The Relevance Of Compact Discs in a Digital Age

Cedar Apfel is the Director of TuneCore Manufacturing.

In recent years we have witnessed the closing of record store giants -Tower Records, the Virgin Mega Store locations, Sam Goodie, Warehouse, Circuit City, and more - punctuating the fact that online music stores are the future of the industry.

I work in the manufacturing department at TuneCore, a company whose primary function is online distribution of digital music.  Though, as an industry, we have reached a largely digital age of music, part of my job is assisting musicians with the manufacturing of a physical product. In a world of MP3s and iPods, what is the relevance of the once standard compact disc and its packaging?

There are pros and cons to having a collection of CDs. Living in a small apartment in New York City, owning even 1,000 CDs would considerably limit my shelf space. I have a few CDs that I like to hold onto but, like many people, when I get a new CD I usually end up ripping it and tossing it.

Despite this shift in consumer habits, CDs retain a certain functionality that is missed when music downloaded or streamed.

It will be hard to replace CD sales at the merch table at your live shows, or giving them out as Promos (you can't hand some one an iTunes download).

As an alternative, I do personally believe in the future of download cards,  they are not yet as widely accepted as promo CDs. It's a card. It has the band's cover art and name and the title of the record. A website, and a code. You go to the website on the card, enter the code, and down load the record. This way you have something physical to sell, or hand-out. They are not yet as widely accepted as promo CDs but, download cards could help bands acclimate to the new online era.

For some things there is no substitute to getting CDs pressed.  There’s a sense of presence when you hold cover art in your hand or when you see your your collection displayed on a shelf. There is something meaningful in holding a CD case, complete with the images and words that the artist intended you to have, that makes you want to pop the disc in and have a listen - like a present that wants to be unwrapped. It's one of the most modern and popular forms of art, and to me the "complete package" of a record, the object, is extremely cool.

There is also an idea of permanence attached to the physical album. There is the appeal of archiving  “this record will be here long after I'm gone."  A well-cared for CD should last over 100 years.

Downloads and streams are how I get allot of my music. Their convenance seems incredible if you think back to what one had to do to get music 10 years ago, but they have a disposable feeling - like their cousins, streams - you can't hold them.

Comments

[Ryan]

Halle,

I know of one way to get these cards. There's a website called BandCamp.com that allows you to make them for a price. I don't know if it's the best option, but it's one I've heard of.

Hope that helps, :-)

Ryan

[Halle]

I also believe that digital download cards are the wave of the future. I'm about to release an album, and looking for information on how to obtain these cards. Does anyone know?

[Guy Fletcher]

you could tell this guy knows what he's talking about!

[Steve]

"...when I get a new CD I usually end up ripping it and tossing it."

WHAT!? You're telling me that you literally throw it in the trash? And then later on in your post you talk about the artwork and how there's nothing like holding it in your hands and such (which I tend to agree with).

Make up your mind kind sir.

[Kevin Wood]

While the writing is on the wall -- demand for CDs is declining and will continue to do so for quite some time, the presence of CDs may continue to be a significant niche in the market much longer than many people think. Like the article says, there is value in holding a tangible piece of art that includes music, artwork and information that a download can't offer.

And, yes, as one who commented says, CDs sound much better than mp3's. Don't be fooled by phrases like "192 -- higher than CD quality conversion rate" etc. When a file from a CD is converted from the AIFF file, which is typically around 40 to 60 megs of digital information, to a hi-res 192 kbs MP3 file, which is around 6 to 8 megs, you know you have lost a lot of information, hence you have lost a lot of sound resolution/quality.

But also consider this: Almost all new vehicles made today still have a CD player installed. In fact, even low-end model cars have CD players now. Most stereos sold today still have CD players installed, (although Ipod alarm clocks are gaining ground). Your computer will still play a CD, too. So, as long as the ability to play a CD is still offered in our cars, our stereos, and our computers, many people will still buy some CDs. No, they aren't browsing the bins at their local record store to add to their collection, but if they attend a concert, a show, or come across music they really like, there are still physical CD sales to be made. Sales of Lifescapes CDs at the listening station in Target are still strong. Sales in small mom and pop gift and book stores have declined, but are still occuring. And sales at live shows are still strong for some bands.

Also, we have found that distribution of our CDs is a primary factor that leads to online digital sales. While iTunes and Amazon have in-house marketing that helps sustain sales, CDs can be one of the main ways to continue lighting the fire and trigger the viral nature of digital and online sales when music is really good.

[Steven Cravis]

I'm pretty sure that, exponentially sooner than we think, bands will be able to beam a new album to the audience's mobile devices either as a gift, or control it to only be available as a purchase in that moment.

Also, much will be done in the cloud, so many people will want music to go straight to their personal online 'lockers' of music tracks.

[Dennis Cooley]

Is anyone concerned about the difference in the audio between CD and MP3 files? When i first heard an MP3 file, I was not impressed with the sound. That file cannot deliver the full audio spectrum that CD audio does. Maybe on an iPod earbud it is hard hear a difference, but on a good set of monitors, you loose half the high end and about as much of the low. For convenience, I own an iPod, but for listening to good music, I buy the CD.

[Quang Ly]

I agree with you that CD format is incredibly useful for live shows. If you perform live, selling or giving away CD gives you engagement with your fans.

Another thing artists can do is when they are on stage, they can tell people to get their songs on iTunes with their iPhone. It provides immediacy so fans won't forget. The problem occurs when not everyone has an iPhone and iTunes is not available on other mobile phones. This is something Apple should really consider to be more open.