LPs set to overcome CDs in sales

[Robin L]

This story landed in my Google news feed. Right now, As of this moment I'm a total vinyl heretic [have just dumped my 2000 LP collection and related playback equipment], but I still understand collectors and collecting. Interesting article, notes how much of the Vinyl Revival involves used discs that aren't usually rolled into total sales for the format, on account of none of the revenue from sales finding its way back to performers, producers and other sorts of copyright holders. Also notes that many of the new adopters otherwise stream music.

"It's so old, it's new":

https://www.forbes.com/sites/billro...ger-than-we-thought-much-bigger/#2c45a6671c9c

 

[mhardy6647]

Yeah, but I think that says more about the state of (and trends in) CD sales than anything else.

 

[Robin L]

Yeah, but I think that says more about the state of (and trends in) CD sales than anything else.

I know. CD's current status and sales reminds me of the cassettes at the Red Carpet Carwash in Fresno, most $5.99 and under. It's like a fire insurance sale right now. I blame it on the Jewel-Box, the most diabolical example of planned obsolescence in memory. Guaranteed to self-destruct if dropped from any height.

 

[Wombat]

The prices of used CDs on Ebay indicates a strong demand for them, too. CD sales decline is due to the ready availability of inexpensive web-based streaming services.

My son(a Millenial) occasionally buys new and used vinyl. Much of the new stuff is still sealed because he hasn't got around to playing them. He tends to play vinyl on the weekend if friends are around - a social activity. Other times he listens to spotify.
HiFi is not a particular interest to him, and though he did purchase a used(Japan import) Technics SL1200TT it feeds a nearly 50y.o. Beomaster receiver and a pair of nondescript bookshelf speakers.

 

[restorer-john]

I blame it on the Jewel-Box, the most diabolical example of planned obsolescence in memory. Guaranteed to self-destruct if dropped from any height.

Really simple. Don't drop them. If you are a bit clumsy, go to your local record store and buy a carton of cases. Problem solved.

Personally, I think the original jewel case is excellent and virtually indestructible if treated normally. It's all the cheap, thin crappy ones that came out that shatter easily.

There's a massive difference between the 1982-90 cases and everything that came after.

 

[Putter]

Really simple. Don't drop them. If you are a bit clumsy, go to your local record store and buy a carton of cases. Problem solved.

Personally, I think the original jewel case is excellent and virtually indestructible if treated normally. It's all the cheap, thin crappy ones that came out that shatter easily.

There's a massive difference between the 1982-90 cases and everything that came after.

Real simple, come up with a case that doesn't shatter when dropped, e.g. like a BluRay or DVD case. That is what I call blame the victim thinking rather than good engineering, which is to anticipate the problem with extensive use testing and solve it before it hits market.

In some ways the almost deliberate obsolescence of CD's has been a blessing for me in that it's possible to get them $1 or less used. Most current popular music is so compressed as to be almost unlistenable. My new purchases are music BluRays and DVD's, i.e. multichannel recordings.

 

[Wombat]

I found LP covers and the contents needed more care in handling and storage than Jewel cases. Just sayin'.

 

[bigx5murf]

My local record store must be doing well. They've moved to a busier area and doubled their floor space last year. I check them often since I live blocks away. They have stacks of crosleys and AT120 that reach the ceiling, and I see those stacks growing and shrinking daily.

Funny thing is, this record store also deals on vintage equipment. I see nice 70s and 80s Japanese TTs sit for months at $50-100. Recently there's even an Elac miracord going for $50.

 

[restorer-john]

Real simple, come up with a case that doesn't shatter when dropped, e.g. like a BluRay or DVD case. That is what I call blame the victim thinking rather than good engineering, which is to anticipate the problem with extensive use testing and solve it before it hits market.

What a load of rubbish. Perhaps you have none of the very first CD jewel cases. I have plenty, and they are not only perfect, they are very strong. My collection totals perhaps 7500 to 10,000 now and there's no comparison whatsoever between the first cases and the later ones. I could bore you with details, but victim blaming this is not.

By the way, the design was not only beautiful, it won several design awards around the world for its ability to store, display and support the disc so it was completely protected.

Blu-Ray and DVD cases are nasty cheap things. The "Super Jewel Box" was the preferred DVD case replacement, but it's expense was such it wasn't widely adopted. I have many of those and they are also a gorgeous design.

 

[daftcombo]

turntables-help-me-understand-the-appeal

Big cover, big lyrics sheet...

 

[Thomas savage]

Makes sense to me , digital streaming covers that technology while people wanting something more ' authentic ' more relatable and ultimately physical seek out vinyl. The CD is caught in the middle offering non if the advantages of each.

I first thought this was the trajectory about ten years ago. You could see the writing on the wall.

Wether this trend holds is another thing. I think the whole marketing of MQA was trying to revers this trend and bring that ' authenticity' back to digital.

There's a rise in cassette tape sales , now that I don't have any reasoning for.

 

[JJB70]

The CD was always a carrier medium with a shelf life, the importance of CD wasn't the physical disc but the transition to digital. The format has already had a longer run than many of the Sony and Philips engineers that developed it anticipated as they understood even then that the disc was a transitional step.

 

[daftcombo]

There's a rise in cassette tape sales

Usually cheap to make & cheap to buy so cheapest way to make and have a physical copy.
Most new cassettes I know of are limited runs of exclusive content. Some come with digital download (bandcamp for instance).
Pretty little things...

 

[Frank Dernie]

I prefer CD over LP or streaming.

 

[Thomas savage]

I prefer CD over LP or streaming.

So do i, however if you ask your neighbors what they reckon is best they will probably say vinyl ( despite likely not having a TT and possibly never hearing one let alone know anything about the technical merits) and they probably use Bluetooth or some kind of non physical digital audio.

Iv never been very trendy.

 

[JJB70]

I can see some of the attractions of vinyl but if you enjoy genres such as symphonic and opera it is a terrible format. Even CD isn't ideal (an awful lot of opera and some symphony recordings need more than one disc) but most symphonies can be enjoyed on CD without breaking the illusion by flipping sides after every movement. Some see this as a virtue of the format (and in pop music I think the time limit did make people think about what was recorded and released rather than padding albums with self indulgent crap) but to me the regular interruptions are a huge distraction and break the flow of music if listening to a long work. It's why I prefer to listen to ripped files or downloads for such works even though I still like CDs. It's why I like bluray audio discs, ignore the high res gimmick, it is genuinely nice to be able to enjoy the Ring or Bruckner symphonies on a single disc.

 

[Robin L]

Really simple. Don't drop them. If you are a bit clumsy, go to your local record store and buy a carton of cases. Problem solved.

Personally, I think the original jewel case is excellent and virtually indestructible if treated normally. It's all the cheap, thin crappy ones that came out that shatter easily.

There's a massive difference between the 1982-90 cases and everything that came after.

Bought more than enough cases. Was working in a record store when CDs first appeared. The "don't drop them" argument makes no sense. The jewel case has always sucked and always will.

 

[daftcombo]

Bought more than enough cases. Was working in a record store when CDs first appeared. The "don't drop them" argument makes no sense. The jewel case has always sucked and always will.

DVD case is much less fragile.

 

[JJB70]

The weakness of the jewel case in my experience was always the hinge, the hinge pieces had a habit of breaking off if not carefully looked after. Of course people should look after things, but good design should also anticipate such things and make stuff resilient for its normal use case.

 

[daftcombo]

But you can swap CD cases, whereas you cannot swap printed LP covers.