's back in 1989, the first being Badlands self-titled debut, which I still own and which still plays and sounds great today. I now have around 4000 CD's. I still have a small collection of vinyl and I also stream and download albums from time to time to check them out, but CD's will always be my number one format of choice. Incidentally, I also have 2500 Mini-Discs (remember them??) with albums on them, which sounds as good as CD's. Yes, I am a multi-format man too.
@@NowSpinningMagazine Indeed. I forgot to mention I also have several iPods and Sony Network Walkmans collected over the years just to keep my options open.
I'm an old guy that have been buying physical media for decades, my format of choice for new music is CD for the albums I want to own. Vinyl is way too expensive today, though I love the format and have more than 800 LPs in my collection which is good enough. CDs for new stuff. Yes!
I buy CDs. I started out with cassettes back in the mid 1970s, switched to LPs by 1977, then CDs in 1990. I do not want to switch formats again! There was a time when I wanted to have everything on CD so I phased out most of my vinyl -- but then I realized I enjoyed records for the packaging and started snapping them up back around 2005 or so, when file sharing was king and records were super-cheap. So these days I do have a vinyl collection but most of it merely duplicates what I also have on CD.
My ideal would be cds in vinyl sized sleeves. I'm getting too old for the tiny print on cd sleeves and not that I imbibe but I imagine trying to roll a spliff on a small plastic box is a no-goer.
I basically never buy new music on vinyl. That's a job for CD, as far as I'm concerned, with vinyl being suitable for my ever increasing interest in old classical music pressings. Of course, places with used vinyl will usually have used CDs too, and I definitely get a lot of those.
Hi Paul, Great video, discussion and analysis of the physical music market situation at present. From my perspective as a collector, I would say that the costs of CD’s is relative to the obscurity of the release and how many pressings are in circulation for sale. I have sold some rare CD ‘s as well as paid for several and costs can go well past $100.00 per item so the format I’d say is not always at bargain basement rates ! Some are simply impossible to find as they are anywhere from 30 years or older. At least 95 % of what I’ve looked for can be found eventually but not everything is available or worth collecting for that matter. I’m often surprised that prices are not as inexpensive as you might think .
Really useful as always Phil. A note from the front line regarding the cost of vinyl. HMV used to have a deal of 3 selected vinyl albums for £55 which could be a good deal. However, on a recent visit to my local branch I noticed that this had changed to 3 for £66. My purchase of the four recently re-issued Black Sabbath albums on CD came in well under that.
Whenever I go into an HMV store, they seem more interested in trying to sell me those deformed plastic dollies of superheroes or anime rubbish than any kind of decent selection of music.
I've certainly gravitated towards CD more and more for new releases, and even used finds. I love vinyl, but the cost of a new album is a bit of a detractor for me, but I do much much MUCH prefer to have older and vintage releases on vinyl
The last two years I have gone to cd format for my new music purchases, souly because of the cost. I have a 600 lp collection and love the format but I can't get my head around a 50 dollar(Can) lp. I want to support the artists love the physical product so cd it is.
Thank you. Great and interesting video. I’ve bought and listened to cd’s since the early 90’s when I got my first player. Even to this day. Because of the cost of vinyl, I only make that purchase if the album becomes essential OR it’s one of my top 3-5 favorite artists.
Another very interesting video, Phil. I do live in the States and I do ONLY purchase physical product (CD's and other hi-rez media inc. SACD & Blu-ray). What I think would be interesting is knowing what the past vs present % individual consumption was/is in the U.K. for physical media (CD,. cassette or LP) and how that compares to the U.S. The population difference between the States and the U.K. is rather significant and this would give a far "richer" view of actual consumption habits/patterns vs total sales figures. Thoughts...
I'm glad I have still got all my vinyl I bought as a teenager 40+ years ago. I still buy vinyl and cds. I even like the odd high quality bandcamp download for instrumental/electronic music that is very detailed and quiet in parts.
I'm a CD fan ( admittedly a late bloomer initially ) . The most updated remastering technology really suits this format in my view . The 2012 remaster of Black Sabbath's Never Say Die along with a box set of Roth era Van Halen albums are examples of recent purchases that sound absolutely phenomenal on a fairly modest player ( virtually identical to how the original vinyl pressings sounded on a really good quality hifi ) . For me the vinyl renaissance was ruined by over pricing right from the offset . Looks like they're gonna have to start reinstalling CD players into brand new cars .
Bought my first CD-player, a Kenwood DP-1000, in February 1987 at age 19, but almost 20. Really hadn't any money at all, so for the first year I had to settle with three CD's bought in a second hand shop: Kim Wilde, Teases and Dares (hmm. No Endorphins. Not as good as hoped for) Jean Michel Jarre, Rendezvous (hmm. Also quite the disappointment) And of course. Can't remember the third one. Dang that aging brain. But veeeery slowly up through the last years of the 80's and right through 90's the collection started to build up. The most exciting purchases during the mid-90's were the first five albums by SAGA from Polydor plus "Exit" and "Cyclone" from Virgin by Tangerine Dream. As soon as people started to get rid of their collections, all the jewels were up for grabs. First CD-editions horizon to horizon from the early 80's (or their mid-80's clones) of 70's or contemporary albums could be had for absolutely no money. No money. As in at all. For instance. I was all open mouth for paying £3 for the Jean Michel Jarre, Concerts in China, original 2-CD fatboy box from 1983. Calculating inflation since the release, in todays money we're talking £80 for the original pricetag. It really was pretty darn expensive back then. As of now, I only need to fill in a few tiny holes here and there. 10-15, maybe 20 CD's should do it. Love the format. It still is the future for me. Maybe I'm still 13, who knows, but the articles of "The digital grammophone is coming soon" is etched into my mind and to watch the entire life circle of an industrial product has been an amazing journey and a highly educating experience.
Growing up in the 60s & 70s i have tons of albums, tapes & CDs i won't go any other way & I'm not worried about all my albums but with a ton of CDs which most were just to replace my old records so they will be preserved. I just hope they don't do away with CDs & we can still find players.
I first started buying records in 1971 by 1984 I had a big collection. When cds were introduced I was hooked with new format. I still occasionally buy a used vinyl record but over the last 30 years mostly purchase new and used compact disc. I have close to 4500 cds and too many records I need to find a new home .
Tried to give, GIVE, my CD collection to a local 2nd hand shop which sells music and books as I am moving house. All they wanted was Punk and Metal music as that's all that is selling now.
Vinyl is the hardcover, coffee table purchase; CDs are the softcover, pulp fiction buy (with the occasional quality, box set). If all CDs were designed and packaged to the standards often found in Japanese stores, well, that would be a game changer.
Cd take priority (no turntable lol),however will buy vinyl special edition Yes,UFO etc. Use Bandcamp and buy direct from artist or artists label for my obsure black metal Atmospheric death/black metal. Vinyl shipping prices have rocketed from Germany in the past 2/3 years. Brexit possibly, but take Nuclear Blast (and its off shoots now) used to send Deutsche Post say a box set Accept or Blind Guardian would be about €8 . Now approx €20 ,cd €10 so for €16.99 cd postage is 60 per cent of the price of cd. Also noticed invoicing policy Product at € price add VAT Uk rate 20 per cent then postage. I their defence they now used courier DPD DHL strong packaging etc delivery 5 working days. Scandinavian postage rates through the roof and Tax @24 per cent. Not a rant Phil I still pay the prices just saying. Hopefully people will be interested in what I have said. I know its swings and roundabouts horses for courses Take care Jonathan
From the US. I buy vinyl and CD, but more vinyl lately. I have also gotten into reel to reel. This is by far the most costly format, and the release has to be very special to be considered "reel worthy".
I buy used CD's, and will buy the CD of new upcoming artists that I like (although many of them frustratingly don't offer a Physical media option, or only offer Vinyl, for the Retro novelty). I would buy more Vinyl but old albums are inconsistent and often too noisy to enjoy, and there isn't enough information with new Vinyl albums (or re-releases) to understand if you're buying a real analogue source Vinyl record, or if someone just effectively burnt the CD source onto plastic, which feels utterly pointless).
CD's have been my format of choice since the early 90s.
CD all the way ❤
So many cheap used CDs languishing on the shelves. It was a buyer's market, maybe that's going to change?
Cds 💿 forever better sound quality u own the music support the artist bonus tracks No internet and it’s yours forever 📀📀📀💿💽👍👍🤙👍👍 physical media forever let’s have a cd 💿 revival in 2025 💪💪💪💪
I'm glad to see the numbers indicate the CD is still alive and well. It has always been my preferred format.
I do wish that the mastering of CDs in the 2020s would move away from the excessive loudness and compression.
CDs allow for a greater dynamic range than other formats.
Some of my oldest CDs can sound absolutely amazing.
Hi Phil I’m still buying CDs, absolutely love them, I prefer them over vinyl out of sheer convenience.
Not to mention the cost difference. Really glad CDs are taking off again.
Yes Phil, love seeing appreciation for CDs. I am reading some vinyl collectors switching to CD because it's cheaper.
I’ve got over 1600 CDs and I love them, but I also love collecting vinyl too. 👍
@myles7522 CD's are my prized possessions and define a person's personality. My last CD count was 1568 too. All killer no filler. Started in 1987 before I had a CD player and bought a player in 1989 . I have culled about the same, but in the last decade a lot were 2nd hand CD's more due to the thinning availability of CD's to make way for vinyl.
I have over 4000 CDs and they're my pride and joy.
Grew up in the 60s and 70s with LPs, but when CDs came out I was blown away. Have 1000+ and love them for innumerable reasons. CDs forever...
I thought I had more than 1,000 cds 💿 😅😅😅
Very interesting stats on CD sales for Coldplay. CD's are still my format of choice- I'm one of those people old enough to have collected vinyl the first time round, moved to CD and never went back to vinyl. I've nothing against vinyl, it is just a personal choice. I still own part of my original vinyl collection, and have picked up the odd LP and single in recent years for nostalgic reasons, but I still buy CDs as my go to format. I do stream on Spotify sometimes, but something you quoted in your video resonated with me, about owning the CD, or vinyl record, is like having your own master copy of the artists music. I feel the need to own the music I care about. Like you have commented before, streaming is like listening to the radio, but when you really like something you want to own it.
CDs always. CDs ALL the way. CDs forever. The Best Format by Far. Sure I still buy them and I'll never stop. Love for CDs only grows each day.
I have been buying optical discs since the 80’s, cd, sacd, dvd-audio and blu ray audio and I won’t stop as long as music I like is being made in those formats.
CDs deluxe box is my thing.
I LOVE THEM !!! ❤❤❤❤
And I became aware about a forthcoming one which will be release by the good people of Edel Records, on 28th february next year. Something great, I mean, Godley and Creme, no less then 11 CDs!! B-sides, 7" and 12" versions, booklet. Altogether !!! What a dream.
THANK YOU EDSEL RECORDS !!!
❤❤❤❤
Godley & Creme - The History Mix Vol 1 was my first CD I purchased back in '85.
@@richmorrison8194Yeah, great CD. I'm waiting for the Vol 2 since then 😅😅
But it did not happen 😢😢
@@richmorrison8194Hello! Now the tracklist is available. Sadly 10000 Angles (7"), Snack Attack (81) 7" and 12" versions and Under Your Thumb (7") are missing !!!
I wonder why do records companies never do THE RIGHT JOB. There's always something missing...
What's the hell happens to these companies!!!!
I CAN'T UNDERSTAND 😡🤬😡🤬
Massively expanded cd boxed sets are an art form in themselves.
Very niche & very expensive when expanding a single retro album to up to 10 + cds !
They consist of a mix of unreleased takes, songs that didn't make the original cut & live concert performances.
From a playing point of view I wouldn't personally have time to spend 10 hours + with 1 album as I already have many hundreds of cds to listen through. Having said that I might buy an expanded version of an album that is very special to me.
I have purchased a few blu ray audio discs - sometimes bundled with the cd.
For example Peter Gabriel's I O - the dark/brightside cds were widely criticised to be over compressed but not the" inside" blu ray mix - which you can by bundled with cds for about £5 difference 👍
The new Coldplay cd is also marketed as the 1st ECO cd - also it was stated the packaging was "premium" but only for the initial issue of this. So some collecters will have definitely purchased 2 + thanks to the pre - release marketing.
Musically their are many negative reviews of the album from buyers. Like more of a Chris Martin solo LP hurriedly recorded between Coldplay tours. As you say they are a very "marmite" having transitioned from a niche indie to a stadium filling poppy band 🎶 (I like the single despite it being a well trodden formula for Chris & Co) 👍
I’ve always bought CDs. It’s the best of all worlds. I get the albums to listen to and the liner notes to read all in an easily storable package at an affordable price. Thanks for the information Phil.
I have CDs - lots of them. And about 80 CD Players.. I am a dedicated collector and love this video! Cheers!
The last vinyl I purchased was in 1982. Within a year, I had purchased a portable CD player, and never looked back. I never liked vinyl, so that was an easy, and obvious choice for me.
Great video Phil! I didn't even know they were still making cassettes. I'm for CDs all the way too!
Grew up in the 70s with vinyl and amassed a collection of thousands. But I was happy to make the switch to CD in the late 80s. 35 years now and zero regrets. CDs are great. Just got my first DAC and now they sound even better.
Fantastic video. I’ve never gone digital or back to vinyl and I remain convinced the compact disc is the superior format in every respect.
Bang on ! CD's are the best bang for your buck. I have been a vinyl collector for 50 years but vinyl is out of control pricewise. The remastered Cd's sound like a million bucks. The record companies tried to bury vinyl in the eighties, and now they are trying to bury CD's because the profit margin for vinyl is through the roof.
Trust your ears folks. CD's sound great, and they give you the best quality for price ratio !
I'll keep buying CDs. Got out of vinyl when CDs came into prominence in the late 80s, & have been buying ever since. And now with bands going back into their back catalog & remastering their albums on CD - makes it even more worthwhile for me. Because, of course the only problem when CDs first came out - the music companies didn't truly know how much music they could put on a CD or how much a CD could take volume wise. So, those early CDs have such a low volume, that you really have to crank them to get the full effect. But, like with the new Black Sabbath remasters - you can hear & feel the difference
My favorite format is the compact disc. Ive been collecting for decades.
My thought has been for years that if vinyl can come back, CD will bounce back as well. I am glad I snapped up as many as I could during the “vinyl resurgence.”
It’s like you read my mind! Agree 100%
Me too! Not sure it's going to last much longer tbh.
Another good video Phil. You’re spot on about people switching to CD from Vinyl. I personally know some younger collectors (early 20s) that 4-5 years ago would laugh at me for still buying CDs but now they’ve moved away from Vinyl and it’s all down to pricing. I’m not complaining though that people are buying more discs. For me it’s always been the better format. I love them. 💿
Onya Phil for saying it. CD was never dead and has to have its day again. Nobody wants to keep paying ever increasing prices for vinyl when the CD can sound purer and cleaner on any man’s average set up. Vinyl was always going to out-price itself and those who were misled by marketing of the Vinyl resurgence will discover that a lot of the “best sounding versions on Vinyl” are more likely to have had a digital step in the recording anyway. (You might notice that CD prices for quality recordings are starting to rise now also). Cheers from Oz
I grew up with vinyl but couldn’t get rid of it fast enough when a better format (CD) came along. To my ears CD’s still sound better. Sure, the gatefold LP artwork you get with vinyl looks nice but to my mind the pluses of the CD format vastly outweigh those of the vinyl format. Whether it’s down to production costs or price gouging by the record companies, it is ridiculously expensive to buy vinyl and they have now killed the proverbial goose that laid the golden egg. I think the current infatuation with vinyl is now starting to wane and I can only see this trend continuing.
Until about ten years ago, new LPs cost around £20 a throw here in the UK. I was happy to pay that. Now they weigh in at £30-£40 or more, with pressing quality that is far more variable. I'm NOT happy to pay that. CDs are also more expensive these days - what isn't - but to nowhere near the same extent as vinyl. When a CD costs a third of the cost of the equivalent LP - often with extra tracks to boot - there's no competition as far as I'm concerned. Add the fact that I'm far less likely to get a faulty CD than vinyl, and I'm afraid that my vinyl buying days are pretty much over. Your excellent resume would seem to indicate that I'm not alone.
Agree 100%. I'd also like an explanation from someone in a record company as to why the prices of CDs seem to be increasing when the popularity of the format is also doing the same. Surely if people are buying more then more are manufactured and therefore the cost of production of each single item decreases?
I also still vehemently maintain that if you're a record company that is making box sets of re-releases of albums with some remastering, it's entirely possible to keep to an average price per CD of no more than £5 - they managed that recently with the Rory Gallagher and Who's Next box sets, a bit further back for the Billy Bragg and Camel box sets. Everything else in that box set is just printed paper and cardboard, albeit "nice to have" a lot of the time.
As soon as CDs came out I was thrilled, the first few years they were made poorly sonically, but they didn't skip! After a few years, early 1990s, they started improving the quality and I have been collecting them for like 30 plus years. They never went away. But I have noticed a few more low/middle budget CD players being made lately. Tells me CDs are not coming back because they never went away, but that LP's market is dying. And CD market is growing
Surprising. I'm glad I stumbled onto your channel. Subbed.
Awesome, thank you so much - Phil
I think CD's will still be around for a long while for a lot of music fans
depending on who the artists are i guess thank you for your videos
and talking about the future of the CD's thanks Phil.🎶🎸🎸🎶
Also a CD will last for 100s of years with no deterioration. Vinyl, no matter how well it is kept will deteriorate, either with ring wear, cover edge fraying, vinyl popping eyc.
For me.the cd has always been my first choice ever since itd inception
I never left the cd format. I still have all my CDs. I started buying them in the 90s.
I was an early adopter of the CD format in ~'83, and actually had a number of CDs before getting my first CD player (Marantz CD-73) in '84. While I bought few vinyl titles during the late '80s and '90s and sold much of my vinyl collection out of financial necessity, I never gave up on the format. All the 'death of CD' talk in recent years is eerily reminiscent of what was being said about vinyl in the late '80s, but I've never given up on the CD format. IMO CD mastering was generally quite good by roughly the early '90s, and really only got a bad rap during the 'loudness wars' of the last 15 to so years. I still have all the fantastic CD box sets that started appearing in the '90s. CD remains the best format for releasing large bodies of archival work by artists or labels. Don't forget that many in the TH-cam 'VC' that would have you believe that CD sound sucks are the same people who praised a certain premium vinyl record company right up until the moment they learned that the company had been using a DSD step in its mastering chain. CD box sets were and are fantastic.
CD is the best format by far and probably too good as the purity and non deterioration of sound means you never needed to replace them, not like favourite cassettes and vinyl. The so called "loudness wars" demonised CD's and made people run to the "purity" of vinyl. Also the kids/kidults liked the "cache" of social value having a vinyl album to boast about with their uni latte drinking crowds whilst wearing their man-bun hair and manicured beards. So it really just a fashion rather than practical item.
The "over-brickwalled" cds distorted the sound and you would have to lower the volume, or with for example ZZ Top's "Mescalero" cd, the most brickwalled CD ever released in my opinion, play with the equaliser to settle to music to stop distortion.
The really early cd's also sounded great too. I bought the Japanese ELO "Out of the Blue". Very expensive in 1986, cost $58 then on double CD, but the sound is noticibly expansive and less compressed than the later single CD and early 2000 remaster.
CDs are also getting expensive again so those early 80's issue, "Pre barcode", or "Target" the on-line sellers like to showcase, or the Japanese, Austrian or Korean made cd's will be valuable.
I've been converting my vinyl to CDs since 1993 and haven't looked back. In the year I've discovered numerous prog rock bands that have their material available CDs and I couldn't be happier. There is intrinsic value in physical media that is invaluable in the age of streaming apps.
I'm into buying SACDs presently (Super Audio Compact Discs) as I let them pass twenty years' ago when they were being sold the first time. That's the way forward for me...
Coldplay’s strategy with the CDs this time out was pretty brilliant:
1. Make the initial run about its being low impact on the environment. The Amazon listing solely revolved around the technical aspects of its creation as an eco-friendly product.
2. Have several limited run options in the same vain as Taylor Swift. Tour Edition, Notebook Edition, Full Moon Edition, Indie Retail edition (in a jewel case!!!), signed Barnes & Noble edition, and so on.
I bought nearly all of them, and it was a pleasure to collect them. And they were all very inexpensive.
I haven’t purchased a Coldplay album since 2008, but they’ve won me back.
And, thankfully, the album was quite good.
Hi Phil, l have preferred cd's for many years for several reasons, including, practicality, cheapness and more refined sound. l love cd's...cheers !!
I've definitely got more CDs this year than vinyl records. I only got three vinyl records this year, and they were on sale. But I have gotten 10+ CDs this year and am not done yet. CDs are definitely the way to go. They are way cheaper. And way easier to use. CDs take up less room. Yes, the covers are smaller, but we can still enjoy the covers. But most importantly we get to enjoy the music. That's what matters the most.
I was one of the early adopters of CD in the 80's buying my first player the Sony CDP 101 which cost £1k back in the day (more than the cost of the rest of my hi-fi setup at the time) Have a large collection of CD's still and they are the goto to listen to original music, I did have big hopes for mini-disc but the humble CD has outlived it...nuff said.
I was born in 1992, been a cd buyer since 2001 and still am.
I know it won't go back to the glory days of cd sales from when i bought my first album, but it is still very much an important thing for people who care about music on a bit deeper level than most. The masses don't see a reason to buy cd's anymore.
Even back in the day the majority only cared about the hits. Because before digital downloads, you could only hear your favorite songs on either radio or MTV at random if you didn't own the album... So of course you would buy it in case you could afford to, just to hear the song as often as you wanted. I mean, singles did exist but i can tell you i personally did not often see those in the stores i went to.
I think cd's will be there as long as music fans are, which is ALWAYS.
Buying vinyl since 1977 and cd's since 1984, and will do so till the end of time.
I'm not a kid anymore but I can't afford vinyl with the price that it is now , so I too just buy my music on CD. Generally after investigating my prospective purchase on You Tube. The price of vinyl LPs fair makes my eyes water. CD box sets are all very well, but for those of us on a limited income it would be nice to have the opportunity to buy the individual CDs too. The recent Tony Martin era Sabbath box set being a case in point. Keep on championing the CD Phil!
Switched to CDs in the 90s and have kept with the ever since.
Music lovers want their music in physical formats. When I buy an album I want the full package not just songs I can listen to on devices.
I was in a book store just this morning that also carries new records and CDs. Saw the Fleetwood Mac album "Rumours" in LP form at $28.99 and the same in CD for $10.99 That is an insane price difference.
Let's hope so... 🤞Think Like A Key Music definitely champions the CD format here in the US while others completely ignore it.
Great video. This is a subject that has interested me for a while. Digital V Physical. My feeling is that with physical media you are 'vested' in the purchase i.e. you have spent money and committed to your purchase. This relationship is not the same in digital media. Hence your enjoyment and appreciation of a bought CD is deeper and more meaningful. In addition the advent of CD box set means a deep dive with a favourite artist is a truly wonderful phenomenon. Very encourging this resilience of CD long may it continue.
Great to hear CDs and vinyl still selling reasonably well . In my collection i've got 4k vinyl albums and about 2k CDs . My new passion is purchasing 4K movies in their physical format , got about 60 at the minute , will have to count again in a couple of decades . It's tough being an analogue kid in a digital world ... cheers Phil 🦾
I believe that CDs are the finest physical media we have. They sound great, and it's hard to do better with digital files that are higher bit rate because the differences are near impossible to hear, at least by my ears. I don't buy that vinyl sounds better as it has less dynamic range, more noise and needs more expensive gear to sound it's best. CDs are more compact and portable media and don't suffer from the issues that vinyl does in terms of skipping poor pressings, etc. I still collect vinyl, and there is a kind of charm to that medium, but I'm not fooled into believing that it's a superior medium. It costs far more, has more issues with quality control, wears out, etc...
I grew up listening to vinyl & cassette tapes in the 80s. Finally got a CD player in 1995 & basically bought CDs from then. Went back to vinyl in 2012, but I've gone cold on it. Haven't bought a record in over 2 years. I'm sick of the price gouging, the quality issues, the audiophile spend more bs. I'm happy enough with CDs tbh.
The price is nuts for vinyl - especially when a new CD is $10-$13 new. I bought probably 15-1 CDs vs Vinyl. And I grew up similar as you…LPs & Tapes…went all in on CDs in 1991
Thanks for the update, Phil. CDs are awesome! - Heather
Hi Phil. If the media think that cds are on the wane i invite people to go to the bristol hifi show in February and see how many new cd players are being launched by most companys. I buy as many cds as i do vinyl. In fact i’ve bought cassette, cd and vinyl copies of the new Cure album so i’m not biased to any format.
Hi Phil, thanx for this brilliant analysis.
I've noticed that not only CDs; but CD-era music genres ( 90s Alternative, Brit-Pop) are also on the rise. Imho there's a corelation between these two. Btw, I still collect CDs!💿
CD is the best and cheapest physical music product. I have only 3000 CD's.
Hi Phil, this was a very good episode! We’re from the USA and we’ve slowly gone back to CD’s and only buy the occasional vinyl record, usually for mostly an audiophile experience, especially jazz and/or new Blue Note releases, ie-Chris Botti, Tone Poet, etc. I am 56 and have a form of Parkinson’s which is mostly why I have I went back to CD’s due to it being easier for me to use. The other reason is the sheer expense of vinyl. It adds up because the amount of music we buy. Love your channel!-Danny & Beth🎧🙏🏻
Hi Danny & Beth, Thank you for sharing - take care Phil
Great post! If mastered right, CDs are the best way to hear what the artist intended. That is why I love them. And reissues have been getting the sound right. I only feel connected to an album if I own the physical copy. As for cassettes, I worked for a cassette duplicator in the 80s and 90s and I DO NOT like them at all. They were good for home recording back when we had no other way to make a compilation for a portable device or a car. But I can count on my fingers how many times I spent money on a mass produced cassette. Due to the high speed of the duplication, the quality of vinyl and cd could never be replicated. Lord knows we tried. and if the customer wanted to pay, we could duplicate on chrome tape, but the average cassette was compressed way too much IMO.
You make some good points Phil. I think though the reason why Shed Seven and Coldplay especially have a higher ration of CDs is because of their original fan base. 90’s and early 2000s it was all about CDs.
To be honest, I have 30 or so vinyl LPs. But only for some nostalgia. If I want an album for real, I will buy the CD. 📀 Let's be practical about this. You can play a CD in a CD player, a DVD player, a laptop, and even some tablets.
CD for cost, convenience/space, durability, sound quality, no cleaning required, no flipping sides, and of course the BOX SET
Been buying CD's for more than 20 years ❤ Edited to add: Have never bought vinyl records in my life, but I hope to start a vinyl collection, but CD's will still be my preferred format of choice.
I collect both. Having said that, I only buy used and I rarely spend more than $1 for CDs. I won't pay more than $5 for vinyl and typically only spend $1 or $2 on it. I have been given over 200 CDs in the last year or so. Most of it wasn't great but I kept about 20% of them. I give most of the rest away or salvage them for cases.
I balanced my music between vinyl, tapes, and CDs well. The digipak and media books on cd are great. Box sets on CD save space. I bought less new vinyl and more used vinyl this year.
CD IS KING!
I only buy CDs. Being buying them since 1988.. I love holding CDs in my hands especially box sets...❤
💯Plus much easier to take care of than vinyls and are like half the price these days. CD's sound great as well imo.
I'm very happy that many people have gone all in on streaming and have dumped their CD collections, as it has been a benefit to me! I hit one of my local record stores every week and I never fail to come home with some great used CDs cheap.....along with new ones as well. For those selling their CDs....keep them coming!
It’s Literally the same for me….was gifted a CD player on Christmas in ‘88 and have purchased nothing but CDs since, until this day. I own nearly 4k CDs and approximately 200 box sets.
And more friendly for shelf space / storage
@@SuperStrik9They even sound better than vinyl. But a lot of young people don't know that.
Hi Phil, I buy cds and vinyl, if it's a band I love I'll by both (the Damneds Darkadelic for example) I reason that I have the Vinyl for home and the cd for the car. I must state though, that I really don't see the point in all these Vinyl variations, different colour Vinyl, swirl, etc!. It's madness and the re emergence of the cassette is madness too. I bet Wh Smiths will see an increase in pencil sales and collectors will have fun winding their tapes back in (anyone over the age of 40 will get that reference). Very informative video, thanks Phil. Have subscribed
Yes of course, well on their way back.
Hi Phil, thanks for the video and great news about the CD!
I've got a lot of my old CDs here with me in Spain and it's great to listen to them and I've made a few additions as well. My teenage daughter enjoys playing them too and she's got new CDs of bands she's into, so we're helping to keep it going here!))
A key advantage to CDs and maybe this isn't focused on enough, is that the hardware to play a cd is much better value than for vinyl. You can buy something half decent for under 50 euros no problem.
You can't say that about turntables.
My daughter got a Bluetooth enabled personal cd player for Christmas and I was surprised by how good it was. Send that audio out to some decent headphones or speakers (something that a lot of people have for streaming off their phones anyway) and you're away!
Also the cheap new cd boombox I bought some years ago to play her audiobooks of Paddington and Thomas etc is still going strong and has a surprisingly good sound to it so just as good at cranking out AC/DC or Falling in Reverse!
Plus the second hand market is good too. I got my 90s Panasonic boombox (very good sound) as well an old personal cd and had change from 20 euros.
There's also the added advantage that being already digital CDs can easily be ripped to other devices.
The problem with cassettes on the other hand is that it can be pretty difficult to get anything half decent to play them on these days... There are companies trying to address this but it is an uphill battle
I couldn't afford the new vinyl of today, but I also remember moving away from vinyl as CDs became readily available and cheaper. (I even got imported CDs of the XTC albums I loved back when because, domestically, Geffen wasn't releasing them yet and I appreciated the sonic clarity of the CDs.) When vinyl started it's resurgence, especially with the Beatles, and everybody was talking about the sound, I got out my 80s era Capitol LPs out to see if I had been wrong moving to CDs. Put on the White album on my SL-DL5 linear tracking turntable and was still of the same mind, I think the big difference between now and then is that everything is being pressed on 180 graham vinyl that was once the providence of boutique labels like Mobile Fidelity. The only thing I have in my collection that was even close to that was a Capitol rainbow-label LP of "Revolver" gited to me by my then brother-in-law that felt heavier than my 80s Beatles vinyl (though I seem to remember too, my late, older, Cousin's copy of "Band On the Run" had a similar heft to it).
On the new Coldplay album I do have one question though, did they only plan on pressing so many LPs, was there a pre-order with a cut-off date? You could say that might skew those numbers you were talking about. It's still probably easier to put out CDs too, I would imagine.
of course it's funny how people used to scoff at CDs back when, saying their booklets didn't compare with the sleeve notes of LPs. The thing is, with both you ARE getting something you can hold and look at which some appreciate, and you don't necessarily get that with a download. I do like carrying music on my phone, but I do appreciate physical media too. In fact I think the resurgence of cassettes is cool too, I just think it's too bad new decks don't have the DBX, Dolby C, B and HX Pro that allowed for some surprisingly great recordings! I always remembered being impressed with the sound quality you could even get out of pre-recorded ones with my friend's Nacamich BX-300, so much so I bought one all these years later, though I still have my Technics RSM-253X and 228X.
And another thing I can say about my taste in physical media is that there was a point, back when, where it was dictated by what format you could get an album on. Some things might only be available on LP, some might be available on LP & cassette but NOT CD, or some might be on all 3. And the process of discovering things from the 80s to the early to mid-90s was different too. Radio, reading music magazines, going to record stores, it was WAY different than Google. In the end, though, I still dream of some on-line library of sorts that preserves every recording ever made as a trust to all of Humanity so nothing would ever go out of print. But that would have to be based around valuing artists not profit because what is profitable doesn't always sell big so, sadly some things just disappear.
Owning physical media like cd's will just become more and more desirable as the powers that be try to phase it out and make it a renting/subscribing world only. I've noticed that many of my more interesting albums, books and dvd sets have either skyrocketed in price, or are now unavailable to buy for any price.. a lot of obscure stuff won't come out again physically now.
Started buying vinyl late 60s up to 80s run out of space ,now cd for me wasn’t the sound I expected but as remastering improved my enjoyment grew ,now it’s my favourite form ,sound quality is far better than when they first came out .in a word a love cds & will always be buying them mind you I have never stopped .😊
I've never downloaded, even when the download has been available with the record or cd purchase.
Digital downloads will go up in value next.
I've always bought CD's, but mainly studio albums and buy 'Live' albums strictly on vinyl.
After getting rid of a large part of my CD collection about a decade ago and building up my dream vinyl collection since, I’ve slowly become more judicious about vinyl because of limited space, and have dipped back into buying CDs from time to time. As one becomes more knowledgeable about vinyl pressings it becomes evident that the format is better suited for some music while CDs are better for other -this also being dependent on pressing quality, but also how the music was produced. So… now it’s a matter of finding out which albums to get on which format. Oh… and this includes cassettes as well ❤. A The Cramps live record might sometimes feel livelier with that good ol’ tape hiss, no? As a collector and sometimes producer and album packaging designer, I’m just happy with having choices more readily available again.
Hi Phil, I'm from Poland and vinyls are very expensive here too. Nevertheless, I usually bought them on special occasions... even 20 years ago. This year I only bought 1 vinyl. Everything else is only CDs, and I listen to all types of metal (black metal, heavy metal, metalcore, deathcore, death metal, progressive metal, etc.), some jazz and more ambitious pop. Sometimes I will also focus on classical music. This year (I'm mentioning from memory) I bought new albums: Ihsahn (also in the version with only orchestration), Uzurpator Niebiańskiego Tronu, Odraza, Opeth, Marylin Manson, Linkin Park, Oceans of Slumber, Bütcher, Bring Me The Horizon, Knocked Loose, The Cure, Orden Ogan (Box with game and CD), Gabriels (Deluxe edition with 2 CD's), Billie Eilish, Blood Incantation, Jinjer (concert album with CD, DVD and Blu-Ray), Ghost (pre-order concert Blu-Ray), Fantastic Negro, Rotting Chtist (CD BOX), Behemoth (Concert CD'S with BLu-Ray), Raye ( Concenrt album with CD and DVD), Iotunn, The Lemon Twigs, MOZART Requiem Pygmalion conducted by Pichon, reedition "Bewitched The Goddess Edition" by Laufey (only vinyl), Organek, Zorza, new Alcest, Ghostkid, DVNE, Zeal & Ardor, Crypt Sermon, new Seth, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Samara Joy, new boxset QUEEN "1", box with all albums from Bauhaus, Myrath, Judas Priest, Jakub Józef Orliński with Dembicz "Letsbarock" album, Folterkammer, Patty Gurdy "Tavern" album with music movie on DVD, Never Obey Again, Beth Hart, "Blue Spirits: 85 Years of Blue Note Records" selected by Don Was, Immanuel Wilkins, Gaerea, The Police "Synchronicity" Reedition, finally "Half a Century of Witchcraf" CD box from Coven, Leon Bridges, Spectral Wound, Hauntologist, Toń, Gatecreeper, Dogma, Blues Pills, Serpentwithfeet, Bruce Dickinson album with comic book, Beyonce, Chelsea Wolfe, Kamasi Washington, Brittany Howard, Nick Cave, Alfie Templeman, JANN from Poland, Green Day, Idles, Within Temptation, 200 Stab Wounds, " Stop making sense" Talking Heads album CD/BLU-RAY reedition, "Stop Making Sense’ Tribute Album" (2024), Untervoid, Krzysztof Zalewski, Tides from Nebula, Black Sabbath "Headless Cross" (2024 reedition), Lucifer, Eivor, Bruce Liu, Hania Rani, Palaye Royale, Louis Cole (with Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley, Jacob Collier, Amythyst Kiah, Twin Temple (album from 2023), Geordie Greep, Rhapsody (rap artist), Múr (new album, soon I buy it), St. Vincent, Eldingar, new album form Poppy ( I pre-oreder that one), Vampire Weekend, new Jon Batiste form 2024 (probably i'll buy a vinyl record also ) Unto Others, and i'm still waiting for new Tyler The Creator album on CD. I Think it's kinda diverse:)
Always bought compact discs i still buy new releases around 12 to 15 this year .
@@qwer8907 That's very nice.
Started with vinyl in the 70’s. Made my own copies in cassette. This became quite a hobby with tweaking for the best possible sound. Went to CD’s when they came out. It helped my lp’s were stolen. I have at least two thousand CD’s. 96/24 two channel and 5.1 has become quite the hobby now. So have deluxe box sets as many of the high res releases come in them. I have started buying lp’s again, too.
Thanks Phil, a very interesting and insightful video. I started collecting CD's back in 1989, the first being Badlands self-titled debut, which I still own and which still plays and sounds great today. I now have around 4000 CD's. I still have a small collection of vinyl and I also stream and download albums from time to time to check them out, but CD's will always be my number one format of choice. Incidentally, I also have 2500 Mini-Discs (remember them??) with albums on them, which sounds as good as CD's. Yes, I am a multi-format man too.
I had a mini disc player and gave it away and the mini discs i regret doing but thats life
Multi Format Man is the way to go!
@@qwer8907 I still think MD's sound excellent. The technology was well ahead of its time, shame that Sony messed it all up.
@@NowSpinningMagazine Indeed. I forgot to mention I also have several iPods and Sony Network Walkmans collected over the years just to keep my options open.
I'm an old guy that have been buying physical media for decades, my format of choice for new music is CD for the albums I want to own. Vinyl is way too expensive today, though I love the format and have more than 800 LPs in my collection which is good enough. CDs for new stuff. Yes!
I buy CDs. I started out with cassettes back in the mid 1970s, switched to LPs by 1977, then CDs in 1990. I do not want to switch formats again! There was a time when I wanted to have everything on CD so I phased out most of my vinyl -- but then I realized I enjoyed records for the packaging and started snapping them up back around 2005 or so, when file sharing was king and records were super-cheap. So these days I do have a vinyl collection but most of it merely duplicates what I also have on CD.
I’m full time cd now. Vinyl is too expensive and CDs give good value. Especially boxsets.
My ideal would be cds in vinyl sized sleeves. I'm getting too old for the tiny print on cd sleeves and not that I imbibe but I imagine trying to roll a spliff on a small plastic box is a no-goer.
I basically never buy new music on vinyl. That's a job for CD, as far as I'm concerned, with vinyl being suitable for my ever increasing interest in old classical music pressings. Of course, places with used vinyl will usually have used CDs too, and I definitely get a lot of those.
Hi Paul,
Great video, discussion and analysis of the physical music market situation
at present.
From my perspective as a collector, I would say that the costs of CD’s is relative to the obscurity of the release and how many pressings are in circulation for sale.
I have sold some rare CD ‘s as well as paid for several and costs can go well past $100.00 per item so the format I’d say is not always at bargain basement rates !
Some are simply impossible to find as they are anywhere from 30 years or older.
At least 95 % of what I’ve looked for can be found eventually but not everything is available or worth collecting for that matter.
I’m often surprised that prices are not as inexpensive as you might think .
Really useful as always Phil. A note from the front line regarding the cost of vinyl. HMV used to have a deal of 3 selected vinyl albums for £55 which could be a good deal. However, on a recent visit to my local branch I noticed that this had changed to 3 for £66. My purchase of the four recently re-issued Black Sabbath albums on CD came in well under that.
Whenever I go into an HMV store, they seem more interested in trying to sell me those deformed plastic dollies of superheroes or anime rubbish than any kind of decent selection of music.
I've certainly gravitated towards CD more and more for new releases, and even used finds. I love vinyl, but the cost of a new album is a bit of a detractor for me, but I do much much MUCH prefer to have older and vintage releases on vinyl
The last two years I have gone to cd format for my new music purchases, souly because of the cost. I have a 600 lp collection and love the format but I can't get my head around a 50 dollar(Can) lp. I want to support the artists love the physical product so cd it is.
Thank you. Great and interesting video. I’ve bought and listened to cd’s since the early 90’s when I got my first player. Even to this day. Because of the cost of vinyl, I only make that purchase if the album becomes essential OR it’s one of my top 3-5 favorite artists.
Another very interesting video, Phil. I do live in the States and I do ONLY purchase physical product (CD's and other hi-rez media inc. SACD & Blu-ray). What I think would be interesting is knowing what the past vs present % individual consumption was/is in the U.K. for physical media (CD,. cassette or LP) and how that compares to the U.S. The population difference between the States and the U.K. is rather significant and this would give a far "richer" view of actual consumption habits/patterns vs total sales figures. Thoughts...
I'm glad I have still got all my vinyl I bought as a teenager 40+ years ago. I still buy vinyl and cds. I even like the odd high quality bandcamp download for instrumental/electronic music that is very detailed and quiet in parts.
I'm a CD fan ( admittedly a late bloomer initially ) . The most updated remastering technology really suits this format in my view . The 2012 remaster of Black Sabbath's Never Say Die along with a box set of Roth era Van Halen albums are examples of recent purchases that sound absolutely phenomenal on a fairly modest player ( virtually identical to how the original vinyl pressings sounded on a really good quality hifi ) . For me the vinyl renaissance was ruined by over pricing right from the offset . Looks like they're gonna have to start reinstalling CD players into brand new cars .
Bought my first CD-player, a Kenwood DP-1000, in February 1987 at age 19, but almost 20.
Really hadn't any money at all, so for the first year I had to settle with three CD's bought in a second hand shop:
Kim Wilde, Teases and Dares (hmm. No Endorphins. Not as good as hoped for)
Jean Michel Jarre, Rendezvous (hmm. Also quite the disappointment)
And of course. Can't remember the third one. Dang that aging brain.
But veeeery slowly up through the last years of the 80's and right through 90's the collection started to build up.
The most exciting purchases during the mid-90's were the first five albums by SAGA from Polydor plus "Exit" and "Cyclone" from Virgin by Tangerine Dream.
As soon as people started to get rid of their collections, all the jewels were up for grabs.
First CD-editions horizon to horizon from the early 80's (or their mid-80's clones) of 70's or contemporary albums could be had for absolutely no money. No money. As in at all.
For instance. I was all open mouth for paying £3 for the Jean Michel Jarre, Concerts in China, original 2-CD fatboy box from 1983. Calculating inflation since the release, in todays money we're talking £80 for the original pricetag. It really was pretty darn expensive back then.
As of now, I only need to fill in a few tiny holes here and there. 10-15, maybe 20 CD's should do it.
Love the format. It still is the future for me. Maybe I'm still 13, who knows, but the articles of "The digital grammophone is coming soon" is etched into my mind and to watch the entire life circle of an industrial product has been an amazing journey and a highly educating experience.
Growing up in the 60s & 70s i have tons of albums, tapes & CDs i won't go any other way & I'm not worried about all my albums but with a ton of CDs which most were just to replace my old records so they will be preserved. I just hope they don't do away with CDs & we can still find players.
I first started buying records in 1971 by 1984 I had a big collection. When cds were introduced I was hooked with new format. I still occasionally buy a used vinyl record but over the last 30 years mostly purchase new and used compact disc. I have close to 4500 cds and too many records I need to find a new home .
Love vinyl, but cds are priority for me!
Tried to give, GIVE, my CD collection to a local 2nd hand shop which sells music and books as I am moving house.
All they wanted was Punk and Metal music as that's all that is selling now.
I buy cds every week. Love collecting. I Always enjoy your videos .
Vinyl is the hardcover, coffee table purchase; CDs are the softcover, pulp fiction buy (with the occasional quality, box set). If all CDs were designed and packaged to the standards often found in Japanese stores, well, that would be a game changer.
CD'S the best 💿💿💿👍👏👏👏
2nd hand CDs are still cheap, I grew up with vinyl, but prices are getting ridiculous I love vinyl, but I’m not a fool.
Cd take priority (no turntable lol),however will buy vinyl special edition Yes,UFO etc.
Use Bandcamp and buy direct from artist or artists label for my obsure black metal Atmospheric death/black metal.
Vinyl shipping prices have rocketed from Germany in the past 2/3 years.
Brexit possibly, but take Nuclear Blast (and its off shoots now) used to send Deutsche Post say a box set Accept or Blind Guardian would be about €8 .
Now approx €20 ,cd €10 so for €16.99 cd postage is 60 per cent of the price of cd.
Also noticed invoicing policy
Product at € price add VAT Uk rate 20 per cent then postage.
I their defence they now used courier DPD DHL strong packaging etc delivery 5 working days.
Scandinavian postage rates through the roof and Tax @24 per cent.
Not a rant Phil I still pay the prices just saying.
Hopefully people will be interested in what I have said.
I know its swings and roundabouts horses for courses
Take care Jonathan
From the US. I buy vinyl and CD, but more vinyl lately. I have also gotten into reel to reel. This is by far the most costly format, and the release has to be very special to be considered "reel worthy".
I buy used CD's, and will buy the CD of new upcoming artists that I like (although many of them frustratingly don't offer a Physical media option, or only offer Vinyl, for the Retro novelty).
I would buy more Vinyl but old albums are inconsistent and often too noisy to enjoy, and there isn't enough information with new Vinyl albums (or re-releases) to understand if you're buying a real analogue source Vinyl record, or if someone just effectively burnt the CD source onto plastic, which feels utterly pointless).
Phil. As per usual. I agree with everything you’ve just said. ❤