If you think about it, 35 years is a long time. At Jacobs Media, we celebrate our 35th anniversary this fall. In some ways, the time has gone fast. But three-and-a-half decades with the same company is long run by just about any measure.
For a media format, however, it’s just not as impressive. That’s what music lovers and collectors will have to deal with in the not-so-distant future as the Compact Disk goes the way of the 8-track and the 78 rpm record.
Earlier this month, Best Buy announced it will discontinue sales of CDs – one of their big items through the ’80s and ’90s – on July 1st. Billboard reported Best Buy’s CD business has dwindled in recent years. Last year in the U.S. CD sales dropped a precipitously 18..5%. Target is said to be considering the same decision.
This doesn’t mean that CDs as a format will simply go away, but the writing is on the wall. Ironically, vinyl has made a comeback in recent years, but only makes up a small percentage of music sold.
The reality is that we were all physical music collectors at one time. Radio stations had walls of albums, and often physical music libraries to accommodate their formats.
Today, most stations use hard drives and/or the cloud to catalogue its music. And at home, we’re more likely to rent or simply stream our media – TV shows, music, and movies from services as diverse as Netflix, Spotify, and Apple Music. Why own anything when you can access virtually anything from a cloud?
Unless, of course, you’re the curator of the Museum of Obsolete Media. That’s Jason Curtis’ self-selected title, and it’s apropos. By day, he’s a medical librarian in the UK. But a dozen years ago, he started collecting examples of physical media formats. And five years ago, he launched his online museum.
The website documents nearly 500 collected media formats, spanning audio, video, film, and data storage. I spoke with him about the shelf life of media, and why the CD is now experiencing turbulence on its way to becoming an obsolete medium.
FJ: Is the obsolescence of media accelerating during the technology revolution? If so, why do you think that is?
Jason Curtis: I think the main driver has been the move from analogue to digital, arguably started by the Compact Disc. Since then we’ve seen film cameras replaced with digital photography and analogue video (such as VHS and LaserDisc) replaced with digital DVD and Blu-ray formats.
Since the content on the media is now digital and capable of being sent over the internet, the media itself becomes redundant and simply a carrier for the content. Hence, DVD and Blu-ray sales are now declining in the face of streaming, and music is increasingly streamed as well.
The internet also means that files can be stored in the cloud, or internally on the device (such as photos stored on an iPhone); if you want to send the files to someone else there is now no need to involve removable media such as a floppy disk, CD-R, or even a memory card.
FJ: Did you ever think the CD would end up on the endangered media list in just 35 short years?
JC: With hindsight it’s easy to see why CDs are now endangered. At their introduction there was no built-in DRM since few people foresaw that a few years later consumers could read the contents on a CD-ROM drive. Initially this meant the ability to create perfect copies on to more CDs with the introduction of CD burners, but with the invention of compression algorithms such as MP3 and the widespread adoption of broadband internet it meant that the CD as a means of distributing music was technically obsolete and unnecessary.
Alongside this was the ability to being able to listen to music anywhere, spearheaded by the cassette Walkman. CD was never a very good portable format, and once alternatives in the form of MP3 players and more especially the iPod became available there was no need to carry a stack of CDs around.
(Jason’s CD collection is below.)
FJ: What do you make of vinyl’s comeback, gaining acceleration with each passing year – especially among Millennials?
JC: There is something to said for tactile media, and in particular for vinyl. The Compact Disc never had quite the appeal of vinyl, with its less impressive artwork and less involvement in the process of putting a CD on (no need to place a stylus in the right place, or be so careful in handling).
Having said that, I think the so-called vinyl revival is overrated and vinyl sales are still much lower than CD sales.
I think among older consumers there is still a desire to have music on physical media, perhaps because of sense of ownership, and also just to enjoy the act of putting physical media in the player and sitting down to listen to music (something you pretty much have to do when listening to vinyl).
FJ: What’s in your CD player right now? Or on your turntable?
JC: The last CD I listened to (earlier today) was Kristin Hersh’s ‘Learn to Sing Like a Star’, and the last thing on the turntable (albeit a few days ago) was My Bloody Valentine’s ‘You Made Me Realise’ EP.
The digital age has caused incalculable disruption, and as Jason’s “museum” clearly illustrates, it has taken its toll on many media formats, especially physical ones. Browsing his website, you run into many extinct (or near-extinct) media formats, many we’ve just forgotten about.
The disposability of our physical things is yet another outgrowth of the tech times in which we live. So, if you own one, what’s on your turntable right now?
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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The format will not go the by way, they said this about cassette tapes too, yet I still have my collection and use cassettes at our station. What about the consumer who can’t access the Internet? Should they be denied music? As far as Best Buy and Target, who wants to shop there any way, most of the people who work there are dumb as a stump. Naw CD’s will still be around for many years.
Patrick, there will always be people who will listen to obsolete media, but in the main, it sure looks like the writing is on the wall for the CD. But hey, vinyl has made a comeback. So you never know. Thanks for the comment.
I loved and still love CDs. They seemed to me to be the first medium to give our ears the “studio quality” recordings. The fidelity of older songs and artists with out the “tape hiss” or record cue burns or pops and scratches. The fact that Best Buy is going to stop selling them means nothing to me. I don’t think I ever bought a CD from them. Just appliances and TVs that I probably ended up taking back ! LOL!
If they go, they go. Its been a good ride for the consumer!
John, a lot of people loved the CD format for a lot of reasons. As you point out, it was a great way to replace those tired vinyl albums, while using a lot less storage space. Appreciate the comment.
While I am a collector of all media, My CD collection has really taken over the lower level of our house (my man-cave). I hate mp3s for sound quality (yes, I can hear the difference) and I don’t stream anything for the same reason. I’m over 6000 CDs now (and continuing to buy more), over 1000 pieces of vinyl, hundreds of cassettes (also making a comeback), and about 100+ reel-to-reels (yes, I have a working machine). Analog is real sound. It’s the sound we hear with our ears when we see a live band or symphony. Analog sound is still the best way to reproduce music and is why so many studios have brought back analog equipment. Dave Grohl is a big proponent of real sound and has been using tape to record, even though it’s more expensive. It’s also a way to teach musicians to come into the studio ready to play, so that it doesn’t cost a fortune in tape, rather than just deleting a digital file when you screw up. It trains you to be a better artist. While I realize the writing is on the wall for physical CDs, that’s also what was said of vinyl when the compact disc began to take hold of the consumer preference. Vinyl never went away, it was just produced in less quantities. Because of nostalgia and the never-ending love of vinyl by collectors, the resurgence has been growing for over 10 years now. Stores are starting to carry new vinyl again and new represses of catalog albums. It’s getting harder to find CDs out in “the wild” anymore. You have go online to find them, like you used to for vinyl. As far as I’m concerned, it just helps collectors of CDs , like me, to find them cheaper and more plentiful. People are GIVING their collections to just about anyone that will take them. Fine by me! Reach out to me when you want your CD collections to find a good home!
Shawn, I just bought a turntable after 20 years of not owning one. It gives me pleasure, the music sounds great, and yes, there’s some nostalgia at play, too. Consumers gravitate to the platforms that make them happy. Enjoy the CD collection. I have a feeling you will for years to come.
Well, I’m pretty much addicted to music and I like CDs because I’m pretty much the only one of my friends who invests time in finding really good music – old or new. But if it’s new, my aging boomer friends won’t have heard of it; still my taste appeals to them, so they want to hear what I have. And the means that my CDs have to travel, whether it’s taking them to friends’ houses for an evening, lending them out or playing them in my car during carpool days or just when traveling with friends r doing local errands. I know
I’m not the only person who does this.
Sure, I can take my iPad or smart phone along, but unless someone has pretty good portable speakers, it’s not going to sound great. And many newer cars, where I like to listen to CDs by myself a lot, don’t even make CD drives any more, so again I’m stuck with the tinny sounds of my iPad. Does anyone have any ideas what I can do??
Hang in there, Aline. You’re in the minority, but so were people who insisted vinyl records were the only ways to listen to music.
Great article. Can’t wait to access Mr. Curtis’ site. Still have a functional 8 track cartridge recorder in storage. Currently on the turntable is Frijid Pink’s latest release, “Made In Detroit.”
Jason’s site is fun, but smart. He really has done the deep dive on the topic, and it’s fascinating to remember how many formats have come and gone. Thanks, Kurt.
CD’s will live for a couple decades longer and the only way I can see to kill it sooner are the new HD formats like DSD , DFF, and Flac 24/96 or higher. HD Tracks and Acoustic Sounds super high fidelity recordings this could very well kill cd or at least spur it along. The issue is lots of recording studios are not onboard but that is not to say if these studios want to spur the death of CD they may look more at these high fidelity downloadable formats.
Personally as long as studios go to these exceptionally higher quality downloadable formats I’m okay with the death of CD. I guess we will see what unfolds.
We will indeed, Jason. Thanks for the comment.
What do you think about SACDs? I now have about 25-30 SACDs and I think they sound really good, a lot better than the equivalent CD. Also I find it is much easier to play a CD or SACD. There is no need to mess around with computer files or connect the computer to an external DAC with wires trailing around all over the music room.
Losing CDs and vinyl records has been a huge loss. Almost all the CD/record shops have now closed so it is no longer possible to go and browse or search for a particular recording, or ask the assistant which is the best recording of a particular work. All that has now gone, which I think is a great shame.
Who pays for movies or music I’m 20 and I have never ever brought dvds or music just a quick google search and you have everything you need
Old people, obviously. Thanks for writing.
As time moves forward and you become an avid media consumer you will realize that there is so much out there that isn’t available for download and you may start to hunt down the rarities in your genre(s) of choice in its physical form. That where the real the fun begins.
Do you have any Bobby Goldsboro record albums, if I have to endure another day without one, I will become a depressed soul. I have been living underground in a shelter on Sentinel Island since September of 73 because of the threat of nuclear war, and have heard there is a new song called, “In the Summer”
I am in my 50’s and last time I brought a CD was back in 2012. Can’t remember when last time I listen to a CD. I listen to all the music I want using Spotify and YouTube.
Tray could for you keeping with up technology. Most folks in your age group can’t accept technology changes. I am 20 and have never own any CDs !!!
I also like some of newer music and well as the older stuff. My favourite band is Green Day.
Tray it’s quite rare to see someone you’re age streaming music. Well done for keeping up with the times. Green Day is an awesome band !
My LP collection and turntable went to the breakers so to speak, ten years ago Now CDs and BBC HD sound via computer, digital radio is just ok, a disappointing bit rate.
The specialist market, will flourish, and pop will fade away on cd, to another format, that is more convenient to its listeners.
Thanks for the comment, Larry.
People are forgetting all the past great music that is out of print on record’s and CD’s. That will never ever be streamed online.
For me owning a piece of music history is far more important than letting out of print and non existent streaming content disappear forever. Never to be heard again by anyone.
As far as if it is record’s or CD’s as the music media, it does not matter. As long as the music and the artist are remembered forever.
Don’t let our music history go away for an excuse of convenience.
Appreciate these points, Aaron. Thanks for the comment.
I think it’s helpful to remember that collecting and owning copies of recordings is more of an exception than a rule. I grew up in the ‘70s and my mother collected classical music LPs. We were a working, middle-class family and she got some passive aggressive flack from her farmer in-laws because that kind of expenditure was seen as wasteful. (“If you want to listen to music, listen to the radio” school of thought.) People did own records then, of course, but most of them only owned a few. There wasn’t the “collecting” mentality.
CDs swung the pendulum to the other side in the 80s and 90s and it became a “thing” to build libraries and re-buy your record collection in CD. Sadly, industry greed has been trying to replicate that global phenomenon ever since.
Maybe music collecting is naturally a niche activity. Maybe today’s streaming subscribers are simply the radio-listeners of yesteryear. And as soon as the industry accepts LPs/CDs and cassettes as respectable subsets (like convertibles are in the auto industry) maybe we can calm down and stop calling for the extinction of a format that still brings a lot of people happiness.
You may have a great point there, Claudia. You don’t treasure music files or streams, but a libarary of music is no different than a collection of stamps, coins, baseball memorabilia – you name it. Maybe music doesn’t have the value or impact it once had because music of it is free and virtual. Many thanks for the contribution.
Most music listeners are casuals. Purists care about physical copies and audio fidelity. I like the fact that record collecting is a thing again. People of all ages are appreciating them again. History shall repeat itself for cds. Lots of people are dumping their precious cd collections with rarities for pennies on the dollar. Get it while it’s hot.
I am an avid collector of music before now I never had internet and didn’t know what an MP3 was. CD’s and LPs were a favortie of mine just as much as DVD and Bluray is now too. where’s the fun in streaming no cover no artwork yes tons of movies but I like holding the CD in my hand and loading the player. same with Blueray and DVD!
And I like holding album jackets. It’s a generational thing, right Tiffanie?
I wish the older generation just keep up with times. Streaming is the way we listen to music in 2019. I am 19 and have never owned a CD.
I hope that you go to the concerts at least.
Streaming services don’t support musicians at all.
I miss the cassette as well as the vinyl record quite a bit. I still have a cassette collection, a few records, hard rock, but also jazz, blues, classical music, quite a few things. I prefer cassettes and records to CDs because of a few reasons.
A CD can get scratched easily, it can smash to tiny bits if it falls, the artwork does not usually compare to the original vinyl record or tape.
Paolo, thanks for checking in. I still have nightmares about rewinding unraveled cassettes with a pencil.
I just don’t get it. I’m a 40-something and I sort of understand the convenience of non-physical media, but the quality is still an issue. I could be wrong, but it seems like the vast majority of everything streamable comes in MP3 format. I guess the younger consumers don’t hear the aliasing frequencies, truncated reverb tails, narrow stereo imaging, etc., inherent in MP3s (or they don’t care). My God, MP3s are still awful.
All that progress we made going into the 80s, and then they really hit a home run with CDs. The market hasn’t come out with anything better since then! Although SACDs and DVD audio were definite improvements poised for the new millennium, they were never adopted by consumers favoring storage quantity over quality… and it’s still that way! I, for one, detest carrying a smart phone around with me everywhere and accessing a hackable cloud. Everything is connected now, and it doesn’t need to be. I sure hope the CD doesn’t become obsolete. You never know – it might make a comeback. You can never be too sure about consumer trends.
You are one of the few concerned about the quality of MP3s. Sadly, most people can hear it or don’t care. But I appreciate the comment.
Ive collected many cds (thousands)…mainly because they helped me find rare and unusual titles….
My knowledge of Louis Armstrong for example has grown because of the incredible sets and collections on cd.
To truly study an artist.
What I didnt like about CDs was the poor presentation and when there were comprehensive booklets…they often were damaged removing it from the terrible CD case.
I love all my LPs for the packaging , large gatefolds and personalised labels…
Greedy CD manufacturers would not commit to reproducing faithfully the LP presentation to CD.
It could of been done…but they were greedy and lazy…Look at the perfection of Japanese Mini LPs on CD. Exact replicas on cardboard sleeves and with superb sound…
Had CD manufacturers embraced this …I think the CD market could be stronger.
I own thousands of LPs (and mini LPs on CD) to get the best of all worlds…
Try shopping online for rare LP titles and its great for whats there… but there is so much more that will never be….unless you commit to collecting….
Im 62 and I download tons of great stuff new and old, but downloads even with artwork are not as exciting.
Oh and Im finding large external hard drives cannot be trusted…
Its a hunters paradise out there.
My son wont consider CDS, he loves the magical world of record collecting…
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I enjoyed the CD era, but my heart is also in vinyl. Thanks for the story & perspective, Rick.
Mr. Jacobs, what do you recommend for the musical artist? What format should we put stuff out on?
That’s a question beyond my pay grade, Robin. You should speak with someone on the label side of the business, or even shoot a note to my friend, Haley Jones, at Nielsen Music.
I know this is an old post but i have just spent the best part of a day researching this topic… I wont bore you all with my findings but just get straight to the conclusion. Unfortunately having a physical collection of Music is a thing of the past and in 20 years from now (the 2040’s) there wont be anymore new CD’s or Vinyl being released, The master copy will remain in the recording studio archive and the general population will be accessing the music from online services or “The Cloud”… while this both upsets and infuriates me at the same time the change has already come and we will are powerless to stop it! The Juggernaut of Technology always moves forward and Me, You and the rest of us will be like Dinosaurs gaurding our eggs… clinging on to a way of life, a time, and indeed a culture of Record collections and music appreciation in general… we will still be there in the shadows, probably swapping and buying amongst ourselves… but my point is that all new bands/artists will be uploaded directly to “The Cloud” and unfortunately many old rarities which are already getting hard to find will not make that transition to “The Cloud” and as a result will be lost forever, Literally Lost in Time… as mankind in general makes the final move to the 100% digital world which awaits us. GUARD YOUR EGGS! i know i will 🙂
Johno, some say I’m a dinosaur now!
It’s like that old Prince quote: “If you don’t own your masters, your masters own you.” Thanks for chiming in.
Good don’t need all that junk in my home… Just use Spotify like normal people is easier and cheaper