Are music CDs better then digitally downloaded music? by David Stack - 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?     David Stack Developer of MusicStack. Serial internet entrepreneur. Loves music, especially shoegaze, synthpop and chillout.  Subscribe to Latest Articles

6 Responses

ScreamRiot November 12, 2008 9:47 AM Sorry to say but it looks like the cd is on it's way out, younger people today could care less about pictures on a cd booklet or high quality sound,compact and convience is all that matters.Cd's will be around until people have no cds to rid themselves of,used cds will still be around until recording companies start scaling back production of physical media or start posting all back catalog songs and rarities to their digital purchase sites

Kyle November 15, 2008 9:47 AM I'll never stop buying CDs. Never. I can only speak for myself.

Tobias Vogel February 11, 2009 9:47 AM In the 80s when I was a teenager and had no money, I used to tape songs from radio shows . This was by far the cheapest way to get lots of music. Being a teenager nowadays with no money I would also (illegal) download music from the internet. But when you get older and still have a hugh passion for music, you start to think different. Artists should earn enough money to make a living from their music. But I don't want to pay them by downloads. I want real estate! Having a download means you own nothing. You can not resell your downloads. No one wants to pay for this digital trash. But you can be sure your downloads will be erased after a while, because you needed space on your mp3 player or your harddisk had a head crash. All this digital media are not made to last. If you want to be sure your music is still available when you are old, buy vinyl records. This media has stood the test of time for now more than 130 years.

Disc Xpress March 17, 2009 9:47 AM Personally, I like CDs because of the sound quality and like Tobias Vogel, I want the real estate. Here's a scenario. Let's say you buy a mp3 player or ipod for a $100. You then buy 200 songs for 99 cents each. You drop your mp3 player in a liquid or someone steals it. Sure you can buy another one, but look at the time and money that went with it. $100 for the first mp3 player + $198 for the 200 songs + another $100 for another mp3 player = $398! Not to mention the time to download the songs and the possibilty of a computer crash that can wipe out your harddrive. I'm not so sure that digital downloads are more cost effective. Unless you have a good loss prevention program. If you lose a CD or CD player to theft or damage, all you have to do is replace the CD or CD player. Think about it. Now if we can get the FCC to do something about those annoying free download sites, then we'll be on to something.

Holger Burghardt August 20, 2009 9:47 AM Oh, quite a question that'll start some polemics. Okay, let's try and give a good answer of what I think. Basically one should analyze how people use music for. For a vast majority music is like fast food. Even before the digital movement, people bought what they wanted, sold or gave away what they didn't want. A lot of them just listened to the radio or watched MTV, some taped what they liked. Today those people take up the MP3 and listen to that on their iPods or cellphone. As before, once they get tired of that they might delete it (or keep it on their harddrives when they shy away from deleting something they've paid for). Then there's the other side. Those people that really like their music. Those who follow the careers of their bands. Those who like to have hard copies, because they know they'll listen to that album even in a couple of years. Those who like the artwork. Those who listen to their music on the big hi-fi stereo at home (or those that wish to have one day that big stereo at home). They keep buying the vinyls, compact discs or whatever future developpement will come. The vinyl isn't dead, though it's not having the same sales as before. The CD isn't dying, but sales go back (and the RIAA can do nothing about it unless any videos - games and videos - will become illegal).

Jeff G August 27, 2009 9:47 AM Agree with those about the kids of today not really caring about the physicality of product formats like CDs or albums. It’s all about quick access, portability, and disposable music. Guess if you’ve grown up without the physical “feel” of a CD or LP, with its glorious artwork and lyrics, you don’t really miss it. ~sigh I still have thousands of LPs and CDs, even cassettes, in my collection. Love ‘em, and will probably never part with them unless circumstances absolutely demand it. As for downloaded music vs CDs? Comparing CD songs from just a few years ago to newly remastered or process enhanced versions on iTunes is rather startling. To me, the sound quality is actually as good or better on some songs? It’s frustrating to hear songs put through some new audio process sounding better than CDs I bought just eight or nine years ago? They seem to sound clearer and crisper, with warmer sonic detail. I know audio technology is always changing and getting better, but I didn’t think it would make fairly recent CDs sound “that” obsolete?..lol. The larger question for a music lover like me comes down to cost. The impending Beatles catalog reissue is a perfect case in point. I had the regular LPs for years (not the originals—I wish), but when the catalog was reissued in 1987, with “much” better sound quality we were told at the time, I gobbled them up. Unfortunately, they sounded tinny and harsh. Now they’re being reissued yet again, using a process called the high-resolution Pro Tools system. Word is the sound is fantastic, a quantum leap over the ’87 versions. Great. Like most, I certainly can’t afford to re-stock my music collection every decade or so when better sounding versions come out. Guess I’m stuck with older but inferior sounding albums and CDs.

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