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I see that the original article which Andrew Rose refers to also predicts the demise of printed magazines. I am confident that this is all some way off - at least in the areas of our interest. Pop CDs might be another matter; the young seem happy to ignore them and download all their requirements.
Andrew Rose thinks the major labels are the ones likely to be at the front of all this abandonment and this led me to do a quick survey of my recent purchases. They are nearly all from the independent labels - and it seems likely that they will continue with the CD for some time to come. -
I have been wondering about this recently, with my experience of downloading CDs and also ripping my own CDs to hard drive. What I like about CDs is that there is always a backup to use in the case of computer hardware failure, plus they can be used in different CD players, and also in my car CD player. I also borrow CDs from libraries, though as there are now libraries which can lend e-books, the same might be possible with downloads.
Where the download model doesn't work is for people who don't have computers or connections to the internet. There are still many people who don't, though many of these are older. I also suspect that some younger people may find downloading difficult, and would prefer to walk into a shop and spend their money and come out with something they can put in a CD player.
There are a few big objections to downloads, though these are much more likely to affect classical music than pop. Firstly, the digital compression modes used mean that the sound quality is probably not as good. It may be adequate, but it's not always good. Secondly, many players can't handle downloads with a large number of tracks properly. They put gaps in where they are not wanted, or cause other problems, such as not moving from one track to the next seamlessly. A set of Wagner CDs which I recently downloaded from Amazon gives very disturbing results - and I ended up very confused as to which opera I was listening to.
These concerns are probably of no interest to young people buying commercial pop music, but are significant for classical music enthusiasts, and maybe also jazz afficionados.
However, if I could download music at reasonable prices, and not have to spend time ripping CDs to my hard drives, that would be good. I am now finding that having at least some of my CDs ripped to HD gives benefits, with almost immediate access, and generally high quality sound.
It seems to me that the music industry might want to move away from discs altogether, though I have wondered in the past whether they could issue music DVDs or music Blu-Rays. You could get all the Beethoven symphonies on one DVD in very high quality sound, and perhaps almost all the works of Beethoven on a Blu Ray disc. I doubt whether such large collections on high capacity media would be of interest to marketing people. That way you really could get just about all the classical music you'd ever need on a few hundred disks!Comment
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MDT list nearly 700 new releases on CD and DVD with classical music for November.Comment
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You'd get the equivalent of 700 CDs on about 3-5 Blu Ray discs in lossless compressed formats.
I know that's not your point, but it would save a lot in terms of distribution and storage space.
Maybe one business model would be to do that, but only allow you to play tracks with a licence code.Comment
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I have no interest in downloading music, how can we guarantee that the format in which it is stored will survive? There is also the need to have some convenient way of downloading things like detailed notes and libretti which can be used more easily in printed form.
If the classical CD disappears, I will still have a library of about 6000 discs to fall back on plus LPs, of course I don't ever have to buy more CDs as things are, but the collecting bug takes over.
It's interesting that it is still possible with relatively simple techniques to listen to music recorded on wax cylinders, and I did own an Edison Phonograph for a while. In the same way enthusiasts can still collect 78s. When CD first appeared, collectors lamented that vinyl would disappear, and that historic material; would be lost for ever. Twenty five years on there is more material from the past available than there has ever been before, and what's more vinyl itself is making a come back.
People who are not audio buffs generally like to pop a CD into a slot and press play, for them sorting out the different online download requirements is not worth the trouble
and anxiety that downloading off the internet can bring.
The CD will be with us for quite a while yet.Comment
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To misquote Mark Twain, rumours of the death of the CD have been greatly exaggerated. Such pronouncements seem to appear every now and then but even if it died the death tomorrow there are so many discs in existence they will all need the machinery to play them.
Expect the Euro to expire long before the CD."The sound is the handwriting of the conductor" - Bernard HaitinkComment
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I have 4 downloads of Strauss's Eine Alpensinfonie. I would rather have bought CDs, with sleeve notes, but these recordings were only available as downloads, so I had to lump it. It's all very annoying, but I made audio CDs of them anyway - but what a faff.Originally posted by Petrushka View PostComment
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History shows that one thing doesn't replace another
people like CDs because of the access compared to tape , sound quality isn't an issue for most
and you can still buy this
and Ampex 456Comment
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Like you Alp, I don't think of downloads as a first option - because of the low cost a month or three ago I downloaded a few recordings - Sanderling recs on Berlin Classics and a load of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Glazunov Syms etc on BIS. My first move was then to put these on CD. The plus side was that I could decide my own couplings, the downside no sleevenotes and were the recordings as good as the equivalent commercial CDs.Originally posted by Eine Alpensinfonie View PostComment
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But look at the cost cf CDRs at 10p apiece?Originally posted by MrGongGong View PostHistory shows that one thing doesn't replace another
people like CDs because of the access compared to tape , sound quality isn't an issue for most
and you can still buy this
and Ampex 456Comment
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Money has little to do with it
people still use tape AS WELL as CDsComment
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The closest I have ever got to a download is getting the superb Toscanini recording of the première of Barber's Adagio for Strings from Mr Rose's Pristine label. Unsurprisingly I paid the extra to have it put onto a CD.Originally posted by austin View PostComment
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Bit surprised by some comments here... I've been downloading for about 18 months, usually 24/48 or 24/96 from theclassicalshop, da capo, and hdtt. Some lossless (CD quality) too. When comparing Tortelier's Chandos Hindemith series on CD and lossless download, I marginally preferred the download but the differences were truly minimal. I still buy CDs, taking downloads only when something special comes up in 24-bit. Most recently hdtt did an open reel of Bruckner 7 with Max Rudolph/Cincinnatti SO (1966) - 55 minutes(!), just glorious, and unavailable on CD anyway. Remember, you only risk "gapped" playback with mp3, higher-res should be untroubled. Chandos are a very reliable source of high-res, especially their BBCPO recordings which are a revelation at 24-bit compared to the CDs. I have had some problems with customer service at hdtt however, failure to resolve the (rarely-encountered) problems. But their best stuff is uniquely marvellous (avoid any sets of variations, they are - bizarrely - gapped even at hd!). Maybe it is still seen as a bit edgy and adventurous, but it's easy enough to do!Comment
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Another one to add to your list - assuming you aren't aware of it already...Originally posted by jayne lee wilson View Post
SteveComment
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