Buying CDs. Why?

[MrGongGong]

You do once the copyright expires.

And the mechanical rights ?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

And the mechanical rights ?

Precisely, and I'm not convinced that a certain company hasn't cheated by using CD pressings rather than LP/78 originals when issuing out of copyright recordings on their own label.

[MrGongGong]

Have CD's been around long enough to have the copyright (and mechanical rights) expire ?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

No.

[Flosshilde]

You do once the copyright expires.

Which takes rather longer than the lifetime of most of us, I think.

[cloughie]

Actually, when you buy a CD you own the physical object but don't own the rights to do what you like with the data.

Yes but you cannot sell-on a download.

[pastoralguy]

Yes but you cannot sell-on a download.

Or give to a charity shop...

[Ferretfancy]

Exactly.

If you want do some constructive faffing around, playing vinyl LPs has much more going for it - tracking weight, bias compensation, disc cleaning, stylus care, etc.

Oh yes! Things have never been the same since the LP heyday, and you forgot to mention quadrophonic discs and decoders, it certainly provided Ken Kessler with a living, and I suspect psychiatrists did a brisk trade!

[amateur51]

Oh yes! Things have never been the same since the LP heyday, and you forgot to mention quadrophonic discs and decoders, it certainly provided Ken Kessler with a living, and I suspect psychiatrists did a brisk trade!

[neiltingley]

Possible download faults:

1. Gapless playback doesn't work!
2. Poor sound quality
3. Bad metadata
4. Can't download booklet and/or CD cover art
5. Missing tracks in a collection
6. Difficulty downloading track(s)
7. Tracks out of order
8. Incorrect codec or quality level
9. Can't download music
10. Completely wrong music downloaded

Is that enough for now?

Strange I don't encounter any of these issues. But I using a FLAC quality streaming service. Every CD I ever want available at the click of a button.

[richardfinegold]

Originally Posted by Dave2002
Possible download faults:

1. Gapless playback doesn't work!
2. Poor sound quality
3. Bad metadata
4. Can't download booklet and/or CD cover art
5. Missing tracks in a collection
6. Difficulty downloading track(s)
7. Tracks out of order
8. Incorrect codec or quality level
9. Can't download music
10. Completely wrong music downloaded

Is that enough for now?

Strange I don't encounter any of these issues. But I using a FLAC quality streaming service. Every CD I ever want available at the click of a button.

I am always struck by the download divide. It seems to be a very satisfying and seamless experience for some such as neiltingley, and then a very frustrating one for people such as me (I have had many of the same issues that Dave2002 cites). I continue to hope that Physical Media and downloads will continue to coexist. I hope that enough old grumpies like me continue to buy CDs in enough quantity to keep them viable and defying the predictions of their eventual demise. I do enjoy loading the disc, hitting play, and then not worrying about a damn thing.

[Phileas]

There's no technical reason why downloads can't be as reliable as CDs, it's just a matter of the service provider doing the job properly.

[Stanley Stewart]

An omen for 2014. Sad to hear from the grocer's some weeks ago that they will only supply downloads from March 2014.

[Bryn]

There's no technical reason why downloads can't be as [un]reliable as CDs, it's just a matter of the service provider doing the job properly.

Only last week I received a film sealed double CD album (Levit's Beethoven late sonatas), to find a significant chip of polycarbonate missing from, and a further small crack in, the region surrounding the central hole. The disc does play, but given the eccentric distribution of mass, and the high rotation speeds of CD players, I thought it best to rip and backup the faulty disc, rather than risk unnecessary wear on the drives of CD players. The missing chip of polycarbonate was nowhere to be found inside the case, so the damage must have been done before it was packaged. Black mark for Sony' s quality control procedures. I am seeking a replacement from the vendor, though only the legal responsibility for, not the causation of, the fault lies with them, rather than with Sony. Hopefully the vendor can, and will, seek redress from Sony.

[amateur51]

An omen for 2014. Sad to hear from the grocer's some weeks ago that they will only supply downloads from March 2014.

Oh dear Stanley