Ask people where they get their music from and you’d almost expect them to answer iTunes. You couldn’t be more wrong. Fact of the matter is, people are still getting their music fix from (wait for it) CDs. Yes, the good old compact disc is still selling and people are still flocking to music stores to buy their favourite artists’ CDs. And Nielsen Soundscan’s got the figures to prove it.
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According to Nielsen, 193 million CDs were purchased in 2012 compared to the 118 million digital downloads made last year. This just goes to show that people still want their CDs despite the fact that they can download online media formats like mp3. And there are reasons behind this:
Collectability
I asked a few of my friends whether they still buy CDs or download music files online and one answered that she still buys CDs, especially when they’re “something classic and collectible”. Collectability is why people still buy CDs.
Most people grew up being able to keep actual physical reminders or souvenirs of their favourite artists’ albums. Grandparents have their Beatles vinyl LPs, parents have their Nirvana cassette tapes, and children have, well, their Taylor Swift CDs (wouldn’t have chosen Taylor Swift as example but despite the predictability of her “boyfriend-breakup-hit song” formula, the kid’s got the album sales to prove that it works).
The point is that people love the tangibility and collectability of CDs. The CD, including the album cover with all the artwork, serves as a kind of connection one can have with the artist. Of course the value further increases when the album cover bears the artist’s autograph.
Artists, on the other hand, still love giving away CDs rather than asking fans to go to a URL or website. Even famous talk show hosts like Ellen Degeneres still love giving away CDs of artists that perform on their shows. And the reason for this is technology.
Technology
There may be a surge in smart technology purchases as proven by a throng of subscribers being supported by various internet and RingCentralphone service providers but that doesn’t mean everyone has fully adapted. For instance, many still have CD players in their cars or at home. While recent car models have the latest infotainment systems capable of playing mp3s, many older models don’t, unless owners are willing to make upgrades. So what this means is that despite the fact that they take up space, CDs still matter to many.
Album Vs. Single
Fans buy and listen to an entire CD album to support their favorite artists. As one of my friends said, “I buy CDs of artists I like to support album sales and to have the best quality sound for music that I love to listen to. Digital media formats are simply, at least for me, backup files. It is tempting to just download mp3 formats but there should be dignity in consumerism, too.” Need I say more?
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you can keep your cd and put it in a safe place, it can be kept for a long time, while the mp3, mp4 and such media players doesn’t promise you to stay with you for a long time, unless you can make a 100x back up of it ^.^
Most people grew up being able to keep actual physical reminders or souvenirs of their favourite artists’ albums.
I like to purchase original CD’s from music stores rather than downloading from websites. The quality of music from music stores is great. I am a music lover.
I haven’t bought a CD in years. I had subscribed to Spotify Premium for a while, but then realized I wasn’t using it as much. I may go back to it, not sure.
When I’m buying music, I buy it all through iTunes. I also generally buy an entire album, rarely ever do I buy just a single track.
Jonathan recently posted – How to Embed Plugin Information from WordPress.org
The main thing for which people is still buying CD is Legacy. Even I also like collect CDs for favorite my singers. It always gives a different feelings.
Animesh Roy recently posted – Essential security measures for secure online transactions
I have a friend who collects CD’s but personally I haven’t bought a CD for many years, but if you have a quality amplifier and speakers, you should invest in a couple of your favorite artists CD’s because the sound is much better than Mp3 and other similar formats.
Ludwig recently posted – Best Computers To Buy
I also prefer buying CD’s though I also buy some media formats. Having a physical collection of the item is a good thing too just what you pointed out.
Downloading through iTunes Store or any downloading site is so popular this millennium, but even technology make our life easier, some people still consider the old ways. like me, i still by CD’s for movies, just to have a copy of my favorite movies and i have this music collection via “TAPE” , if you still remember
. Guess what they are still playing. 
Daniel Waletrs recently posted – How to Optimize Your Mobile Spy App Usage
It is really fun to collect CD of your favorite movies and music. CD have great Audio and Video Output. It satisfy your requirements.
Angela recently posted – How To Disable Facebook Notification Sound
yes Still people are buying CD’s,I am one of them.I have so many collections of My fav music director Ilayaraja.
Arunkumar Gudelli recently posted – DIGG announced their Reader alternative to Google
Hi
There is still something about going in to a music shop and just browsing and seeing what catches your eye you don’t have to put in a search you can just wonder and look at all different bands that you would never search for online.
I like it lee
I agree with your idea and it’s the fact.I love downloading music because it’s much easier and no cost at all but it’s true that some people loves to collect CD with their favorite bands/singer.
jasmine recently posted – Samsung Galaxy S4 made official, improves in every way except design
I dont know about other but I sure do love to collect stuff. Like moveis and music albums on CD’s DVD’s. Downloading is easy and great but what if the PC crashes or something happens ? We will have to pay for it again.
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I rarely buy music Cd’s . All I do is download the mp 3 file from iTunes India or from Flipkart. But most of the times, I listen to them online for free .
Anish recently posted – The 5 Must-Have Gadgets of 2013
It is really fun to collect CD of your favorite movies and music. CD have great Audio and Video Output. It satisfy your requirements.
Well I dont do this………CD’s take a lot of space so I use downloadable data.
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