Major Labels To Stop Pressing CDs In 2012?

A music industry insider says that the CD format will be killed off next year to make way for digital-only music sales.

A report by Sideline claims that the major labels will stop pressing CDs by the end of 2012 as a result of falling sales and the growing popularity of digital stores. It says that special edition albums, and those from the biggest artists, will continue on CD. Sideline fall short of revealing their source, or providing an official statement.

We find these claims hard to believe. Digital music accounts for only 29% of album sales, and while vinyl is seeing a resurgence, it remains a tiny portion of the industry. CDs certainly face a decline in sales, but it is too early for major labels to pull the plug on a format which still generates a significant income for the industry.

However, digital music sales continue to rise. This week we reported on record digital album sales, which have already broken the 2010 record with two months to go before the end of the year.

Artists like Coldplay and Adele appear responsible for giving digital music sales a boost thanks to their huge popularity on iTunes, and the prevalence of music-enabled smartphones seems to be making the death of the CD a certainty. But when?

Many UG readers comment that they prefer CDs, citing the better quality of the WAV format on which it is encoded. However, improvements in digital technology and storage will eventually match that of the CD, leaving little reason to continue using the older format.

If you love CDs, what would make you give in and go fully digital? Is is the quality, or the fact that you can't admire the artwork in your hands?

Comments

[metalhead2475]

I'd rather buy a CD, but digital is so much more easier than driving to the store and hoping they have that CD, but buying a CD shows you really like the band as just buying a few songs off iTunes and calling it a day. And CD/Vinyl collections are much cooler than MP3 collections.

[threedaysgrace9]

everything I have is digital, but I have a significant collection of cds as well. If I really like the artist, I'm going to have to have the physical copy of the album. For instance, I have 3 copies of Avenged Sevenfold's Nightmare album (the standard copy, the Book of Nightmares edition, and a copy on vinyl)

[Alex101]

I hope this isn't true. If major labels are going to stop pressing CDs next year, how are Green Day and The Offspring's new albums going to be released? (I know both bands are on major labels)

[bassmike200]

If that happens I will never buy anything their artists produce because I only buy CD's, I much prefer something I can play on my (fiendishly expensive & excellent) home stereo system.

[IcanHasBass]

how are Green Day and The Offspring's new albums going to be released?

Online dummy.

[Dylan_Guitar93]

So thats it...digital will win. No, thats a load of bullshit. Fuck this >

[L2112Lif]

[quote=article] Sideline fall short of revealing their source, or providing an official statement.[/quote]

Ug... THEN ITS NOT NEWS!

[L2112Lif]

Ugh, I hate how the forums and the articles use different formatting...

article wrote: Sideline fall short of revealing their source, or providing an official statement.

If they can't offer up a source, then don't report it as news, damnit.

[LeakyFlask]

If this is true, and digital downloads will continue to be released in lossy formats, then these 'major labels' can all go lick a lemon.

[JAStewart]

You shouldn't be buying CDs from the Major Labels anyway because they roger the artists royally.

['DC fan]

What the actual ****? You can't just get rid of CD's, I still buy CD's even though I have an iPod, because I prefer something that I can physically see and touch, rather than buying thin air.

[pwrmax]

Dammit, the reason I actually buy music is because I like having a giant stack of CDs

[AnnihilationUK]

well thankfully most the bands I listen to aren't on major labels

[Lord_Doku]

Digital music is much easier to access.

But can you amplify an iPod with a tube-driven power amp ?

I don't think so.

[Joshua Garcia]

Must we go digital with EVERYTHING in life? It's ok to rely on technology for some things, but when it gets to a point that music is being threatened to go digital only, it gets out of hand. And I, for one, do admire the artwork in my hands.

Thanks a lot Coldplay and Adele.

[CronoMagus]

L2112Lif wrote:

[quote=article] Sideline fall short of revealing their source, or providing an official statement.

Ug... THEN ITS NOT NEWS![/quote]


Who cares. Go to CNN.com then.

[dynastywest69]

Growing popularity of coldplay and adele?

I'm confused.

[captainperoxide]

Vinyl and mp3 works fine for me, but I know a lot of people love their CDs, so this sucks for them. If it's legit, which I seriously doubt.

[RockTillWeDrop]

I personally buy CD's (15 year old) whenever I have spare cash (which isn't much) but if it's all going to be on digital then I'm not gonna pay for it... Why should I pay for something that I don't physically get? or some really crappy quality stuff... sucks!

[chhang]

maybe its that they're going to stop producing a high amount of cds but i do see them going out in the next 3 years. but i wonder how long this would take for dvds and blurays to see a decline

[chrisvasco23]

this is ridiculous. digital audio sucks anyway.

[Minicaxotinho]

I prefer CD's, with all that cover artwork and stuff. Screw digital, physical format is better. Do you prefer to watch porn or have real sex? There you go.

[mnf50]

What do you do when you hard drive dies?

Exactly.

[Basti95]

Seeing as people tend to be lazy bastards, why not order CDs off the internet? They often cost less and you get the actual CD in your hands

[gukker]

I don't think this will happen, but if it does it would be the end of the music industry. Because I refuse to pay 10 euros for something I don't even phisically get.

[Superperfex]

NO! SOCIETY AS WE KNOW IT WILL GO DOWN THE SHITTER!

[KerNeL_KLuTcH]

all this will accomplish is more people stealing music

[DaniArrow]

Dislike. I like physical records like vinyls and CDs.

[Sparda93]

I have a great deal of pride when i go buy a cd of Megadeth or Slayer.

[cyanide02]

Basti95 wrote:

Seeing as people tend to be lazy bastards, why not order CDs off the internet? They often cost less and you get the actual CD in your hands

This.

If they actually do this we may as well just illegally download stuff. Don't get me wrong I have a few songs from iTunes but when I want an entire album a few files on my computer doesn't cut it. It's nowhere near as satisfying as the first time you put that CD in your car stereo and when you flick through the booklet.

[KerNeL_KLuTcH]

1. make time machine
2. go back in time
3. kill steve jobs
4. ipod never invented
5. digital music sales never happen

[brown_257]

everything I have is digital, but I have a significant collection of cds as well. If I really like the artist, I'm going to have to have the physical copy of the album. For instance, I have 3 copies of Avenged Sevenfold's Nightmare album (the standard copy, the Book of Nightmares edition, and a copy on vinyl)

I have everything digital with a good CD collection. The thing is I like CD's for formats such as FLAC and WAV and getting the absolute best quality onto my hard drive. Downloading has been made much better now they are mostly using 320kbs but this is only a few places some (such as iTunes) still insist on VBR and 256kbs which is just such an irritating byte rate and that is when I feel downloading is not worth it. I do however like the fact that Metallica are offering their UAE Yas Marinas live gig in both 320kbs and FLAC

[KerNeL_KLuTcH]

what about artists that won't put their music on itunes
(tool comes to mind) does that mean no more music from them.

[SoA_Joseph]

One of the only things that stop people from pirating more often is getting physical CDs to support their favorite bands; because you actually physically own the damn thing.

If it's going to be all digital; you might as well do it without taking the time and effort to put credit card details in.

[WhoAMEye]

Minicaxotinho wrote:

I prefer CD's, with all that cover artwork and stuff. Screw digital, physical format is better. Do you prefer to watch porn or have real sex? There you go.

I like doing both at the same time so this analogy doesn't really work for me.

(I love my Dirty Dirty Missus)

[Dimefan1993]

I prefer having CDs. I love going to the store and walking up with a four or five thrash CDs and have the fifteen year old at the cash look at me like I'm some kind of freak!

[FallToSleep]

Not that one more person (namely, myself) speaking out will make much, if any difference to what does or doesn't happen to CD's in the future, personally I wouldn't want to see them die off just yet.

While there are so many advantages to owning a physical copy of an album over having MP3's on digital storage, the same can also be said for the opposite argument, though I don't think that it's quite strong enough to tip the scales in their favour. Yet.

If a dozen or so artists are accounting for 10% of all digital sales then good on them.
Wake me back up when digital sales are accounting for over 80% of ALL music sales, then I might be swayed a little more.

Until that point, I won't be buying barely any (IF any) downloaded tracks.

[GabyOSF101]

I'll be so depressed if they get rid of CDs...

[Franko 316]

My opinion on the whole stopping'illegal downloads' = profit:

just consult Metallica ... i hear they just released an album that not a single person downloaded.

[goldenManticore]

I buy CDs for the quality of the sound. And they are nice to have for your car. But say lossless music became more available for legal download... then I might change my stance.

[Holoogamooga]

I just want something I can hold on to. If they stop pressing CDs, I won't pay for any music, rather than paying for all of it.

[goingnowhere21]

There's just something about having a huge stack of CDs sitting on a shelf somewhere that makes me feel good about having them. I haven't bought one in a while, but the ones I have are nice to have.

[lukeserious]

I will - never in my life - buy music online. I'm not a 12-year-old justin bieber fan who gives a shit about sound quality or artwork and booklets. Oh and don't tell me somthing about lossless formats and so on. Even Flac sounds shitty throught the ****ed up (onboardsoundcard that's built into nearly every computer. Nothing beats a shelf, full of Vinyl and CDs, that you really own.

[happysmilyguy]

I buy the CDs from amazon for a tiny amount compared to downloading it. Then i get the nice physical album with pictures and lyrics and being able to hold it, and rip them onto my laptop, and thus have a digital copy to. And if I loose my laptop I can just rip them all again. The only good thing about downloading is it's instant... but i quite like the wait and excitement of when it may come through the post... and you can't unwrap a digital download. CDs for ever. (may move to vinyl at some point when i have more money, because the artwork is bigger and nicer but that may be when I end up having a separate room for listening to music in hehehe :P

[chhang]

I say more flac and less crappy digital mp3s and cds

[gu3Shaw]

I think the idea of all digital media is a poor idea. When you have an mp3 file all you have is numbers and letters in the computer universe. With a CD you have something. A physical piece of music. If the world downfalls, I can listen to my Slayer vinyls on my phonograph well I'm on my roof shooting people. Have fun with your iPod's then.

[Teh Skisgaars]

400+ cd's and plan to keep up my collection. this is bs and better be fake, i can't imagine this to be real...

[chhang]

lukeserious wrote:

I will - never in my life - buy music online. I'm not a 12-year-old justin bieber fan who gives a shit about sound quality or artwork and booklets. Oh and don't tell me somthing about lossless formats and so on. Even Flac sounds shitty throught the ****ed up (onboardsoundcard that's built into nearly every computer. Nothing beats a shelf, full of Vinyl and CDs, that you really own.

vinyl==good. cds, mp3s (btw they're the same)==bad

[GeekInThePink]

dynastywest69 wrote:

Growing popularity of coldplay and adele?

I'm confused.

Coldplay, an alternative rock band, and Adele, a talented pop/soul singer, are quite popular musicians, and they are growing even more popular. I hope you are not confused anymore after reading this.

[nervosuu]

Digital music will always be in my mind a preview of what is on a physical copy. I don't consider myself owning the music until I can hold it in my hand.

[dhruvd353]

This is the only reason i h8 technology....but.....??!?!?

[dudebud]

All digital is groovy but the option for high quality downloads has to be there.

[Bezza27]

Digital only sales, now a legitimate reason to illegally download all my music!

[technoguyx]

Can't services like iTunes just let people download music in lossless format, to match the encoding of CDs? I know Bandcamp already does it.

[Eirien]

Yeah I can't really see that happening, at least so soon. If they implement that plan at this point they are just begging for piracy.

[kornball82490]

I think my biggest issue with digital music is that it's hard to recover when lost. Maybe I just have bad luck but crashing HDs and mp3 players do not mix well with libraries containing upwards of 10,000+ songs.

[Thumper!]

In 50 years, i'll pull out my my cd collection and a boombox and be like and sell them for hundreds of dollars.

[AcdcTXfan]

It won't happen. Not for a long time.

[lVlaniac]

Im going to still buy CDs. Something that UG failed to mention is that some of us like the have the artwork as well as the music. They kind of complement one another.

If major record stores dont want my money fine for me. There is no way in hell im going to give them my money for something i can physically have.

[ArekuuHachi]

kornball82490 wrote:

I think my biggest issue with digital music is that it's hard to recover when lost. Maybe I just have bad luck but crashing HDs and mp3 players do not mix well with libraries containing upwards of 10,000+ songs.

I agree with you. I think what they need to do is that why you download a song they should include an extra file that has a code. The code would be used in the case of a computer virus or a hard-drive crash. You simply store the extra folder on a USB devise or email it to yourself and then if anything happenes you type in the code onto the site and download the song for free.

[ebmusicman16]

i order CD's online because they are easier and if lets say your computer broke then you would still have them on disc so you can just put them straight back on. I also prefer them because I can listen to them in the car when it doesnt have an iPod connection

[Minivirus2]

I refuse to buy digital, plain and simple. I want the physcial copy to appreciate, the better sound quality and something to pass onto my kids. As well, digital release will also spell the end of albums as musicians will being releasing only singles which will likely discourage the need to constantly make music. Musicians will release a single and ride its success for months before writing another.

[scarabs]

it'll just mea more illegal dowloads, a lot of the time people oly pay for music cause they like the fact they get a CD.

[gamer_geek]

My view of digital books and music are the same. There's a level of pride that you get from filling shelves with a collection of books and CD's. You can't get that feeling from filling a flash drive with music. It just isn't the same.

[GazzaCee]

I'd much rather be able to hold a bunch of 1s and 0s in my hand than download them onto my hard drive.

No, really, I would.

[yoman297]

So what comes after CD's?

No more album packaging grammy, I guess. I always dreamed to win that.

[Benhall13]

I think this would definatly kill the music industry. I dont see bands making any money if this happens. Yea yea. I know band sshouldn't make music for money and I know record lables get most money from album sales but without record lables alot of the music you love probally wouldn't exist on CD format. I've often wondered why something cant be done to a CD to make it impossible to be recordrd or ripped. Surely we have that technology! Make it so cd's cannot be ripped, do away with iTunes and sties that sell music and I say problem solved.

[lukeserious]

chhang wrote:
vinyl==good. cds, mp3s (btw they're the same)==bad

CDs and MP3s aren't the same, you don't seem to know what you're talking about. CDs provide the best Sound Quality you can buy (except SACDs but they're only established in Asia). Vinyls also have a very good Quality and a nice, warm tone, which lets them often sound even 'better' than CDs. MP3s are highly compressed files, that may be good for portable players but they can never reach CD-Quality.

[blenk]

metalhead2475 wrote:

I'd rather buy a CD, but digital is so much more easier than driving to the store and hoping they have that CD, but buying a CD shows you really like the band as just buying a few songs off iTunes and calling it a day. And CD/Vinyl collections are much cooler than MP3 collections.

you've said it all. I like CDs better but digital copies are much easier and quicker to get hold of, also if you r looking for a band that's not so main stream CD's can be really hard to find.

[Abacus11]

Another stupid title for a UG News article.

I hope no one actually believes that CDs are going to stop being pressed next year.

Relax.

[monkey8911]

For me its mainly about the quality.
I can download artworks from the internet, thats not a big thing for me.
I like to have a CD though, because I don´t trust harddrives.

[klysandral]

CDs can Die. I have a vast digital collection, but for those albums I really love I purchase a vinyl copy, CDs are like a poor compromise... for essentially the same price.

[Way Cool JR.]

I only buy CD's ,Vinyls and cassettes, not a fan of digital downloads at all, and never will be. If they stop making CD's then I will just stop buying music.

metalhead2475 wrote:

I'd rather buy a CD, but digital is so much more easier than driving to the store and hoping they have that CD, but buying a CD shows you really like the band as just buying a few songs off iTunes and calling it a day. And CD/Vinyl collections are much cooler than MP3 collections.

I just call the store first and if they don't have what I want in stock I have them order it, saves time and gas.

I only buy/collect CD's ,Vinyls and cassettes, not a fan of digital downloads at all, and never will be. If they stop making CD's then I will just stop buying new music, it's that simple. There will always be used stuff to buy at flea markets and thrift stores, I much prefer older music anyways.

[Family Reunion]

I'd rather buy a CD, only for bands that I love though. Because they put like secret things on CD's, and the artwork is awesome, and I like to put the covers on my wall... that's why 1 out of 4 of my bedroom walls are fully covered with posters and CD artwork that I got with the CD.

And don't tell me that the easy way around this is to print out the covers after buying them digitally, 'cause that's bullshit.

[nailsarecruel]

lVlaniac wrote:

Im going to still buy CDs. Something that UG failed to mention is that some of us like the have the artwork as well as the music. They kind of complement one another.

You also have a high quality master to make mp3's at bitrates to your liking. So when your harddrive fails, you'll be less upset; get to ripping.

[goochmaster15]

Dude, CD's all the way.

[jinsu2301]

yeah, they will stop pressing cd, just like they stopped pressing vinyls...oh wait

[CaptinK'nuckles]

Another stupid title for a UG News article.

I hope no one actually believes that CDs are going to stop being pressed next year.

Relax.

How's it a stupid title? It says "Major Labels To Stop Pressing CDs in 2012?" It's posed a question, and then in the article they answer the question. The title describes exactly what the article is about and to top it off, it also makes people want to read the article. Pretty basic logic.

Oh, and screw online stores, I haven't created a collection of 300+ CD's just so I can leave them to gather dust!

[brandon54]

Mayan calendar...no more CDs..... apocalypse....2012... CDs...hmmm... OH SHIT!!

[Deathlock257]

This isn't true. The whole "CD's won't be around in 20 years" thing is bullsh*t. There will ALWAYS be a large market for a PHYSICAL object. At no point in time will society not want something to collect. A major label wouldnt be that stupid. This is a hoax.

[Deathlock257]

jinsu2301 wrote:

yeah, they will stop pressing cd, just like they stopped pressing vinyls...oh wait

haha, exactly. xD

[i_am_metalhead]

All of the CD junkies need to step out of 2000 and realize the quality between digital downloads and physical albums are not much different anymore.

nailsarecruel wrote:

lVlaniac wrote:

Im going to still buy CDs. Something that UG failed to mention is that some of us like the have the artwork as well as the music. They kind of complement one another.



You also have a high quality master to make mp3's at bitrates to your liking. So when your harddrive fails, you'll be less upset; get to ripping.

Wrong. iTunes added a feature a couple versions ago that lets you redownload anything you've purchased. If your hard drive gets wiped out you just buy a new hard drive/computer, install iTunes, and download all of your songs.

Abacus11 wrote:

Another stupid title for a UG News article.

I hope no one actually believes that CDs are going to stop being pressed next year.

Relax.

I bet there was someone just like you when the industry announced they would stop releasing albums on cassette...

[slaveskinJACKET]

Yeah. They're just gonna surrender 60% (or more) of their album sales, leaving many with no reason not to pirate. That sounds like the greedy record companies I know.

Even if everything started being sold in lossless formats, there would still be data/disk space problem.

If you have an iPhone as your main listening source, I believe the largest disk space they offer is 32 GB. At 30-100 MB a song, you can imagine how quickly your device is filled up.

Unless you feel like carrying around a terabyte hard drive with your music on it, a collection of lossless digital files isn't a plausible portable music collection, presently.

Plus, digitally, you usually get a .JPG of the front cover and nothing else, but on many deluxe editions, they offer an entire booklet's worth of .JPGs. However, that still doesn't compare to actually having the product in your hand.

Also, much of the price of a physical album is inflated to make up for production, manufacturing, distribution, etc. Aside from the small, local record shops where everything costs a little more, the price of a digital album is roughly the same as the cost of a physical album, yet there is no manufacturing or distribution to be claimed as part of the process of a digital album. Until they adjust the prices on the formats, to justify all the things you don't get and all the things they didn't have to do (and all of the material costs they spared), a digital music purchase will feel like a ripoff, every time.

If it does come to digital-only record sales, I think it will be time for established acts to ditch their labels when it comes to music sales because they will no longer have anything to offer in that field, aside from promotion, which established acts won't need or can handle on their own.

[Year Zero]

Just as long as I get a CD version of the next Metallica album since I have the entire collection.

[WantsLesPaul]

Well then **** your shit major labels

[mr.tre]

NNNNNOOOOO

[samick007]

I will never buy another digital album until all DRMs are removed (and even then, I'd still rather buy a CD).

[corruption270]

CDs stop being produced, Music industry dies.
I seriously doubt that this will happen, but in the case that it does it's people like us that need to stand up and say 'No, we want CDs' and make the companies realise that digital downloads are awful.
I mean, the music generally isn't, but nothing compares to Vinyls and CDs. I wish that CDs could advance to be as high quality sound output as Vinyls, but hey, at least they're both physical copies of it.

[Quintex]

I remember when CDs first came out, they were called "sterile" and "lacking sole" over the LPs (which were called less fidelity than 45s).

Same issues, different generation.

[kumamilesbear]

For certain albums, I've gone the lengths to get the physical copy to play in the car, as well as have the physical copy.

For most however, I'm fine with just having a digital copy.

I understand where most people are coming from in wanting to have a physical copy. And again, I like that for certain albums by artists that I love, or even if I don't love the artist but am absolutely amazed by that particular album.

For me however, music is really just the aural input. I don't really get off on sitting and looking at the artwork while listening to the music, but rather just letting the music envelope me while I close my eyes and sit between my speakers. To me, THAT is the most amazing experience, aside from a live show.

[robhc]

The day they stop producing CDs will be the day I stop paying for music. I hate digital music with a passion.

[bassclef527]

I already stream everything on Spotify anyway. No major loss.

[Root Beer]

Meh. They always exaggerate this kind of thing. But it'll suck when it actually happens.

[Offworld92]

If they stop making CD's, I will ragequit the music industry. I own over 150 CDs, because I treasure the time and effort put into art and the booklet that go along with the album.

[vIsIbleNoIsE]

i don't like buying consumer products that don't have a tangible element.

[JB95]

I never buy CD's online, unless I order them.
Having the cover with the CD is neat in my opinion, and I'd never be satisfied with just sound files on my computer.

[craaig]

I prefer having something physical. Sound files can get lost so easily, and you don't have what I believe to be the satisfaction of actually putting music on, rather than clicking it..

[Gee Halen]

I don't feel bad for the death of CD a bit (get it? a "bit"... trololo).

What's far more worse IMHO is the death of analogue music. Most importantly vinyl.

[AlecBeretz]

Good. let it die. its about time these people got with the program.

The CD generation is passing. Fewer and fewer people will care about CD's in the future. High school students now are really letting them go. What may happen is that sites run by labels will distribute their own digital media, possibly in uncompressed formats for those who like their super high fidelity tunes. and everything else that comes with the album is now available digitally. artwork, bio's, hell--you can fit way more on your computer than you can in a CD case.

[Rebelloc]

Basti95 wrote:

Seeing as people tend to be lazy bastards, why not order CDs off the internet? They often cost less and you get the actual CD in your hands

I love waiting an extra week to get the new CD I'm super excited about.

[Page/Rhoads]

If this is somehow true, I hope Tool still refuses to go online, just to show how much better they are than the whole world.

[bodom alexi]

Thats stupid! not everyone has a credit card to buy stuff off I tunes cuz i sure don't have a credit card. Pop music should stop being produced on CD and metal should continue being made in CD's for fans to buy.

[wainwright95]

CD's are and will always be better than digital.. What happens when you get a virus and your computer wipes all your files and ALL YOUR MUSIC. With a CD (as long as you look after it) it can last you years!!! The idea to scrap CD's is pathetic, they should still make CD's, but perhaps make it so you have to order them.

[Crazyfeet]

Think of the environment guys! =)

[oc616]

I can tell you guys that this is being taken into serious consideration by these labels, and that those who try to print CDs on smaller labels (black metal specifics for example) will have a VERY hard time to still get physical releases out for one simple reason. Imagine, if you will, you are a CD manufacturer/distributer. Now imagine that all the en-mass orders you get from Sony and EMI just stop so you can no longer keep the prices cheaper for smaller, more independent labels. How do you thing they will afford it? BTW some neat little evidence of this in the UK at least, in HMV they are ordering in and selling more LTD EDs of new albums which is what the few remaining CDs will be. Added value over leaked standard download only versions. Vinyl is also tipped to make a mild comeback as those who will only want physical versions would then have to fork out for a more expensive format. Sad times

[thetoasteroven]

why dont we buy as many cds as we can before 2012 to boost the sales enough that they dont scrap cds

[FlyingPirahna]

I guess I'm not buying any more music, then.

[jamstar2697]

I personally prefer the CDs over digital because itunes has a tendancy of being an ******* and deleting all of my stuff so i get the CDs and always keep them around. And majority of people who download music do it illegally which is also causing a demise in music sales.

[malstag21]

I hope music is always sold in some sort of physical format, there's nothing like being able to have a collection of CDs or cassettes from your favorite artists.

[Vypor]

I never thought that WAVs sounded better then MP3s. . .

[Hevvydrops_]

Every day now, Ultimate Guitar has a shitty story about the bloody digital music shinanigans. One big advantages cds have is they are so much more eco-friendly! Save trees, buy CDS! xD

[metallica-#1]

I've only downloaded ONE song off of iTunes before: Creeping Death
I have the Ride the Lightning album along with all of Metallica's othet CD's aswell but for some reason my computer wouldn't let me rip my entire CD onto my iTunes

If I enjoy your music (Metallica, Billy Talent, Megadeth, Rise Against, etc) I'll buy your CD, because nothing beats holding the physical copy in your hand, even the smell thats inside the CD Case and booklet gets me off a little bit

[Hevvydrops_]

Also, digital music promotes much more mainstream chart music, like one direction for example. I hate their guts, but if you go on iTunes store and look at singles sales i guarantee they'll be somewhere near the top. digital music encourages more of the image side to music and less of the actual music. Its almost like fake music. FUCK TECHNOLOGY

[HaveSomeGlue]

If they do (which I doubt) let's boycott the download industry and do lots of pirating.

[Macabre_Turtle]

When CD's end, I am done paying for music. And I've paid for a lot of music. I'm not paying money for a product that can't be handed to me.

[FallOhHeaven]

and thats how they want to stop pirating music? lol

[MaggaraMarine]

If everything will be only available in mp3 files or something I think people will not buy albums any more. They just buy their favorite songs. And I think then artists stop making albums they just release some single songs. Album is an entity and it's great to have a physical thing with cool album cover like many guys have said instead of some digital file downloaded in your computer. What if your computer fails? You'll lose every song you have.

[MiserySignals11]

I stopped buying CD's too. I only really buy vinyl if it's rare and the price is right. I buy all of my music on itunes now.

[stonedhippos]

threedaysgrace9 wrote:

everything I have is digital, but I have a significant collection of cds as well. If I really like the artist, I'm going to have to have the physical copy of the album. For instance, I have 3 copies of Avenged Sevenfold's Nightmare album (the standard copy, the Book of Nightmares edition, and a copy on vinyl)

everyone is hating on the a7x fan it seems /rolleyes

anyway, i'm sad to see this article. CDs and mp3's both have their pros and cons:
CDs pros: album art, something to put in your collection on the rack, can get it autographed
CDs cons: takes time which most people (like me) don't want to spend, can get cracked or broken if not stored on your computer, can't carry and listen to while away from home unless you are in your car.

mp3 pros: quick and easy, takes nothing but a click to get, sounds exactly the same as the CD's audio quality, can be stored on ipods or whatever on-the-go.
mp3 cons: not as personal as CDs, not as much sentimental value.

HaveSomeGlue wrote:

If they do (which I doubt) let's boycott the download industry and do lots of pirating.

can you get penalized for promoting that? i have no idea. though, you aren't helping the bands you like by technically stealing their music.

[jordo246]

This would put me off buying music :/

[damage_inc07]

KerNeL_KLuTcH wrote:

all this will accomplish is more people stealing music

yeah basically...if I have to dl it anyways may as well do it for free.

[BlueFuzion101]

Then you better be able to back your sh*t up online, should something happen to your PC.

[GREENWARRI0R]

CD's aren't going anywhere. Not only has none of this been confirmed, but it says "Major Labels." Which labels are those exactly? Labels looking to produce the next radio hit single? In that case, it's really no concern to me as that type of music doesn't appeal to me. There are plenty of smaller labels out there that will no doubt continue using CDs.

On the other hand, If CD's were to go away all together, at least I still have all my vinyl

[Minivirus2]

Without my CD collect, my room would be lacking a nice reproduction of Vic Rattlehead and Eddie. I couldn't imagin not walking past those two everyday.

[Iliekgitaz]

I still buy CDs... this really pisses me off!

[danclark]

THEYD BETTER NOT KILL OFF CDS.
mp3 is a load of bullshit, its so easy to copy and capture.
they dont seem to realise this..
albums have always been a staple of music, and to kill the cd would mean killing all music store chains.
its a FUCKING STUPID IDEA..

[Reagar]

Did people read the article? Spurious at best.

[SlashWannabe1]

Lord_Doku wrote:

Digital music is much easier to access.

But can you amplify an iPod with a tube-driven power amp ?

I don't think so.

Yes you can amplify it.

[Iced Earth9]

I love to open a CD and check the lyrics/booklet...

[Rodney Rocket]

I don't care as long as I can download it at 320 Kbps bit rate. Its the sound quality that matters. I wish they would quit putting CD players in car stereos and just have them play digital files the CD players just junk out all the time anyway digital files have no moving parts to junk out!

[rage24684]

i will never go completely digital. besides the fact that you will no longer have a physical product, i'm not going to risk losing my media and having to repurchase it in the case of my computer crashing. stupid ****ing idea.

[Metalfan20]

I say we put forth an effort to prove that the CD still has value. We should encourage people to buy more CDs.

[sickassfoo]

i dont give a shit. its not like there are any good bands releasing new stuff, TH1RT3EN is all i was looking forward to

[FenderMaster]

Nobody owns an MP3, you simply have a licensing agreement which allows you to play the songs on certain devices.

It's unfortunate, but really it's not a huge deal as long as it sounds as good as a CD. It is better for the environment too, no physical copies, no factories, no transport costs, no plastic being produced/scratched/discarded, there is at least some positive coming out of this, even though its bullshit, and no way will physical media be on the way out.

For a start, in most countries, outside major cities, theres a huge number of people without broadband. Until they can say that the vast majority of their audience can access this content, they would lose alot of revenue by abandoning physical media.

[Garland41]

If there is no Cd's I will not buy. I have never bought music online, I have never downloaded music, and I have never owned an apple product. I blame napster and I think that what Metallica did was a good thing.

[valennic]

If this happens there had better be a hefty decrease in the prices.

[Natrtatr]

They already took away the bookstore in my town. I really don't want to lose the record store. I don't like digital. I never have. I like having the physical thing in my hand. Better start buying all the cds I can before they become a rare artifact of the 20th century

[Screamerific]

A Cd is an item you can hold in your hand. the feeling of getting the plastic off and seeing what the design on the disk is. flipping through the booklet. putting the cd in the radio and listne to them in the order they were intended... and then putting it on itunes. thats the way it should be done.

[truiteleague]

Yeah Only shitty Mp3 quality music!!! I can't wait for that!!! I only hope that we will be able to buy WAV format!

[crucifiedead]

Don't you ****ing dare, I refuse to rip off my favorite artists. I hope everyone in the music community follows in AC/DC's footsteps and doesn't allow their music to be sold digitally by these companies. They can't get rid of CD's if we keep buying them.

[dmbb1239]

personally i believe if this happens many people will turn to online pirating when they dont wanna pay for a digital copy when its free? i like having artwork and physical copy. VINYL IS STILL KING

[zomgguitarz1234]

I swear to god if they stop making CD's I'm going to start pirating again.

[Maggot66]

metalhead2475 wrote:

I'd rather buy a CD, but digital is so much more easier than driving to the store and hoping they have that CD, but buying a CD shows you really like the band as just buying a few songs off iTunes and calling it a day. And CD/Vinyl collections are much cooler than MP3 collections.

This sums it up pretty well.

[ItsApocalypse]

Without tangibly having the CD, you technically do not have. main point, there are too many industries that would take a hit by not using CD's any more. Sony, for example.

[Tkwndbobo]

I don't want to live on this planet anymore

[LazyLatinoRocke]

If they stop pressing CDs, I'll go back to downloading illegally. I don't like wasting the space up in my computer so I prefer just popping in a CD that I like and be done with it. Plus I love the artwork.

[metalhed0294]

I still put music on my MP3, but I get all the music on my computer from CD's. That way I can listen to music on my MP3 when I'm doing my schoolwork, or I can play the CD in the car. Not making CD's anymore would suck major ass...

[Jamma]

Is is the quality, or the fact that you can't admire the artwork in your hands?

...yes... (?!)

[Spaztikko]

why the fck should i have to not only buy the music, and also pay for the bandwidth? all for thin air that anybody could un/intentionally delete in a second?
cant delete a CD. possibly, the only good thing to happen is since only pop and electronic shit are the majority on digital places, more people will take up an actual instrument and make, high quality music, because eventually, theyll realise what theyre missing.

shit i need to use paragraphs and capitals more sorry!

[MetalClaus]

HOLY SHIT THE MAYANS WERE RIGHT!

[deathofarev]

Ok, now with digital media it may be cheaper but not by much, i'd prefer a lovely album in my hands to add to an already huge collection in the hope that one day I can meet my heroes and have them sign the album and not just the sodding ticket (pointless?) besides on the artwork you can have a close look for some stuff the artist put in (somewhere in time by iron maiden anyone?). besides in this "digital age" haven't we already found that people are more likely to steal the music than pay for it? it'll just be easier with purely digital music, also if they only make CDs for special editions then **** it, I'll spend a bit more cash buy the special edition and download the itunes only bonus tracks like always. sorry big companies but a lot of people will be pissed if you remove CD sales on the most part, many record shops will grow a little empty and pointless don't you think?

sorry for like no paragraphing and punctuation but english was never my strong point in school.

[iHurricaneGTR]

No. CD's need to stay. Digital copies will never live up to the pride of ownership a CD gives you. Plus, who the hell wants the crappy 192kbps (or whatever it is now) mp3 that iTunes gives you? No thank you! Lossless WMA/WAV all the way!

[DrageKage]

JAStewart wrote:

You shouldn't be buying CDs from the Major Labels anyway because they roger the artists royally.

Yes and no. The contract percentages aren't as good, but due to better distribution and marketing the artist gets more money than they would on an indie label.

To be honest I don't see it happening soon either way. But one day I think it will be completely digital.

[captaincran]

The people who are saying "what if my hard drive crashes, ill have to buy everything again!" are wrong. iTunes now lets you redownload everything you've purchased, so if your comp crashes, you simply download it all again.

That said, i do enjoy having physical cds.

[shoule79]

Couple points:

1: No more cd's will likely mean the death of the album format within a few years after. No more Dark Side of the Moon, Master of Puppets, Sgt. Peppers or what ever your favorite album is. Instead Justin Bieber esque pop acts with only one or 2 songs will reign supreme.

2: Are there actually people out there dumb enough to use iTunes and buy music online? Torrents are free and right there. Not that i'm advocating taking royalties away from artists, but Coldplay and Adele fans deserve to be ripped off, real music fan's don't.

3: What are you going to get your favorite band to sign after a show, an iPod?

[BuffysPregnant]

NOOOOO

[metalhead_16]

first they said CDs will be gone by 2016 now 2012 they've been saying CDs will go away for years and the year they are supposed to be going away keeps changing by next year they will be saying CDs will be gone by 2013 or 2014 never gonna happen

[Kakatara]

Personally, I wouldn't care because I don't buy physical albums for the most part (I made an exception for Steven Wilson's latest solo album)

Just find a website where you can buy the music as a WAV file and that's good enough for me.

[Kakatara]

shoule79 wrote:

Couple points:

1: No more cd's will likely mean the death of the album format within a few years after. No more Dark Side of the Moon, Master of Puppets, Sgt. Peppers or what ever your favorite album is. Instead Justin Bieber esque pop acts with only one or 2 songs will reign supreme.

2: Are there actually people out there dumb enough to use iTunes and buy music online? Torrents are free and right there. Not that i'm advocating taking royalties away from artists, but Coldplay and Adele fans deserve to be ripped off, real music fan's don't.

3: What are you going to get your favorite band to sign after a show, an iPod?

Not a fan of Adele or Coldplay but...

>implying that Adele or Coldplay aren't real music

[guitarskater11]

And now we watch the amount of illegal downloading go up even higher..... There is no difference between the two except one is free and of higher quality... Who really wants to buy a file?

["Tele" Steve]

I guy single songs digitally if I only like one or two songs on an album but I mostly buy CDs and vinyl. I've never bought a full album digitally. I like owning something tangible. Digital music files just don't seem real enough for me. And then there's the sound quality issue. I also believe in the album format. Getting rid of that could stifle creativity in that musicians would feel they'd have to make every song "accessible" and not bother with experimentation.

[Rorshamandias]

Am I the only one who stopped reading after "A music industry insider says that..." ?

[Teh Skisgaars]

very lol at the people here saying flac and wav are the same as mp3... seriously cds are completely uncompressed. when its turned into an mp3 a hell of a lot of data is lost, everything below 160 hz and above 16 khz is turned into mono, any frequencies being masked by a similiar frequency are completely thrown away and a lot more. seriously go listen to mp3s on a semi decent system and listen to the air on a crash or ride cymbal, or the subs to a kick, they sound unbelievably terrible. btw sound engineering student here hence why i just ranted....

[Slash181]

This is depressing, sign of the times eh. I like CD format without sounding like a guy in his 50's talking about vinyls but its something to show, its about getting out of your house ... not all this online bullshit. everyone is becoming recluses and its depressing. With Greed comes consequences in one way or another.

[guy_tebache]

Its very true that the file size of an entire WAV album will be insignificant in the not too distant future, but a large part of buying CDs for me is the physical product being in your hands.

But I also buy vinyls.

[Alice2Mudgarden]

Can I give you a digital album physically? No. It only exists in a virtual plane. It is not a tangible object such as CD or Vinyl record. When servers crash and computers fail, where will your music be then? Nowhere, it will be nothing without the power of a computerized unit. I'll stick with the laser disc or record player.

[Death_To_Emo]

DIGITAL MUSIC KILLS THE USED MARKETS!

[Bananafish003]

Well, not much of a concern to me. I don't buy many albums from major labels.

[Bananafish003]

Bananafish003 wrote:

Well, not much of a concern to me. I don't buy many albums from major labels.

< /hipster snobbery>

[beineken]

The cited article is absurd. CDs account for 60% of music sales. Why would record labels drop the format that pulls in the majority of their money? Of course, the CD will probably be phased out EVENTUALLY (ages from now), but, like vinyl, they will continue to sell to a smaller marketshare and not be mass-produced to the extent they are today. By that time, digital quality will almost certainly be at the same level or better than analog. I do understand the desire for physical product though.

[rebeltildeth87]

Alas... Its become reality. Me and my music business professor had a long conversation about this last year. This means the death of the album as a whole. If this happens it will take music back to singles like in the early days of rock. I prefer buying an album because i like listening to a batch of songs that relate to each other. My other reason is that i like to look at the art work. Digital ****ing blows

[eteam_sammy4him]

All I buy are Cd's. I can't stand the thought of mp3's.

[JGuitarC]

Digital just isn't real. I find less value in the music and listen to it for a shorter period of time if i just download it, even though I pay for it. I love record stores, they're almost like museums, and they will infinitely top digital stores for me. CD's aren't going away, business- wise that be a terrible decision anyway.

[sheriff_nein]

if you want to cut down on piracy, getting rid of a format that is unpiratable is terribly stupid.

i wholeheartedly prefer CD and vinyl. if you buy a digital download and something goes wrong, youre out the money. if you buy a damaged CD, take it back and get a new one. also, if your computer dies, a CD will save you having to repurchase music.

but im not too worried, vinyl is still around, and i predict CDs will stick around for a while too.

[link no1]

This is just bullshit.

IMO if albums where no longer released in CD format, I would happily download all music for free instead. I refused to pay for something digitally, it's not the same and you don't get that feeling of actually owning it aswell as the fact of if you forget to back it up you have to buy it again if it gets deleted etc.

CD's will probably still be printed way after this, much like vynals but if it ever gets to the point that new albums are not released on CD at all, I will happily steal music.

[Iann17]

if i'm gonna spend money on something its not going to be something i can download for free although to be honest for me the only point in buying music now is the artwork and knowing that i'm contributing towards the artist i'd rather just spend £5 on a booklet from the artist and download it illegally then get a shirt while i'm there too this said vinyl records are awesome for artwork. There is really no time where i'd ever actually play a cd anymore though its all mp3's even though i have a sizeable cd collection that were ripped put back in the case then only ever looked at again for artwork

[nailsarecruel]

I remember a story a few years back about that "Flo Rida" guy feeling kinda bummed. While his albums sold disappointingly, he made a killing off his radio singles sold as downloads and ringtones. Does that mean that the speculated future vision of the music industry is going to return to the misrepresenting days of being a career one hit wonder?

A world where Megadeth is always booked at wrestling events because of "Crush em", where Metallica's remembered as the garage band that played on that Ja Rule song, where Slayer is immortalized as an aggressive sex jam band for their cover of "In A Gadda Da Vida".

I'm just having a bit of fun, but I hope I'll always be able to score a physical copy of an album. Great memories in my album collection, even the purchases that seemed a good idea at the time.

[jetwash69]

It's easier to buy a CD and rip it into the MP3 format I want than to download and convert it to the right format. Also it's nice to know that if anything happens to the hard drive I can just re-rip it. The only time I download is when I can get the whole album for much less than the CD. Anyway, f iTunes and their proprietary leanings...I go with Amazon even though the loader is a hassle if you're getting the whole album--at least it lets you download single tracks with just your browser. I'll pay $5 more for the CD just to avoid the stupid loader software.

[Mishakuz]

I think as bandwidth increases, online downloads will be available in .WAV format, which is the digital format that CDs use. Then there will be no point in having CDs other than sentimental value. We can always burn CDs to get physical copies of the album. Hopefully, if companies don't have to burn CDs themselves, music will become more affordable... although I'm not holding my breath.

[BigDrK]

I'm not sure how yet but one day people will be arguing about the death of digital music over some new method of distribution. Maybe people will be charged for recording music at a band's concert. o.0?

[teknoman]

What! digital music is being sold on internet? i thought all the music on internet was free ;P.

[G-money!$]

Minicaxotinho wrote:

I prefer CD's, with all that cover artwork and stuff. Screw digital, physical format is better. Do you prefer to watch porn or have real sex? There you go.

I know some...lol

[ginger ninja102]

im sure they will.... i swear ive heard this more than 3 times.

[Shadow-Michel]

Let's go to a gig and make the band sign my download! >.<
Well, I'm sure I'm not buying something unless I can touch it. No more CD's = no more buying music...

[Cazman]

Anyone actually believing this is a ****ing idiot.

[benjixoath]

WhoAMEye wrote:

Minicaxotinho wrote:

I prefer CD's, with all that cover artwork and stuff. Screw digital, physical format is better. Do you prefer to watch porn or have real sex? There you go.

I like doing both at the same time so this analogy doesn't really work for me.

(I love my Dirty Dirty Missus)

major overcompensating there, you giant tool. a remark like that generally comes from some loser who sits at home wanking like a monkey all day. so basically. get a life

[stonedhippos]

threedaysgrace9 wrote:

everything I have is digital, but I have a significant collection of cds as well. If I really like the artist, I'm going to have to have the physical copy of the album. For instance, I have 3 copies of Avenged Sevenfold's Nightmare album (the standard copy, the Book of Nightmares edition, and a copy on vinyl)

totally off topic, but has anyone noticed how this guy's rep on his post has gone from -2 to +1 to -7 to 0 to +2 and now to -5? xD

[christhammer]

Who cares about major labels anyway, some ******* in a suit cramming green day and other shit down our throats. I'll always buy cd's and records, you can't stop me!

[Natrone]

Considering the rise in popularity for vinyl lately, I find it hard to believe the music industry would kill off its non-luxury physical format for music sales.

[p_a_morgan]

This is crap. I LIKE ALBUM ARTWORK. I like being able to go into a store and carry something out. I like having a rack full of CD cases. I like seeing lyrics and photos in the little booklet thingy.

What I DON'T like is having my computer crash and losing all of my music or something like that. What satisfaction do I get from paying iTunes my money and the artist getting only a percentage of THAT..much less after their label gets their cut.

Regardless, I will be ripping all of my music to a blank cd and playing them in the car because I am not a technological hipster with an iPod hookup in my car. lol

[Rokeman]

If vinyl won't die, then CD won't either... And I really don't want them to. Last time I bought a couple of albums I wanted off iTunes I was kind of disappointed by how it wasn't as immersive... no booklet with artwork and lyrics to go through while listening to the music.

Does anyone else associate the album artwork with an album in a way that it adds to the feel?

[spoksbeard]

If we love album artwork, won't we start loving iTunes albums on iPads where the artwork can be interactive?

[ericthered88]

Digital formats already match cd quality. The file is just enormous.

[starfire666]

This year I bought about 100 original CDs. Count of "legal" digital downloads - you guessed it, ZERO!!

[the-spire]

NOOOOO, i like buying the cd as it has the inlay and song info, i do download but if i like it i will go out and buy the cd aswell. if this happens just think of how many music store are going to suffer in the long run"!

[bulusvanua]

What will make me go fully digital? Nothing, absolutely nothing has ever made me want to do that.

[bulusvanua]

Minivirus2 wrote:

Without my CD collect, my room would be lacking a nice reproduction of Vic Rattlehead and Eddie. I couldn't imagin not walking past those two everyday.

I have the same thing in my study, My music library not on itunes, and its contents are borrowed returned and shared. Checking out a CD a friend lent you, lending them one, I've always found to be a far more satisfying way of sharing music. When someone transfers a file it really sucks the fun out of the whole experience. Particularly because you tend to exchange all your stuff and then its done and you never bother checking out most of it. Downloading ruins the interpersonal interaction and that is why I hate it.

[FallinGRed256]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but here goes: does anyone else think that this was put up on UG to scare a few people and make them buy more CD's in order for major labels to make some money?

and sorry if i'm not the first to mention this.

[Garci]

Well, **** them

[SG_dave]

FallinGRed256 wrote:

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but here goes: does anyone else think that this was put up on UG to scare a few people and make them buy more CD's in order for major labels to make some money?

and sorry if i'm not the first to mention this.

I doubt the record companies are running some kind of guilt trip here to boost sales of CDs, if they really wanted to make money they'd make legal digital downloads the number one way of getting music. It costs them practically nothing and they still charge as much as a physical copy in a lot of cases.

[Air_Stryker]

I'm not gonna go on and rage about how times are changing and how awful digital downloads are compared to CDs etc. Things change and I / we just have to get used to it.

However, I sure as s**t prefer a CD or vinyl collection over an MP3 one. It's some physical and visible that exists outside of a computer, and it's pretty awesome to have a whole shelf stacked with Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera and Iron Maiden albums, plus others.

[junk yard metal]

This is stupid
What do you do if you're hard drive is cleared and/or infected because of a virus and all the songs you have are gone?
If you don't have cd's anymore in this scenario than you're pretty largely SOL

[joshuahughes34]

Nooooo CD's are awesome, online downloads are good but CD's just give physical value to you. This is all because people couldnt be arsed to pay for the music they love and now CD's will die :'(

[Xcutioner13]

I remember times after school where I would go to a music shop and sift through the vast array of CD's. Discovering new and upcoming bands and deciding which one would be worthy enough of my €20 note...I recall the anticipation I felt whilst walking home eagerly wanting to listen to the music and read the booklet of the band. Gone are those days...

[MistmanX]

If this happens I will not release any of my albums digitally until it changes. This would be so ridiculous... there really is nothing like holding a CD in your hands that you've just bought, or opening a parcel delivered in the mail that you've been waiting for... I've never bought music online unless there was no other way of obtaining it... I think that was twice only. The rest of the music I have downloaded has been legal downloads from upcoming bands. CDs are just so important to me...

[MistmanX]

When I say bought online, I mean bought a download online. Amazon is certainly my friend for CDs!

[orsgl1]

please tell me its a lie! i mean, i love collecting my favourite CDs... i love to have the physical copy, and damn it there are so many albums that i want to buy!

[NeThZOR]

But I cherish all those lovely looking CD's which lay there and just wait to spin in the ROM (I use software to archive the music, lol, but just saying)
This is bad because I just love to have the physical copy of the album. If labels start incorporating this policy I do not know what I am going to do. Digital download sucks for me.

[cory_i]

Gene Simmons invented digital.

[nepallic]

i will actively despise any lulu related stuff

[SpillyMcKid]

This is ridiculous. If major labels stop selling CD's then ill just illegally download all of my music. I currently have over 100 CDs and its much more satisfying then having say 2000 files on your iTunes. I never buy music online unless its just for a couple songs. If i want an album ill go to the store and purchase a CD or Vinyl edition of it.

[pushcarich]

its the quality for me. make the digital download cd quality and im sold at that point.

[lupinitic]

why not to stop digital download to increase CDs sales?

[jsilva52]

11/26 Chicago Illinois

[Finn666]

This will never happen. The labels make too much money on selling cd and vinyl. Also, coldplay got popular? The world is gonna end.

[Shepard's Pen]

There is an emotional value to holding an immutable recording in your hands. That's why shellac, vinyl and CD's have survived and reel-to-reel, 8-tracks and cassettes have died. Just as vinyl has experienced a comeback, the same will happen with the CD.

[Iblis92]

Finn666 wrote:

This will never happen. The labels make too much money on selling cd and vinyl. Also, coldplay got popular? The world is gonna end.

Finn666 wrote:

This will never happen. The labels make too much money on selling cd and vinyl. Also, coldplay got popular? The world is gonna end.

yea...how the **** did that happen? Last time I saw coldplay was an iPod commercia- oh. I see

[slippyjones]

I prefer to have a booklet in my hands. To back up my fellow Avenged fan, I bought the "Nightmare" album digitally on iTunes and I also bought a CD copy. I didn't have money to buy "The Book Of Nightmares", but I would've if I had the money.

[slippyjones]

It is much more satisfying to have it in your possession. I take pride in my music collection I probably have over 1,000 cds. You can't really have that digitally, say your computer goes MIA... What do you have? NOTHING!!!!

[slippyjones]

Yeah, it's great to type in the name on your media player and the songs come up, but if your computer dies, you have nothing. It's the whole Y2K thing, your whole music collection could go away with a click.