@Lizard_King: +1. With a CD and a booklet, there is at least something to justify the cost. Paying the same or more for a bunch of bits is just absurd. #retailmusic
@Ghoti4: Yeah, I generally purchase CDs at about $10-$12 a piece. With digital format, be it MP3 or even lossless, there is no inventory risks, printing or material costs, just hosting services - there is no reason why digital format should cost the same as a CD. For the same price, I would need better quality than lossless and the iTunes LP syle of presentation for digital downloads. #retailmusic
@Lukasz Fabis: Lossless generally refers to CD-audio quality, and yes, you can certainly have higher than that. Ripping a CD in FLAC will produce a lossless quality copy, but you can certainly increase the sample rate above 44.1kHz if you have better source material than a CD.
DVD-A and SACD come to mind, but I think the portability of a lossless 192KHz file would be at stake. What would a 4 minute song be? 100MB? uhhg. #retailmusic
@Lizard_King:
I'm pretty sure 100 MB for 4 minutes would be a raw audio file.
Anyhow, I personally just use VBR encoding. Saves a lot of space and I've yet to meet someone that could tell the difference between that, high bitrate lossy, and lossless. #retailmusic
@Lukasz Fabis: I have a raw audio file of a 192kHz recording, 3:51 in length. just about 200MB.
It doesn't matter what you can hear or can't. I rip in lossless and create an MP3 verison of my choosing - VBR, high bit rate usually. The point is, lossless is the same quality as CD - with HD space so damn cheap and most people's entire library is able to fit on a single flash drive (or a phone), it's getting close to the point where CDs may get passed, in terms of quality, by digital sources. When that point comes, I may switch. Until then, the benefits of owning a CD far outweigh the convenience of getting the 'album' through a download. #retailmusic
@Lizard_King:
I'd say that for me, the benefit to digital audio is no physical clutter. I don't look at CDs as something to hold onto, but rather something that just takes up a lot of space.
@Reil: Save Stars, Save Peach: Until your sister takes your CD out of the car and tosses it in the glove compartment without putting it in the case first.
Goodbye, Big Shiny Tunes 2, you will be sorely missed. #retailmusic
@Chris Vandevelde: @mat: Yes, but for those cases, I still have the digital copy that I get for free, having ripped the CD first thing. Best of both worlds, unless you're really that much of a sucker for 'convenience' of having restrictions. #retailmusic
I prefer CDs because I can rip them into whatever format I want and because if my hard drive dies I can re-rip it. Until iTunes lets me re-download music like Steam does with games I won't bother with digital music. #retailmusic
CD purchases are very rare for me, because I will only buy a CD if I actually like the majority, if not all of the songs in an album. If I like only 2 or 3 or at least less than half the tracks on there, then I would never buy the physical media. Problem with buying CD's in general (for myself) is that I don't really intend to ever listen to the music straight off of the disc, since my primary listening device is an iPod. #retailmusic
On my block, one out of every three houses has a computer. For those who do have a computer, one one out of three has internet service.
For those who have internet service, one out of three has a decent MP3 player.
We're a loooong ways from doing away with CD's. #retailmusic
I don't feel like I own something unless I have it physically. If I only own it digitally I feel like it's too fragile and I can easily lose it. Look at games on Steam for example, if you read the fine print it almost feels like you're leasing the game. Although even physical ownership doesn't mean much nowadays (I'm looking at you Spore), I prefer it. #retailmusic
@Cameron Barker: You can stop hating the Apple/iTunes DRM... none of the music at the iTunes store is DRM anymore. Play it where you want, when you want. #retailmusic
And because used records are cheap. $4 dollars for albums that can cost $10 on itunes. My pre-amp and audacity allows me to record all my records too. #retailmusic
I still buy a ton of CDs, and you know what? You'll never hear me bitching about DRM, crappy bit rates, or subscription fees. Also, I don't have to beg and plead customer service for my property back in case of catastrophic data failure. Oh yeah, and they're covered by my insurance.
The employee discount @ Hastings might have something to do with it too. Used CDs for $3-$7? Yes please! #retailmusic
@Dunnion: How does one have anything to do with the other?
Spotify doesn't let you download tracks in the same way (creating a buffer for off network listening and actually allowing a download to the phone are two different things) and if Napster makes the business decision that they don't want to pay streaming licenses thats their business decision to make.
@electricarchie: I use Napster. The new service is great and worth the money, especially if you've got a desk job like myself. Despite the occasional :30 songs, I get an a la carte selection of music.
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I will continue buying CDs until digital music surpasses CDs in quality, and/or the prices are significantly cheaper. #retailmusic
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You can't really have higher-than-lossless quality. Lossless is just that - lossless.
Sampling rate aside, lossless audio perfectly replicates the original recorded waveform. It's potentially higher-that-CD quality. #retailmusic
11/09/09
DVD-A and SACD come to mind, but I think the portability of a lossless 192KHz file would be at stake. What would a 4 minute song be? 100MB? uhhg. #retailmusic
11/09/09
I'm pretty sure 100 MB for 4 minutes would be a raw audio file.
Anyhow, I personally just use VBR encoding. Saves a lot of space and I've yet to meet someone that could tell the difference between that, high bitrate lossy, and lossless. #retailmusic
11/09/09
It doesn't matter what you can hear or can't. I rip in lossless and create an MP3 verison of my choosing - VBR, high bit rate usually. The point is, lossless is the same quality as CD - with HD space so damn cheap and most people's entire library is able to fit on a single flash drive (or a phone), it's getting close to the point where CDs may get passed, in terms of quality, by digital sources. When that point comes, I may switch. Until then, the benefits of owning a CD far outweigh the convenience of getting the 'album' through a download. #retailmusic
11/10/09
I'd say that for me, the benefit to digital audio is no physical clutter. I don't look at CDs as something to hold onto, but rather something that just takes up a lot of space.
To each his own. #retailmusic
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Goodbye, Big Shiny Tunes 2, you will be sorely missed. #retailmusic
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Since I buy CDs to import into iTunes, does that mean we cancel each other out? #retailmusic
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Right...so that means I'm worth more. Gotcha. #retailmusic
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For those who have internet service, one out of three has a decent MP3 player.
We're a loooong ways from doing away with CD's. #retailmusic
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Since I /hate/ Apple's DRM and encoding, I never buy there stuff. The CD will always be superior. #retailmusic
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The employee discount @ Hastings might have something to do with it too. Used CDs for $3-$7? Yes please! #retailmusic
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09/01/09
Spotify doesn't let you download tracks in the same way (creating a buffer for off network listening and actually allowing a download to the phone are two different things) and if Napster makes the business decision that they don't want to pay streaming licenses thats their business decision to make.
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But how is it any better than a service like Amazon?