Best Buy to Stop Selling CD's

[David Houck]

I just read that Best Buy, once the largest music retailer in the US, will stop selling CD's.  It's an interesting sign of the changes that music listeners and musicians are experiencing.


I'm wondering how you all see this unfolding, those of you who record music for distribution, and those that acquire music for listening.  Are Spotify and Apple Music now the primary channels for music distribution?

[cozmik_cowboy]

I guess it's too much to hope that they're going back to vinyl......

Peter

[edwardofhuncote]

All the (younger) folks I play with either stream or download...  me, I just gotta' have those liner notes. 

[growlypants]

This is just terrible news.

[bigredbass]

I realize it's down to economics and most people prefer downloads, and why sell CD's or vinyl for a much lower return . . . . . . then, you lose your U-phone (it's not really an I-phone) or your desktop crashes, and then you get to re-buy everything (or steal it again), and then it makes sense.  Repeat Sales ! ! !

Here in NashVegas we have more than a few used music stores, so it doesn't matter.  And like EdofH says, a download doesn't tell me WHO's playing what.

[gtrguy]

Guitar Center is selling vinyl though. Go figure...

[mica]

All the (younger) folks I play with either stream or download...  me, I just gotta' have those liner notes. 

I'm totally with you, Greg! Why no liner notes on the digitally provided formats? Really, how hard is it to include a text file?

[cozmik_cowboy]

And you can't open up the cover of an MP3 to clean the seeds out of....er, never mind; I don't live in a free state 


Peter  (who would, of course, never do such a thing in violation of the duly constituted laws, allegedly)

[StephenR]

Vinyl sales actually have been increasing for years as CD sales decline.

https://tinyurl.com/yb8hl9rq

There is also a new vinyl pressing plant being built in the Washington D.C. area that will be able to press nine million LPs per year.

https://tinyurl.com/y9bcuccy

I like the convenience and portability of CDs but prefer the sound of vinyl. IMO just about every newer CD is mastered way too loud and the dynamic range of the music is non-existent. I do stream music on youtube when I need to learn a new song or brush up on ones I haven't played in years but I don't buy commercial digital downloads or subscribe to any music streaming services. Any music I download is always live recordings.

[keith_h]

I don't purchase anything from Best Buy do to their corporate culture. Have had more than one case where they would not replace a defective item that was sent as a gift because they use different UPC's for the identical item across regions.

As far as CD's or albums go I purchase them online and would not like to see them go. First, many albums are assembled with a concept in mind. Listening ala carte loses the context of the songs and what the artist was trying to convey. I also like being able to hear an artist, for lack of a better word, mature. By having the full album you will frequently run across the transitional works for later material. Another thing is I'm not always someplace I can stream and downloaded copies need backing up to minimize loss when computer problems inevitably arise. Lastly it is hard to buy a digital copy, wrap it up and put it under the Christmas tree. We have to get over this idea that just because it's new doesn't mean it's better. 

[rv_bass]

It’s also a lot easier (and quicker) to eject a CD and pop in different one, rather than try to scroll through lists on a device while driving (keeps your eyes on the road where they should be). 

[pauldo]

^^^ all of that.
Avoid big box stores, prefer vinyl, love liner notes that I don't need to use my bi-focals to read, rather have the whole work instead of just one song, noticed an uptick in vinyl releases and I did find some plant matter stuck in the crease of I Wanna Play For You.

[edwardofhuncote]

A similar (however smaller-scaled) story ran a little while back on Bluegrass Today, about a clearing house for hard copies in several formats...

https://bluegrasstoday.com/county-sales-going-out-of-business/

I can't tell you how many hours of youth I spent going through their shelves for some obscure Norman Blake recording.

[lbpesq]

It really is a shame how convenience rather than sound quality drives the bus when it comes to music.  Personally, I can't listen to most mp3 recordings.  I was one of not-enough-people who jumped on Neil Young's Pono system.  Even though the Pono store has been shut down, the ability to have my little player filled with at least CD quality, if not higher resolution recordings, was worth the investment.

Bill, tgo

[Glynn]

Not sure it really matters. A nice sound when listening is good but whether that is cd, vinyl or any other medium then surely it is about the music and the song/tune.
(I know this is totally different when I am playing in that I like the best sound that I can produce BUT I wouldn't want to go back to the days when it was considered OK to pay £100 for a stylus.)
I liken it to the "Past is not always the Best" and a good example is that someone is now advertising a 1963 Fender Precision that is original and certainly looks it!  The paint is all scratched and the bridge is dirty - guess the price?  £250......£500.....NO.....£11000!!
I had a Fender 1968 Jazz new and it was a terrific working bass but had electrical probs.  It was stolen in 2000 and the insurance of £1000 bought me my Alembic Orion which I still have and can sound like any bass I want.
The point?....concentrate on the reason for putting recordings out there...good music....and I wouldn't personally get too hung up on the means of playing them back.
Glynn