If CD’s are on the way out...

[Masterlu]

Ok, CD’s are on the way out I get that and agree. I for one still enjoy buying physical media, CD’s, Blu Rays etc.

I buy on average 10+ CD’s a week. I am noticing that CD prices are on the rise. Is this perhaps to make up for the loss of volume sales.

[Antonmb]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

I am noticing that CD prices are on the rise. Is this perhaps to make up for the loss of volume sales.

Could be. I’ve read that more CDs are being produced in small facilities vs the big production facilities, and in much smaller batches. This is bound to cause cost increases.

[crwilli]

Originally Posted by Antonmb

Could be. I’ve read that more CDs are being produced in small facilities vs the big production facilities, and in much smaller batches. This is bound to cause cost increases.

And I suspect a conscious decision by the business to skim as much as they can from the most ardent purchasers. Eg those who are buying now are more likely to pay more because they are more committed to the medium.

[jimtranr]

I don't stream, as I'm a cheapskate who doesn't want to be subscription-paid-restricted to what any of the applicable services do or don't offer. But I download to some extent (typically, three or four hi-rez albums a month) and have largely shifted my listening habits to computer-stored downloads, rips of a number of the CDs and 24/96 or 24/192 DVD-Audios (or their DAD relatives) I've acquired over the years, and, lately--thanks to a pair of newly-acquired vintage Mediatek-chipped Sony Blu-Ray players--rips of my approximately 250 SACDs.

I grew up browsing through record-store bins starting in the late 1950s, and I've adapted that habit to the online universe, pawing my way through the catalogs of a diverse array of sites (among them, but not limited to, ProStudio Masters, Presto, Hyperion, ImportCDs, Elusive Disc, AcousticSounds, eBay, and occasionally Amazon). I've discovered that in some instances it's cheaper to buy a physical SACD than to purchase an equivalent download, and that applies in some cases as well to CDs for which there's no hi-rez version. So guess what the cheapskate does in those situations. In other words, I'm still buying physical media.

While I've noted that CD prices tend be trending upward, I've also discovered that it pays to shop around. In some instances there are close to glaring disparities in pricing for the same disc between one vendor and another, so if your particular "time is money" equation allows it (mine does, since I'm long retired), comparison shopping can be well worth it.

I'd note, too, that among the not inconsiderable number of my non-audiophile but music-loving friends, there's no perceived incentive to abandon their CD players for rips, downloads, or streaming (no matter how much I rave about hi-rez or the convenience of computer storage and playback in my emails to or conversations with them). It's largely a matter of generational mindset, but their numbers are large enough, at least at present, to guarantee a continuing market for physical media.

[bart]

Ivan, I still buy them also, but (much) less than before.
First, I already own so much of those silver discs.
And second, I do stream a lot nowadays, and the quality of the streams of the music I mostly listen to is decent to excellent.

CD sales are falling rapidly, even in Germany now (CD won from streaming until last year).
So I guess the cost of printing them now is relatively higher then a couple of years ago, hence the rising prices.

But like you, I observe that also second hand prices are going up.
CDs might be a good investment after all...

[gadawg]

While I acknowledge that cds will go away ... I’ve noticed over 50 of my favorite albums are no longer available on tidal recently and many never were on Qobuz. Doesn’t give me the warm and fuzzies for sure as titles will likely vanish from streaming services if they don’t get enough play.

George

[Route 66]

I enjoy streaming most of my music now and rarely ever touch my physical media anymore. Having said that though, I just purchased a CD last week (the first in a long time) because that artist's music disappeared from both Tidal and Qobuz.

[audioguy3107]

I've noticed the same thing as well, and you have to figure the CD will eventually become the retro cool thing to buy at some point.

- Buck

[oddeophile]

Just like vinyl’s comeback.

[Robert_Anderson]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

Ok, CD’s are on the way out I get that and agree. I for one still enjoy buying physical media, CD’s, Blu Rays etc.

I buy on average 10+ CD’s a week. I am noticing that CD prices are on the rise. Is this perhaps to make up for the loss of volume sales.

Do you focus on high end recordings and collectables, or just try to get as much music as you enjoy?