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Are music CDs better then digitally downloaded music?
by David Stack
posted on November 12, 2008

Are music CDs better then digitally downloaded music?

In recent years the way we buy and listen to music has completely changed. In the not so far past, we use to go to the mall or independent music stores to buy music CDs and vinyl records. But today, with many of the brick and mortar record stores closed, many people - especially the young, go online and buy their music.

Even how we listen to music these days has completely changed. We use to listen to music through CD players and record players, but today we have iPods, MP3 players, phones that play music and media players on our computer which go hand-in-hand with buying music online.

And with everyone downloading digital music these days, you might be thinking that the glory days of buying physical music CDs is over. Have we reached the stage where digital downloads have completely crushed the business of selling music cds? After all, isn’t it really ideal to just download the tracks that you want rather than buying a whole album? I SAY NO!

Sure buying music cds is definitely more expensive than downloading individual tracks since you are buying an entire album and not just one track. But there is no comparison about having an actual physical item in your hand. With all the glossy pictures in the CD booklet and being able to flip through the liner notes to read lyrics or more information about the band, you just simply can’t get that same sort of satisfaction from reading a web page about band whose digital track you just downloaded. The same theory goes (perhaps even more) for buying vinyl records which many consider to be like buying artwork.

Another nice feature that buying music cds has over digital music is that music CDs are compatible with all CD players - whether it be in a car, your stereo or in a computer. CDs are quick and very user-friendly. You just pop them in the CD player and start enjoying the music as it plays right away. Unlike digital music that is played on a computer or MP3 player, there is no songs to load, file directories to search through, or computer programs that can crash on you before you get to enjoy the music.

Also with CDs, you can rip them to different digital formats (at different bit rates) so that you can also have the best of both worlds. This makes it nice to be able to listen to your music wherever, whenever and in whatever format you want.

Downloads on the other hand can often times be protected and restricted. If you have heard about digital rights management or DRM, then you know what limitations these downloaded tracks have. Because of DRMs, you can’t change the bit rate or the format of the file. If you downloaded on iTunes, then you can only play the song on iPods. You do not have the flexibility that music CDs bring.

Yes, digital music downloads are cost effective, simple and convenient, but it can bring you a lot of risk and irritation if things go wrong. Online music providers like iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster do have policies for replacing damaged tracks, but it can be a hassle and time consuming to replace them all. Whereas if you bought music CDs, yes it may cost more, but you can rest easy knowing you have the highest quality possible and that all the tracks on the CD are unprotected.

What is your take?
Do you think music CDs are better than digital downloads? Do you think that music cds are going the way of the dinosaur and will eventually become near extinct (like the 8-track)? Or do you think there will always be a place for music CDs along side of digitally downloaded music?

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