No More Physical Releases
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Thats the kinda world that we live in today.
Personally, makes no odds to me. I rarely buy CDS. theyre more expense, take up room, get damaged or get lost.
But I can see how some folk wont be happy with the news.
Bit of a bummer when the likes of iTunes refuse to give you any artwork except for the front cover when you purchase a download off them
Nah, it won't be by next year (I think there's another article in either Rolling Stone or Billboard where the Major labels refute this - will try to find the link).
However, by the end of 2015, I wouldn't be at all surprised...
My ears are so fucked now mp3's sound OK, so doesn't really matter, will miss the artwork though.
Yeah shortlist mag also mentioned this back on 24th November as per my (second) post on this thread:
http://www.neworderonline.com/Forums/MessageList.aspx?ThreadID=50155
I think a non-physical release makes the experience of buying a new album less exciting. And as most downloads aren't of CD sound quality, I'm not sure this is really progress.
So long as they offer lossless digital files in CD's place (FLAC)... it's still sad though. As Nick said I'm not convinced CD will be gone by next year. Popular "artists" like Adele, Coldplay etc are still selling shedloads of discs in places like supermarkets and via Amazon. They're not going to suddenly shut down a format which is still selling millions of copies so I suspect it will be a very slow phase out.
I'm still missing the good ol' days of the CD1 and CD2 singles we had from 1990 - 2005ish; they were great. Normally you'd get a couple of b-sides, remixes or alternate versions and if you combined the two you had a cracking little 5-6 track bonus EP to accompany the main album. Bands would normally release 3-4 singles per album so that was a motherload of bonus tracks to pore over. Yeah there was usually an awful lot of shite on them but occasionally you would find that gem of a b-side or remix that you'd end up listening to death.
CD also guaranteed a certain sound quality no matter what. Digital media is much more variable. With a CD you could use it as a drinks coaster for months and the sound would still be top notch. As Debaser said above, I'm not sure this is progress either :(
Oasis use to do some great CD singles. Some Might Say, Talk Tonight, Acquilence(?) and Headshrinker(?) was like having half an album.
I admit that itunes may not be the best bit-rate and quality for download. When I can I use fairsharemusic http://www.fairsharemusic.com/. Which is legal, cheap, donates a % to charities and many downloads are 320bps.
But then I heard that some CDs are recorded with so much compression that theyre pretty lifeless too.
NO Regret wrote: Oasis use to do some great CD singles. Some Might Say, Talk Tonight, Acquilence(?) and Headshrinker(?) was like having half an album.
I admit that itunes may not be the best bit-rate and quality for download. When I can I use fairsharemusic http://www.fairsharemusic.com/. Which is legal, cheap, donates a % to charities and many downloads are 320bps.
But then I heard that some CDs are recorded with so much compression that theyre pretty lifeless too.
It's not really the compression on CD's that's a problem more the mastering that is over done these days, that saps all the life out just to make it louder than the last release!
As so many people don't pay for usic these days, I doubt there'll be much investment in hi end recording, which means there will be nothing to filter down to consumer level and music recording will become stagnant, there's only one way to go, play live!
Last nights 'million pound drop' one of the Q's was 'out of all album releases in 2010,which sold more d/load or physical?'(I prefer vinyl myself)
75% of sales were of physical releases
Dont think they'll end them next year.
None of this surprises me in the least......progress eh? It's always deeply, deeply flawed.
DVDs are probably going to be next - cos of Blu-Ray.
Then Digital Cameras, replaced by specially impregnated thumbnails you can have grown on yourself, encrypted with all of the microchip technology needed to take HD pictures and videos...
They're already talking about developing a system for emails that you can read within your own contact lenses - yeah, really.
By 'Eck! My Neck! wrote: None of this surprises me in the least......progress eh? It's always deeply, deeply flawed.
DVDs are probably going to be next - cos of Blu-Ray.
Then Digital Cameras, replaced by specially impregnated thumbnails you can have grown on yourself, encrypted with all of the microchip technology needed to take HD pictures and videos...
They're already talking about developing a system for emails that you can read within your own contact lenses - yeah, really.
and mobile phones replaced by a mic implanted in your little finger and a speaker in your thumb so you just hold your hand making the phone gesture and use that.
also in development is a mind changing devise which is implanted in your knuckles, all you need do is plant your knuckles firmly in the face of someone that disagrees with you to make them change their mind, this is currently being extensively tested in Preston on Friday and Saturday nights.
Jed Stephens wrote:
By 'Eck! My Neck! wrote: None of this surprises me in the least......progress eh? It's always deeply, deeply flawed.
DVDs are probably going to be next - cos of Blu-Ray.
Then Digital Cameras, replaced by specially impregnated thumbnails you can have grown on yourself, encrypted with all of the microchip technology needed to take HD pictures and videos...
They're already talking about developing a system for emails that you can read within your own contact lenses - yeah, really.
and mobile phones replaced by a mic implanted in your little finger and a speaker in your thumb so you just hold your hand making the phone gesture and use that.
also in development is a mind changing devise which is implanted in your knuckles, all you need do is plant your knuckles firmly in the face of someone that disagrees with you to make them change their mind, this is currently being extensively tested in Preston on Friday and Saturday nights.
Quite!
It may depend from country to country. Yes, digital downloads (mobile phones and computer downloads) are very popular; CD singles (which were very popular in the 90s to early 2000s) have lost popularity here, but offering a physical product is still popular (to some extent) here. Some domestic pop idol groups even rely on the physical CDs (although I know only the hardcore fans buy the CDs of those groups). Every year I keep hearing people and stupid tech articles saying how email will disappear, but email is still alive and well in this country.
And I hate the people who think it's so cool to have vinyl instead of CDs or even mp3s; I know some sound enthusiasts love vinyl, but let's face the reality---the vast majority of music listerners in the world probably listen to music on CDs, mp3s, the Internet and so on, but not a record player.
I don't doubt CDs may become outdated some day, but do I believe that CDs (even CD-Rs) will suddenly disappear off the face of this earth in all countries next year? No.
I don't mind buying digital music per se, but for example, over here, some people don't like the idea of using your credit card online. (Yes I know most sites are safe and they won't steal your info, but, maybe it's consumer differences). So many online sites may offer payment options besides credit cards. So if a digital download site allows payment options that don't require a credit card, I wouldn't mind it as much. But one thing I like about physical releases is the artwork, the booklets (often with lyrics; and if you buy domestic editions of CDs by foreign artists, they often come with translations, liner notes etc). With digital, it's difficult to get all that.
Gazman wrote: Last nights 'million pound drop' one of the Q's was 'out of all album releases in 2010,which sold more d/load or physical?'(I prefer vinyl myself)
75% of sales were of physical releases
Dont think they'll end them next year.
And like most technology, they tend to phase out. Maybe that percentage may change over the next few years. But will all CDs disappear entirely next year? I highly doubt that extreme situation.
