Vinyl vs. Digital (CD)

[cheeseboy]

Next time I go to a nice restaurant I wil not eat anything as it has no sell on value...

Food is a consumable item and therefore has no value once purchased - a CD is re-usable physical item, so there should be some value to it. Look through your old CDs and see if there's anything worth more than £1...a CD collection isn't even worth selling nowadays as it costs you more to post it than you get for selling it. It's now become a throwaway format. I've got quite a few CDs I'd like to get shot of, but it's pointless, I've just put them in boxes in the loft. At least there is some value to vinyl that has been looked after, and even if it hasn't. Let's say you have a cvinyl and a CD copy of Ocean Colour Scene's Moseley Shoals - you can sell your CD for 1p - you can sell your vinyl copy for £50 minimum!

that's a supply and demand thing though and is no different to anything else. How many copies of Moseley Shoals were produced on vinyl compared to cd?

Inherently because it's older, vinyl has more chance of being worth more, because chances are there are less mint versions of discs, and as they wear out, unlike cd's that number will become less. But then again that also depends on the market and what people want. Am sure you can pick up plenty of vinyl cheap now that will become worth more in time, and then again, it might not. I feel it's a bit unfair to say that a 53 elvis vinyl single is worth more than a 1990's re-issue, because it's not a fair comparison. However, give it another 50 years and are you actually going to want to play the mint edition Moseley Shoals lp you have, or are you going to play the cd?

 

[Womaz]

Next time I go to a nice restaurant I wil not eat anything as it has no sell on value...

Food is a consumable item and therefore has no value once purchased - a CD is re-usable physical item, so there should be some value to it. Look through your old CDs and see if there's anything worth more than £1...a CD collection isn't even worth selling nowadays as it costs you more to post it than you get for selling it. It's now become a throwaway format. I've got quite a few CDs I'd like to get shot of, but it's pointless, I've just put them in boxes in the loft. At least there is some value to vinyl that has been looked after, and even if it hasn't. Let's say you have a cvinyl and a CD copy of Ocean Colour Scene's Moseley Shoals - you can sell your CD for 1p - you can sell your vinyl copy for £50 minimum!

I dont buy my music for it to have a sell on value, so to me all that is irrelevant.

 

[Covenanter]

Next time I go to a nice restaurant I wil not eat anything as it has no sell on value...

Food is a consumable item and therefore has no value once purchased - a CD is re-usable physical item, so there should be some value to it. Look through your old CDs and see if there's anything worth more than £1...a CD collection isn't even worth selling nowadays as it costs you more to post it than you get for selling it. It's now become a throwaway format. I've got quite a few CDs I'd like to get shot of, but it's pointless, I've just put them in boxes in the loft. At least there is some value to vinyl that has been looked after, and even if it hasn't. Let's say you have a cvinyl and a CD copy of Ocean Colour Scene's Moseley Shoals - you can sell your CD for 1p - you can sell your vinyl copy for £50 minimum!

Oscar Wilde had something to say about people who "know the price of everything and the value of nothing".

My CD collection is worth a very great deal to me because it has taken me many years to put it together. What is its resale value? I've no idea but I didn't buy it with the aim of reselling it so that's largely irrelevant. I've still got some Croft 1963 port which I intend to consume but which is worth about £150 per bottle (I paid about £5 about 40 years ago). It's worth much more than that to me as I drink a bottle everytime a grandchild is born (3 down) so it has sentimental value. And you try and prise the photos of my grandchildren from me at any price!

Chris

 

[Tear Drop]

My CD collection is worth a very great deal to me because it has taken me many years to put it together. What is its resale value? I've no idea but I didn't buy it with the aim of reselling it so that's largely irrelevant. I've still got some Croft 1963 port which I intend to consume but which is worth about £150 per bottle (I paid about £5 about 40 years ago).

Absolutely agree. Resale value? Why would I be buying music and considering its resale value?

I have had the opportunity to try the Croft '63 as my dad has a few bottles. It's a beauty!

 

[chebby]

My CD collection is worth a very great deal to me because it has taken me many years to put it together. What is its resale value? I've no idea but I didn't buy it with the aim of reselling it so that's largely irrelevant. I've still got some Croft 1963 port which I intend to consume but which is worth about £150 per bottle (I paid about £5 about 40 years ago).

Absolutely agree. Resale value? Why would I be buying music and considering its resale value?

I have had the opportunity to try the Croft '63 as my dad has a few bottles. It's a beauty!

A superb vintage (not just for Port).

 

[the record spot]

Next time I go to a nice restaurant I wil not eat anything as it has no sell on value...

Food is a consumable item and therefore has no value once purchased - a CD is re-usable physical item, so there should be some value to it. Look through your old CDs and see if there's anything worth more than £1...a CD collection isn't even worth selling nowadays as it costs you more to post it than you get for selling it. It's now become a throwaway format. I've got quite a few CDs I'd like to get shot of, but it's pointless, I've just put them in boxes in the loft. At least there is some value to vinyl that has been looked after, and even if it hasn't. Let's say you have a cvinyl and a CD copy of Ocean Colour Scene's Moseley Shoals - you can sell your CD for 1p - you can sell your vinyl copy for £50 minimum!

Scarcity and perceived value David; not a lot to do with sound quality.

First pressings will often do well; ten years ago you would've spent £800 on a copy of From Genesis to Revelation on a mono pressing, unboxed red label Decca. Today, less. Some Beatles releases will go for thousands. Others you can pick up for £5.

This tells you nothing David, beyond what something might sell for if there is a market there for an item to be sold to. In the Moseley Shoals example, one copy sold for £16 another for £190. The latter was a sealed first pressing. The former a US MCA copy. The band had a limited shelf life, the LP was released in 1995, so prices are likely to rise for some time. There would've many more CDs out there than LP (which was at the height of the vinyl nadir) so again, scarcity and willing market (that £190 for a sealed mint copy is typical of collectors).

CDs were produced in the millions. Incidentally, someone's trying to sell a 4CD boxset of Beatles CDs that were released in a special Christmas pack for £500. Another has a Japanese "Past Masters" for £200. Past Masters is available at the drop of a hat. Your point was...?

 

[the record spot]

I dont buy my music for it to have a sell on value, so to me all that is irrelevant.

I used to collect rare Genesis albums and would purchase some of their rarer albums and CDs purely for resale. It was modestly lucrative, but the pros and diehard fans ate up the really limited releases. Fascinating insight into the whole side of manufacturing and the production process. Eventually led me on to the whole mastering thing back around 2006/7 and how CD was the equal and in many cases the better of the vinyl counterpart in many cases.

 

[drummerman]

Nobody has mentioned yet that with vinyl the temptation to listen to the whole album is greater than with either cd or other digital files where it is just to easy to skip tracks..

This may not matter in some cases but does in others.

On the other hand, digital downloads of albums or cd's more often than not have extra tracks which won't be on the vinyl version.

regards.

 

[Covenanter]

I dont buy my music for it to have a sell on value, so to me all that is irrelevant.

I used to collect rare Genesis albums and would purchase some of their rarer albums and CDs purely for resale. It was modestly lucrative, but the pros and diehard fans ate up the really limited releases. Fascinating insight into the whole side of manufacturing and the production process. Eventually led me on to the whole mastering thing back around 2006/7 and how CD was the equal and in many cases the better of the vinyl counterpart in many cases.

Being easily old enough to remember those days the situation was very mixed. Many CDs were truly dreadful in those days because the engineers hadn't conquered the recording / mastering technique. The classic example was the Karajan Prokofiev 5th which sounded like someone pulling the nails out of a cat. (It has been remastered now and is a classic performance.) However when the CDs were good they were better than the vinyl IMO and this is why I and loads of others changed over.

Chris

 

[Frank Harvey]

Some people do have a clearout every now and again, so want to get rid of their collections, or part of them. I agree, the music I buy and listen to regularly I'm not worried about resale value as I won't be selling it, but we all change over time, and some bands you leave behind.

 

[the record spot]

Many of the early CDs were based on the original analogue master, so it was a straight transfer across. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. and the sound quality was excellent. Many of my CDs are early issues and none of them exhibit the kind of harshness that people desribe. That said, one in particular - Styx "Pieces of Eight" is a truly bad mastering job (courtesy of Cinram). Thankfully, it's far from my favourite album! Others, like the early Stones releases on Decca are terrific. I picked up 12x5 the other week and it's a great job. Some of these were put done by Mobile Fiedlity, so if you seen the credit on the booklet, snap it up. Chances are you'll pay no mor ethan a fiver for it.

Which makes me think that's David's point of view, or the supposed demerits of CD are really a great opportunity for buyers. Zoverstocks is well worth buying from Amazon and you might land a rare release by chance.

 

[BigH]

Nobody has mentioned yet that with vinyl the temptation to listen to the whole album is greater than with either cd or other digital files where it is just to easy to skip tracks..

This may not matter in some cases but does in others.

On the other hand, digital downloads of albums or cd's more often than not have extra tracks which won't be on the vinyl version.

regards.

Yes but after 15-20 mins you ahve to get uop and turn the LP over, I would rather hear the whole album in 1 go.

 

[Freddy58]

Further to what drummerman says, I find the whole ritual of listening to an LP much more pleasing. That sense of expectation and anticipation, almost an event. With a CD, you just bung it in the slot. I guess I'm just an old-fashioned romantic...

 

[davedotco]

Nobody has mentioned yet that with vinyl the temptation to listen to the whole album is greater than with either cd or other digital files where it is just to easy to skip tracks..

This may not matter in some cases but does in others.

On the other hand, digital downloads of albums or cd's more often than not have extra tracks which won't be on the vinyl version.

regards.

Yes but after 15-20 mins you ahve to get uop and turn the LP over, I would rather hear the whole album in 1 go.

BigH, you need one of these......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj0SDw319TI

 

[MajorFubar]

Nobody has mentioned yet that with vinyl the temptation to listen to the whole album is greater than with either cd or other digital files where it is just to easy to skip tracks..

This may not matter in some cases but does in others.

I think home streaming has 'ruined' that experience, rather than CDs. I still feel a certain sense of occasion when putting a CD on, watching the drawer close then going to sit and listen. Sometimes I'll even deliberately leave the remote out of arm's reach so I won't be tempted to track-hop . I won't ever go back to CDs as a main source having ripped all my collection, but now and again I still fire-up the CD player to listen to an album, and for that reason.

 

[MajorFubar]

I remember those. And the scratchy warbly sound in that video is sadly what most people remember about vinyl.

 

[the record spot]

I listened to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in its entirety yesterday. The whole 76-odd minutes in one sitting. Of course, the sense of anticipation when playing the yellow vinyl was somewhat ruined having to turn the damn thing over or put one record away while taking the other out. Music flows and one needn't have a break thus enjoying a more complete audio experience. Call me old fashioned, but the album listening experience is more of an experience without any interruption...Wagner's Ring Cycle excepted...

 

[drummerman]

I am slightly astonished at the persistence the 'naysayers' put into this thread ...

I mean, fair enough, if you don't like vinyl for whatever reason, say so ... but repeating your opinion over and over again ... well ... .

As for me and my original posting, I can see both sides of the argument.

regards

 

[the record spot]

Merely putting forth counterpoints for the benefit of the anti-digital brigade DM. And note, my forum nickname... 8)

 

[Frank Harvey]

Didn't you know? Repeating your opinion makes it correct.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Merely putting forth counterpoints for the benefit of the anti-digital brigade DM. And note, my forum nickname... 8)

But surely people can make their own mind up about clicks and pops, turning an album over, storage etc? I'm sure most people are intelligent enough to work all this out for themselves, rather than having someone point it out for them. It's not like someone will be swayed by a thread like this to buy a turntable, start buying vinyl, then suddenly after buying a few albums think, "where am I going to store these albums?".

I couldn't give a monkey's about a few clicks and pops. I'll find storage where I have to. I'll happily turn the album over when needed (track listings hsed to be designed with that in mind). I don't like high temperatures, so my vinyl won't warp due to excessive room temperatures (even though it is surprising what temperatures they can withstand!).

The anti-analogue brigade can say what they like - I won't be selling my vinyl because I've suddenly 'seen their light'

 

[the record spot]

Didn't you know? Repeating your opinion makes it correct.

It's never stopped you before David, and what's sauce for the goose...

 

[the record spot]

Merely putting forth counterpoints for the benefit of the anti-digital brigade DM. And note, my forum nickname... 8)

But surely people can make their own mind up about clicks and pops, turning an album over, storage etc? I'm sure most people are intelligent enough to work all this out for themselves, rather than having someone point it out for them. It's not like someone will be swayed by a thread like this to buy a turntable, start buying vinyl, then suddenly after buying a few albums think, "where am I going to store these albums?".

I couldn't give a monkey's about a few clicks and pops. I'll find storage where I have to. I'll happily turn the album over when needed (track listings hsed to be designed with that in mind). I don't like high temperatures, so my vinyl won't warp due to excessive room temperatures (even though it is surprising what temperatures they can withstand!).

The anti-analogue brigade can say what they like - I won't be selling my vinyl because I've suddenly 'seen their light'

Actually David, I think it was one of your comments about how much more lifelike the sound of vinyl is (for whatever the recorded piece might be) that and the others like it and which I disagree with. Therein lies my point, which is not that I'm anti-vinyl, far from it. I think I've been one of its most enthusiastic fans, not just for the means but the whole package, from the classic album sleeves to the rare labels, coloured vinyl pressings and so on.

I took care of my LPs and they were as mint when I gave them to charity as the day I bought them. Minor clicks, the odd one, was fine. Too many and the record went back to the shop. Not an issue.

All in all, I really couldn't care less what you like or dislike about vinyl, or CD, or in fact any playback medium or source. I merely found the voicing of the "vinyl is more lifelike" the kind of nonsense I typically speak out against. And again, having used vinyl from the late 60s to about two and a half years ago, I think I've run up the miles (or the revolutions) to speak up with some experience. YMMV.

 

[MajorFubar]

I've followed this thread since page 1 and unless I've missed something I don't think anyone's been overtly anti-vinyl. Been a few home-truths to counter-balance the rose-tinted view that the format so frequently attracts. There's also been a little bit of nonsense as well about vinyl's supposed higher residual value, but that's only certain rare pressings of certain rare albums, in the eyes of collectors who probably don't even ever play them. The boxes and boxes of the things piled-up in charity-shops for 50p or less seem to have been forgotten.

 

[MajorFubar]

...and just to counterbalance that, I must add that I remain very much a vinyl afficianado: while my TD160 remains out of service I still enjoy listening to a lot of old albums on my Technics SL6 equipped with an aftermarket OMP-10 cart. Though I haven't bought anything recent on vinyl (except the Beatles remasters), and am unlikely to ever do so for the reasons I have already stated.