Guy Hands, the CEO of Terra Firma, who now own the massive music label EMI has come out and claimed that "The CD [as a portable music format] will be dead in 3-5 years".
What are your opinions on this statement? Do you think that by the year 2013 the CD format will have succumbed to downloading via iTunes or similar, or will the whole music industry have to be brought back to the drawing board because of heavy downloading via P2P programs like LimeWire and other illegal methods which are so widespread?
Opinions as always.
I think he makes a good point, because I rarely see anyone buying a CD these days. I haven't picked one up since the new Maroon 5 CD came out a long time ago. I think he's right on the money.
I posted a poll, please vote
Its likely. I only definitely pick up CD's for band's I like. Otherwise iTunes is a savior.
Yes, the CD format is old and needs to be replaced
It already has been, IMO. Something better and (I would bet) more popular has already come along. That doesn't mean the CD is gone, look how long cassette tapes hung around after CDs were released. The CD is too heavily entrenched to be replaced by anything other than a completely new way of distributing and storing (like iTunes/iPod).
What about non-writable flash drives/SD cards, etc? You can buy those in the store, complete with a small case and a booklet of info, take them home, and insert them into your computer, which automatically syncs with iTunes (or your other favorite music manager). Many new car stereos have the ability to play one or both of those formats.
The other option? iTunes download stations. Not everyone has a computer (still) or the internet, or knows how to use any of it. What about an easy to use download station (like the print your own digital pictures kiosk in stores) that lets you attach an iPod and download music from iTunes?
I'm considering these because retailers are not going to just give up CDs without another way to earn revenue through music sales. The recording industry does not want all music sales going through iTunes, I'm sure, and stores do not want to lose that piece of their business. Both options allow retailers to continue earning money through sales, while reducing space necessary to store music. Heck, with the download station, you could put those anywhere, just like ATMs.
I sold off my cds, got quite a bit of money off of them, and have them archived as mp3's on dvds/hard drives/etc. I only kept the limited edition/dvd hybrid ones that play in 5.1 for my surround system. For the most part, I haven't done anything with cds in two years but to put them on my computer. So why waste so much room in my house, when I want that space for my games and movies? I can't remember the last time I looked at a cd cover either.
I think cds will die off within two years. That's just my opinion.
You'll see CD's in stores in 2013. I guarantee it. As for how many newly released albums will be released on CD? I'm sure it will be a much smaller number, but definitely not 0.
singles sell much better than CDs, especially when you only like a band for one or two songs...i don't think that CD's will be dead, but just not the popular choice. although years and years in the future, i see them suffering the same fate as cassettes, records, and the like...
I agree with Joker,,
the iPod killed the CD
I see the CD sticking around for a good few years yet. Sure, with more and more downloads there'll be less CDs being sold, but it'll take a lot to kill such a popular format. I still see plenty of people buying them at the moment.
Honestly it will take quite awhile for cd's in general to disapear because look how often they are used. I agree that cd's used for music will die off eventually (even though i still buy them from bands I like) but you also have them being used for pc's and software. Granted alot of software is going to DVD format but not everything is there yet. Basically there are alot of places cd's still have a use.
That and I do not have itunes or an ipod nor will I download music illegaly (legal issues obviously and so many viruses). But only time will tell.
The CD will not die out. The reason simply because of the "Starbucks" consumer group. You know who they are. They pay $4 for a cup of joe. I would bet they wouldn't mind paying $15 for a CD. As long as this market is still alive, CD's will sell, and recording companies will continue to release CD's. However, the music industry will never be able to combat completely the illegal (I use that term very loosely) downloading of music. There's no way to stop pirating, especially with the legal ambiguities of the Internet and copyright laws.
The REDBOOK audio CD standard will be dead a few years from now, yes, quite possibly, but will the Compact Disc itself be dead? No. Look at how long the Floppy kicked on, there's so much old technology that still goes only to CD, and we'll keep it around for compatibility. Many schools, businesses have tons of PCs that are still equipped with only CD-ROM drives (that were still shipping in 2003). When we finally cut floppy to where it is, production of floppy only machines had ceased many years in advance.
As for audio, as I said above, quite possible, as Blu-ray audio will be the choice of audiophiles soon for uncompressed audio (the proposed standard kicks DVD and CD audio in the teeth), and now with ever growing bandwidth and lossless codecs, physical media itself will die out.
The REDBOOK audio CD standard will be dead a few years from now, yes, quite possibly, but will the Compact Disc itself be dead? No. Look at how long the Floppy kicked on, there's so much old technology that still goes only to CD, and we'll keep it around for compatibility. Many schools, businesses have tons of PCs that are still equipped with only CD-ROM drives (that were still shipping in 2003). When we finally cut floppy to where it is, production of floppy only machines had ceased many years in advance.
As for audio, as I said above, quite possible, as Blu-ray audio will be the choice of audiophiles soon for uncompressed audio (the proposed standard kicks DVD and CD audio in the teeth), and now with ever growing bandwidth and lossless codecs, physical media itself will die out.
I think thats what i was thinking but it sounds much much better coming from you.
I agree with that sc7, the Compact Disc itself will linger for a long time to come. I was just speaking from the side of the audio music CD.
its already starting to be replaced as we soeak, but i think it'll be atleast 015 till we see this happen.
ITS GONNA HAPPEN THO
I agree with that sc7, the Compact Disc itself will linger for a long time to come. I was just speaking from the side of the audio music CD.
My thoughts lay right tharr^^
I'm not talking about the storage standard of the Compact Disc, just the music format -_-
Read...
I think that there will still be music CDs in stores in 5 years. Hell, there are some stores here that still sell cassettes so they will definitely still be over here. I do think that download music illegally will and is having a huge impact on the music industry. I do use iTunes sometiems but not all the time. The last time I bought a music CD was sometime in late 2006 or early 2007 so it's been over a year for me and I'm a music lover. I like itunes but I feel the prices are too high as they are now. I don't see paying so much to download a CD when it doesn't come with the album art, lyrics, or anything extra. The prices need to be cheaper, especially for the older stuff.
I think that there will still be music CDs in stores in 5 years. Hell, there are some stores here that still sell cassettes so they will definitely still be over here. I do think that download music illegally will and is having a huge impact on the music industry. I do use iTunes sometiems but not all the time. The last time I bought a music CD was sometime in late 2006 or early 2007 so it's been over a year for me and I'm a music lover. I like itunes but I feel the prices are too high as they are now. I don't see paying so much to download a CD when it doesn't come with the album art, lyrics, or anything extra. The prices need to be cheaper, especially for the older stuff.
You bring up quite a good point that i've heard a few others mention before. I do have to agree that I really don't pay to download music because its true it really isn't worth the price. I like to have the lyrics and artwork and you just don't get that with downloading music.
I would also like to bring up another point. iTunes is evil. The music you download from there can only be used on your pc or stupid iPod.....which i do not own. :@