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Why CDs are Still Important

I’m an unabashed music geek. I just love music. I live for it. Call me an audiophile if you must, and I guess by definition it is what I am. However, I rarely refer to myself as one. It sounds sort of pretentious. There is an air of snootiness that people associate with the word, and perhaps it is the way some self described audiophiles seem to talk down to people and not to them directly. Nevertheless, it should not be that way.

My blog post titled For The Love Of Vinyl has created some lively discourse about the vinyl medium. I welcome that. However, as much as I love vinyl, I do realize that it is not the easiest or most convenient method for music playback. It’s kind of hard to listen to a turntable on the subway!

So therein lies the dilemma. We need music playback that offers convenience and versatility.

I haven’t turned my back on CDs or digital formats in general like Apple Lossless, FLAC, SACD, DVD-A or even the obscure HDCD and XRCD. They still play an integral part of my music listening, and anyone serious about music would still have any of these as options.

CDs still have a lot to offer, and despite the “revival” of vinyl, it is still a niche market and it won’t replace the CD anytime soon. Most people still listen to CDs.

Here are some reasons why CDs are still important:

Small form factor. You can take them anywhere. Good luck playing that lp in your car.
Universal playback. Any modern day PC, DVD or Blu-ray drive will play them.
Can be ripped and stored with ease. This is a big one for me. I have devices that I use to stream Apple Lossless and FLAC files from my network. It is a seamless process that provides high resolution audio at relatively low costs. All of my songs were ripped from CDs.
Convenience trumps a lot. It goes without saying, if you have a digital player like an iPod or a Zune, ripping CDs and putting the music on your portable player is as easy as pie. A lot easier than digitizing your vinyl collection.

So fellow vinyl lovers and enthusiasts, I’m not a heretic. I just realize that CDs have a lot to offer, and to most regular folk, they are more than adequate. It’s all about the music, isn’t it? Then enjoy it in whatever format you prefer.

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Published by Atane on September 23rd, 2008 and listed in Music.

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Doree McNulty 09/30/2008 11:10 AM 1 point
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Good Morning.

I ,too, am a vinyl enthusiast, however I do spend time listening/ripping/burning cd's for myself and others. You brought me back to 1983-1985 or thereabout, when I first discovered CD's. It was like discovering a new band, or even like buying your first 45" at the music store or dime store.

Although I have moved into placing songs on my portable listening device, I still enjoy CD's. My most recent religious experience with a new CD involves Metallica's DEATH MAGNETIC. I plan to buy it on vinyl (like the geek I am), but the CD experience is powerful to say the very least with this album. Hetfield's still-angry vocals ring through my CD player in digital rage, bringing this woman to her metal stance throughout the CD. I cannot imagine being on the Subway rockin' out listening to my MP3 player. The sound is so tinny, and the audience is already unstable enough, without my adding to it with devil horns a la Ronnie James Dio.

Thank you!

Doree

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p0ps 09/30/2008 11:24 AM 1 point
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Doree,
Your appreciation is so vivid, I love the idea of a variety of formats for the music we love. A variety of playback possibilities and situations for listening. Music can be more a part of our lives than ever before. It's all good. I like getting CDs, but I listen to the music thru lossless rips, both at home and mobile on my iPhone. With my decent Ultimate Ears buds I'm hearing my favorite music mobile better than I've heard it before.
So, what I'm saying is I like your passion, but I don't agree that mobile listening necessarily is tinny. And all formats have their place - the music lives.

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Rocko 09/30/2008 06:52 PM 1 point
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I wish I had written this as a response for your "For Love of Vinyl" column. Brief and to the point.

I do have a question, maybe you can't answer it but you're probably closer to the answer than I am. Does J and R ever plan on selling downloadable digital files (either audio or video) ? And I'm not speaking only of recorded music but also of the concerts that they sponsor.

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Atane 10/02/2008 09:52 AM 1 point
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Rocko, I don't see direct downloads happening in the foreseeable future.

With regards to concerts, we have a youtube channel that we use to upload live performances so people can view them for free!

Check out our youtube channels.

http://www.youtube.com/user/RNYK

http://www.youtube.com/user/JRComputerWorld

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