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Records Outsell CD !

Robin L

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Im surprised youtube (even after absorbing now shuttered Google Play music) is largest, unless that includes video YT playback as music streaming- but hey, what do I know.
The YouTube stream of Bruckner's Ninth Symphony, Guilini, VPO is better than Amazon Music's stream of the same. There's a lot of good sounding You Tube streams and a lot more really bad ones.
 

Feanor

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I just bought this:
View attachment 83221

Ten CDs, $27, shipped. Showing up tomorrow. I can stream this via Amazon Music, but I want to compare the two, already love three of the performances in this set, sound quality is as good as Redbook gets. With classical music, which presents situations that are better dealt with in digital media, there is motivation to get these seriously cheap cd boxes before they disappear, subsequently becoming collector's items. Many times the streamable versions have sonic compromises not found on the CDs.
Until streaming services learn how to handle Classical music and deliver comprehensive selection, CD (or SACD) is still the best medium for acquiring that genre of music.
 

watchnerd

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Until streaming services learn how to handle Classical music and deliver comprehensive selection, CD (or SACD) is still the best medium for acquiring that genre of music.

Why does it have to be physical CD or SACD?

I can buy downloadable files, too.

Unless it's something that never made it to download, but assuming all things being equal, I'm not sure why CD is "the best medium" for classical music vs files.
 
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bigLP

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No, but you can stream 16/44.1 files that are lossless compared to the files on the CD- "CD quality" . Im not aware that anyone has yet come up with a way of getting "lossless to the LP" quality files through the interweb plumbing.
I understand your point. I've not bought a cd in years, except to replace ones I had already . I have a weird habit of giving books and music media I like to other people.
I have been subscribing to Amazon for 5 months. Like, but dont love it. For 15 bucks a month i can hear almost anything I want. When i find something I like, I look to hdtracks etc to download. or if need be buy the physical media. Will any of that ever replace my 15 different Scheherazade records or 4 unique versions of "In My Tribe" from the 10000 Maniacs.......Nope.... unless ........
there are people who would prefer "needle drop" files though!
Anyone want to start that streaming service?
 
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Robin L

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Why does it have to be physical CD or SACD?

I can buy downloadable files, too.

Unless it's something that never made it to download, but assuming all things being equal, I'm not sure why CD is "the best medium" for classical music vs files.
There's lots of "collectors", folks that are not convinced they really have the music unless there's a physical object connected to it. LPs are better for that sort of thing, like baseball cards.
 

Beershaun

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There's lots of "collectors", folks that are not convinced they really have the music unless there's a physical object connected to it. LPs are better for that sort of thing, like baseball cards.

I get that. With streaming or buying access to a digital file that is DRM'd you buy a "license to stream" that could go away at any time for any reason. With a physical copy it's yours to rip and do what you want with, sell it to someone else. When I have bought a digital download of an album in the past I only bought albums that were not DRM'd and I can download, store, and copy myself.
 
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bigLP

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If I thought anything OLD was archaic, I'd be driving in one of those new fangled cars instead of old reliable Betsy who only needs grass and water.
Are we having a semantic issue here? I used archaic to describe records relative to cd. Archaic to me means an older/outdated/from history way of doing things. Don't most people think that about records, its the old way? Thinking about it, both are archaic(streaming the new thing) AND records are old.
 

mansr

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Lots of terms, each with their own distinctive meaning:
  • Old
  • Outdated
  • Obsolete
  • Archaic
  • Antiquated
  • Antediluvian
  • ...
 

Jimbob54

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I understand your point. I've not bought a cd in years, except to replace ones I had already . I have a weird habit of giving books and music media I like to other people.
I have been subscribing to Amazon for 5 months. Like, but dont love it. For 15 bucks a month i can hear almost anything I want. When i find something I like, I look to hdtracks etc to download. or if need be buy the physical media. Will any of that ever replace my 15 different Scheherazade records or 4 unique versions of "In My Tribe" from the 10000 Maniacs.......Nope.... unless ........
there are people who would prefer "needle drop" files though!
Anyone want to start that streaming service?

I'll buy a CD if its really cheap compared to the download. I'll then rip it to FLAC . But I will only do either if Qobuz dont have it (lossless, so no different to my DAC whether streamed, downloaded, ripped or from a CD player)
 

LTig

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I'm not not either, and I'm not going to play it one more time, there's just too much good music in this world for that kind of nonsense.
Well, one can certainly dispute the text, but the music is just wonderful. I've seen the whole ring 3 times live in my life, and I hope a few times more.
 

Jimbob54

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Lots of terms, each with their own distinctive meaning:
  • Old
  • Outdated
  • Obsolete
  • Archaic
  • Antiquated
  • Antediluvian
  • ...

I like outmoded
 

dfuller

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Yeah, because nobody buys CDs any more. Vinyl is popular as physical media because (like it or not) it does sound different from digital, and as you might expect, some treat collecting it as a hobby.
 

ta240

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The headline should probably read "CD sales drop below Vinyl sales" Since one is dropping far faster than the other is climbing. But that wouldn't be as exciting sounding and 'news' sites need clicks! I guess it could be worse they could have made it "Don't buy any music until you read this shocking news about vinyl!"
 

watchnerd

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But that wouldn't be as exciting sounding and 'news' sites need clicks! I guess it could be worse they could have made it "Don't buy any music until you read this shocking news about vinyl!"

"I'm not a baby boomer and I bought my first LP. Find out why."

"5 Reasons Why LPs are a Thing Now"

"Sexiest LPs to play in the background during you next COVID ZoomSex date."
 

watchnerd

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Yeah, because nobody buys CDs any more. Vinyl is popular as physical media because (like it or not) it does sound different from digital, and as you might expect, some treat collecting it as a hobby.

Are you calling my audio lifestyle choice a hobby?

micro aggression alert

I self-identify as bi-format.
 

julian_hughes

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I grew up with 45s & LPs and cassettes. Here's the number of times I've been tempted to go back from CD to vinyl since I bought my 1st CD player, a 1st generation (14-bit!) Marantz CD54: ZERO.

I still buy CDs because:
Streaming doesn't work at all satisfactorily when the network is unreliable, weak or interrupted (in big buildings, canyon like urban roads, on the train, in rural areas etc.)
Not everything is out there available to stream, especially true of classical music. There's plenty of stuff that you either buy the CD/SACD or you won't be hearing it. There's also plenty of discontinued, or very small label stuff which is only available to stream on Spotify so you can't hear a lossless version without obtaining a physical disc.
Used CDs and hybrid SACDs are so cheap and easily available that they are usually much, much cheaper than any digital download. I can often rip the CD and also download the digital booklet for free from the distributor or label.
Even new CDs are very reasonably priced these days. 20 years ago a full price CD cost between £10 and £15 in UK. It's the same today but with a much bigger selection of budget priced new discs for classical music.

I used to wear out vinyl and have to buy it several times over! There are some LPs by Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, The Beatles etc that I bought enough times they ought give me the rights ;)
 

Feanor

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Why does it have to be physical CD or SACD?

I can buy downloadable files, too.

Unless it's something that never made it to download, but assuming all things being equal, I'm not sure why CD is "the best medium" for classical music vs files.
Downloads are fine for Classical music IF the provider's selection includes what you want: very often this is not the case. The physical silver disc selection is much larger than what is available for download.
 

watchnerd

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I'll buy a CD if its really cheap compared to the download.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but....

How can that make economic sense for the sellers?

The COGS on CD vs files would seem to necessitate higher, or at least parity, pricing for CDs.
 
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