Anyone have any views on the future of C.D. I remember when i was young we listened to the charts on sunday, recorded the track we liked, but then went out to buy then.... WHY well they offered us something better the origional cd, or vinyl was a far better copy, i feel the industry today will have to offer us something more or better to make us go out and buy the latest C.D. the download generation have no reason to go out and buy the album on cd,
The future of CD
- Thread starter robg1976
- Start date
manicm
Well-known member
The industry will not offer a better physical medium for sure. People like Neil Young are in a minority who have clout to release such formats as Blu-ray audio. But why would Lady Gaga bother? (That was not a knock on her).
The proliferation will occur with high-res downloads. Which is why I believe the CD player may go the way of the dodo, but not the CD. The player may also see a resurgence like turntables - many as myself who have had excellent turntables went to CD and never looked back.
I must admit though, The Dark Side Of The Moon sounds best on vinyl, as I think most of Pink Floyd's albums, as do some classical recordings. It almost makes me want to splash out on a turntable - but I think the sound I want would probably cost more than Linn Sondek money.
Wait, there's an Audio Technica direct-drive USB turntable released. I see wallet starving...
The proliferation will occur with high-res downloads. Which is why I believe the CD player may go the way of the dodo, but not the CD. The player may also see a resurgence like turntables - many as myself who have had excellent turntables went to CD and never looked back.
I must admit though, The Dark Side Of The Moon sounds best on vinyl, as I think most of Pink Floyd's albums, as do some classical recordings. It almost makes me want to splash out on a turntable - but I think the sound I want would probably cost more than Linn Sondek money.
Wait, there's an Audio Technica direct-drive USB turntable released. I see wallet starving...
Never been a fan of CD. It is a heavily flawed medium for storing and replaying music. Fine 30 years ago but it should have been replaced. My entire collection is purchased by CD though as it is the most convenient "acceptable" format. The other disk based formats didn't push for cheap and accessible and as far as I'm concerned are complete failures for music.
As my apple lossless collection is reaching 300GB I can't see my CDs being replaced by higher resolution files stored on a cloud any time soon. It'll be a while before a company is happy to give me terrabytes of space cheaply along with another company giving me a user friendly low bug count cloud music library manager and another giving me broadband quick enough to cope.
As my apple lossless collection is reaching 300GB I can't see my CDs being replaced by higher resolution files stored on a cloud any time soon. It'll be a while before a company is happy to give me terrabytes of space cheaply along with another company giving me a user friendly low bug count cloud music library manager and another giving me broadband quick enough to cope.
I think the CD will be gone in a couple of years. I use a laptop and a HRT music streamer for a while now......I will never go back to a cd player again
Cypher said:I think the CD will be gone in a couple of years. I use a laptop and a HRT music streamer for a while now......I will never go back to a cd player again
They said that about vinyl, too.
I have no intention of investing in a laptop, back-up drives, and tapping away at a monitor screen. CD will be alive long after me, so happy where I am thank you. Each to their own, of course.
busb
Well-known member
Vinyl will outlast CD, most people will overcome their need to have a physical medium rather than a virtual one, Hi-res will be common & the pop music industry will have colapsed. There will still be a clasical music industry. Copyright issues will be handled differently to how they are now.
Regards
Regards
matthewpiano
Well-known member
CD will not die, but it has a different future and a smaller place in the market. As a mainstream format for the sale of more disposable chart music it is as good as finished, with downloads and streaming quickly taking over. The decline of the big music chains sits hand in hand with this and I would be surprised if, going forward, music represents any more than about 25% of what HMV stock.
However, there are still people who wish to own the physical object, whether that be on CD, SACD, or vinyl and irrespective of whether they then play that music directly off the CD each time, or rip it in a lossless file format. In the classical world there is a huge number of big-box sets of great recordings at budget prices. Only the other day our recorded sound department at work took delivery of an 18-CD set of Gardiner conducting Mozart operas for less than £50, and there are countless other examples of this sort of packaging and promotion which will undoubtedly help to keep CD alive and well with collectors. Furthermore the SACD format still has currency in the classical world.
Outside of classical music, attitudes are often similar, especially in genres where there is strong loyalty to particular bands and styles. Beautifully presented editions of albums with strong bonus content keep the premium end of the market moving, whilst multi-disc sets packaging several albums of a particular band together make building a collection affordable. As an example of this, look at the two 5-CD sets EMI have released of Steeleye Span's Chrysalis label albums, or the new 5 disc set containing all the albums BJH recorded for the Harvest label.
CD doesn't have a huge mass-market, mainstream future. The rot set in there long ago and too many users have got used to downloading the latest track on their i-device. However, like vinyl, CD will always have a place and I predict it will live on for some time through independent outlets and clever packaging that offers quality and value for money.
However, there are still people who wish to own the physical object, whether that be on CD, SACD, or vinyl and irrespective of whether they then play that music directly off the CD each time, or rip it in a lossless file format. In the classical world there is a huge number of big-box sets of great recordings at budget prices. Only the other day our recorded sound department at work took delivery of an 18-CD set of Gardiner conducting Mozart operas for less than £50, and there are countless other examples of this sort of packaging and promotion which will undoubtedly help to keep CD alive and well with collectors. Furthermore the SACD format still has currency in the classical world.
Outside of classical music, attitudes are often similar, especially in genres where there is strong loyalty to particular bands and styles. Beautifully presented editions of albums with strong bonus content keep the premium end of the market moving, whilst multi-disc sets packaging several albums of a particular band together make building a collection affordable. As an example of this, look at the two 5-CD sets EMI have released of Steeleye Span's Chrysalis label albums, or the new 5 disc set containing all the albums BJH recorded for the Harvest label.
CD doesn't have a huge mass-market, mainstream future. The rot set in there long ago and too many users have got used to downloading the latest track on their i-device. However, like vinyl, CD will always have a place and I predict it will live on for some time through independent outlets and clever packaging that offers quality and value for money.
There is two things why CD still will have a long live:
1) CD quality downloads catalog is lightyears behind of available CD catalog;
2) if you want to listen your music in simple and quiet enviroment, all involved equipment cost more than good CD player.
1) CD quality downloads catalog is lightyears behind of available CD catalog;
2) if you want to listen your music in simple and quiet enviroment, all involved equipment cost more than good CD player.
I believe the CD will survive as many people want the quality they provide compared to current downloads. I personally want to 'own' something physical so that if my PC dies I can resurrect the 'rip'.
The CD player though is a different story and given the wealth of other devices capable of playing CD's i.e. Bluray players, games consoles, PC's and dedicated 'rippers' like a Brennan, I suspect that dedicated CD players will become more of a specialist item.
I guess the Audiolab CD player with built in DAC is one likely future for stand alone players. They will all need to offer something extra such as a DAC or a streamer.
I hope CD's last as I love them.
The CD player though is a different story and given the wealth of other devices capable of playing CD's i.e. Bluray players, games consoles, PC's and dedicated 'rippers' like a Brennan, I suspect that dedicated CD players will become more of a specialist item.
I guess the Audiolab CD player with built in DAC is one likely future for stand alone players. They will all need to offer something extra such as a DAC or a streamer.
I hope CD's last as I love them.
Yes that is true, there is a future for the machines like Audiolabs 8200CDQ - CD, DAC and Preamplifier in one box. I myself saving a money for it. As a late night listener I do not like an idea to invest into a second (fanless) computer and well damped storage solution. Unless a quality players will come up as standard with ability to play wav files directly from USB stick, CD disc still is a very good format.
Cypher said:
Classic case of making a general point from a subjective fact. Billions of people use CDs and won't stop using them, just as billions of people use AM/FM radios - regardless of what the UK government/BBC want UK listeners to do.
jerry klinger said:
The CD will not disappear.........I meant that in the future new releases will only be made available in highres media files.
When everyone has 100mbps broadband and is streaming everything from the cloud and around the house, and available wireless bandwidth is totally exhausted because all your neighbours have 802.11n 2.4GHz and two dual-band 5GHz routers, all of which are turned up to maximum to drown each other out in the typical suburban manner, playback from optical over wires might make quite a comeback...
GK said:
Point 2 is not true. I bought an Asus netbook and a HRT music streamer II. 450 euros total. The netbook makes no noise at all and together it sounds so much better than my old Marantz CD6002 player.
manicm
Well-known member
Maybe, if netbook does not has fan, it is possible solution. But does it sound better than Arcam Diva CD192, for example, which is somewhere between 300 and 400 euros used.
Yes, probably it worth to look again to computers. Some fanless netbook, small ssd system drive, music stored on usb sticks, good dac with usb input - that could work.
Yes, probably it worth to look again to computers. Some fanless netbook, small ssd system drive, music stored on usb sticks, good dac with usb input - that could work.
Alec
Well-known member
The biggest hurdle for CD's future is that Joe Public is more than happy with MP3s bought via, and played, on their i-thing.
I've seen them gawp in awe at expensive docks & speakers which sound no better than my dad's portable Tandberg open-reel recorder from the 1960s. But sound is not what they go for.
CDs killed-off vinyl (as a mainstream format) not because it consistently sounded better but because it was more convenient, smaller, more durable and offered more features. That's what most people wanted.
CDs will go the same way as vinyl because MP3s and downloads are the next steps in the convenience ladder.
I've seen them gawp in awe at expensive docks & speakers which sound no better than my dad's portable Tandberg open-reel recorder from the 1960s. But sound is not what they go for.
CDs killed-off vinyl (as a mainstream format) not because it consistently sounded better but because it was more convenient, smaller, more durable and offered more features. That's what most people wanted.
CDs will go the same way as vinyl because MP3s and downloads are the next steps in the convenience ladder.
walshbouchard
Well-known member
i agree with Majors comment entirely , Sacd and Dvda were introduced to address that problem exactly and sounded ( still sound to my old lifetime ears of being a hifi nut and living though 4 chaneel stereo then Quadrophonic on vinyl in SQ and CD4 formats thouygh to CD which has always been since it was introduced in 1980 as totally inferior to LP replay) as good NO better than vinyl but nobody was interested except Hi Fi Nuts( sorry Audiophiles now )
The fact is that people love the convenience of CD and as long as you can hear something that sounds more or less what they heard on their car radio or Mp3 freebie sample they are more than happy, further even if they had taken to SACD it would have sounded no better on average systems that joe public owns, than CD.
Downloads and Hi Res downloads especially give everbody what they want ,as most sites that do this at all ,offer hi res versions and Mp3 versions at cheaper rates, audiophiles can then burn the ISO image to a DVD audio blank and everybody is happy
Simples !!!
The fact is that people love the convenience of CD and as long as you can hear something that sounds more or less what they heard on their car radio or Mp3 freebie sample they are more than happy, further even if they had taken to SACD it would have sounded no better on average systems that joe public owns, than CD.
Downloads and Hi Res downloads especially give everbody what they want ,as most sites that do this at all ,offer hi res versions and Mp3 versions at cheaper rates, audiophiles can then burn the ISO image to a DVD audio blank and everybody is happy
Simples !!!
The virgin broadband for the entire town was down for a working day last week. As a homeworking programmer, this was very inconvenient. Howere, a lot of programs I use run on my local machines and I was still able to watch TV, listen to CDs, watch Blu-rays etc. Although such a drop out is unusual it is not unknown and if everything was cloud based it would cause me extraordinary inconvenience. Even on a good day, there will be a few occasions when I suffer loss of service for a minute or so which would be a real nuisance if all my media was cloud based.
The cloud sounds great but the bandwidth required is not on the horizon and the network reliability isn't either. I also would not want to trust my entire business to a huge normally US based company who could decide to remove service for political reasons (as Amazon did during the recent wikileaks affair).
The cloud sounds great but the bandwidth required is not on the horizon and the network reliability isn't either. I also would not want to trust my entire business to a huge normally US based company who could decide to remove service for political reasons (as Amazon did during the recent wikileaks affair).
Yes vinyl is a heavily flawed medium as well and was replaced for mainstream music. The same should have happened with CD and it didn't.
Most people already do trust huge companies with our businesses to a greater extent than the vision you are talking about via electronic networked information. Banks, Visa, Mastercard, hole in the wall. The trick is getting it to the point where you don't even notice.
To be fair, the industry did introduce several successors to CD, such as SACD and DVD-A to name but two. But the truth was, the mass-market didn't want it. It wanted a portable, adequate-quality medium you can carry around in your pocket and play in your car. It other words, a successor to cassettes. So the industry gave them MP3s, downloads and digital music players, and the rest is history.
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