Do you still buy CDs?

[Mutant 77]

I'm one of the fools who still buy original CD, DVD and Blu-Ray. I don't like downloading the stuff I love.

No download can be compared to the awesomeness to get your favourite artist's new CD, with booklet and superb audio quality.

What do you think about it?

 

[Lantern Venom]

For people like myself who aren't really into music, downloading files is a blessing. I've purchased 1 CD in my life (I can't even remember the name of it) and I might hear 1 song in 1000 that makes an impression on me.

However, I think I see your basic sentiment. There is a greater sense of ownership with a physical copy than a digital one. I don't know if we are heading into an age where CDs and DVDs/Blurays cease to exist, but it seems plausible. That makes me sad.

 

[CapedCrusader14]

Yep I still buy CD's that I really love. Also buy Blu-Ray's rather regularly.

 

[runawayboulder]

I haven't bought a CD in well over 10 years because music in general has been complete garbage.

 

[Teelie]

I haven't bought any music in years either. A big part of it is music isn't something I listen to very much except in the background.

 

[O_B_Juan]

I still buy CD'S but they're mostly used ones.

 

[KevanG]

Last CD I bought for myself was by Cake. That was a few years back.

 

[jonathancrane]

Yes. And vinyl. And Blu-Rays.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Yes on CDs, because it's the only way to give a physical gift of music to someone, especially if you are introducing them to an artist that you think they would like.

 

[GENERAL RAAM582]

I just buy things on iTunes.

 

[Kane52630]

Only if it's really worth getting on CD.
This year I bought the new Glitch Mob cd...and last year I got Daft Punk's new album.

 

[bullets]

Sometimes I'll but a used cd if it's cheaper than downloading the music on iTunes. It's very rare that I purchase a cd though

 

[Dispatch Ninja]

I buy cd/vinyl from the albums/artists that I love and I'll also get the digital version for them. All the others that I'm interested in hearing are digital only.

For blu-rays, I'll also only buy the movies I love, and other movies that I'm interested in seeing or just generally like I'll buy a digital code for it for a couple bucks from other people.

 

[Dispatch Ninja]

I haven't bought a CD in well over 10 years because music in general has been complete garbage.

I think these comments are lazy. There's such a plethora of new music out there that it's impossible to not find something you enjoy, unless you're too lazy to look for it. I find that people who always say "today's music sucks" just listen to a top 40 channel or something.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

I recently bought 5 used CDs from a shop. Discs are physical copies that will always trump digital files.

 

[OnTheAir]

There is a greater sense of ownership with a physical copy than a digital one. I don't know if we are heading into an age where CDs and DVDs/Blurays cease to exist, but it seems plausible. That makes me sad.

This. As a teenager, I would go into a RECORD store and buy albums, 12 inches and cassettes. I enjoyed having the satisfaction of ripping the plastic off of a brand new 12-inch, or cassette tape and adding it to my collection. Additionally, I liked reading liner notes and looking at the album artwork. So, as long as they continue to release music (and movies) in some form of physical medium, that will always be my preference.

The only time I download music is if I know there's just one or two songs from a project that I like. In that case, I'll grab just those particular tracks. Otherwise, I buy the CD, and if I need a digital copy, I can just rip the songs myself.

 

[Snow Queen]

If it's something I really like, I'll take a physical copy over a digital one every time.

 

[CFE]

I'll download and buy stuff off ITunes for sure, but I still purchase physical copies of CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays (mostly Blu though) and would sincerely prefer to do so.

Because if the day comes when something goes wrong...

When I was younger, my music collection was (and still is) mainly film scores. My old computer gets fried and I can't even save everything I had off of it. So when I got my new computer and installed ITunes and all that, it was back to square one...except for the fact that 3/4ths of my collection of scores was physical.

Was it tedious to go disc by disc and re-import for the span of a week? Sure. But I lost everything that I had ITunes-only versions of previously...which thankfully wasn't as much in comparison to my physical copies.

Since then I've learned the clearly obvious value of backing things up and so on. But I'll still to this day pick up CDs. Maybe it's paranoia over it happening to me before.

I trust technology to a point but in the event that it fails me, especially with movies more so, I don't want my film collection to be at the mercy of the internet or having a computer or whatever. Because in the off chance that that might spontaneously go and fry again, I'll still have physical copies that I don't have to fret about losing to the void.

That's just me though. And who knows. Maybe somewhere down the line I'll start singing a different tune and be all about the cloud and digital everything and so on.

But much like a tangible book, there's something edifying and rewarding about being able to go to a shelf or rack and physically hold the thing in your hands. Maybe even more than the "I might lose the digital version" angle, THAT's the more precious thing. Maybe it's the idea of holding onto the nostalgia of visiting Blockbusters as a kid and so on.

Holding a physical copy of a movie or an album and being able to organize it on the shelf and have it be a part of something tangible and real is just something I'm not willing to give up yet I guess.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

I thought you meant for data recording
No, I don't buys CDs in any form or for any reason
DVDs I get, when its of a movie or a TV show I know I really enjoy this day and age

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

I only purchase the best selling CD of all time and that would be blank CD's. I use them to burn my mixes and give them to fans. As a DJ everything is much easier in the digital world and most everything you download nowadays is in 320 kbs so it's the highest quality you can get

 

[bored]

Not as much as I used to, and even then basically only used CDs. I download some, and I really can't spend as much money as I'd like on music (as a teenager, it's ALL I wanted to spend money on). That said, I still have a massive CD collection, and I'm happy about that.

 

[Fallen Angel]

I still play my walkman.

 

[Octoberist]

I think now most people buy digital, and IF they want to really support the band, they'll buy the physical stuff. In this day and age though, it's not CD but vinyl.

Most of my friends now have a vinyl player of some kind, including me. Also, they're more collectable than CDs especially if the band has some cool art or booklet that comes with the record.

 

[Octoberist]

This. As a teenager, I would go into a RECORD store and buy albums, 12 inches and cassettes. I enjoyed having the satisfaction of ripping the plastic off of a brand new 12-inch, or cassette tape and adding it to my collection. Additionally, I liked reading liner notes and looking at the album artwork. So, as long as they continue to release music (and movies) in some form of physical medium, that will always be my preference.

The only time I download music is if I know there's just one or two songs from a project that I like. In that case, I'll grab just those particular tracks. Otherwise, I buy the CD, and if I need a digital copy, I can just rip the songs myself.

Also one more thing. The problem with digital is that the songs that you may end up liking later after giving it a chance, you would just skip in today's marketplace.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I prefer physical copies of music/movies/books. The only thing I have digital copies of is music though. It's just cheaper and more convenient to buy one song. More often than not I don't like all the songs off an album.