The Rapid Rise (& Fall) of the CD

@kennymacc "If you attend any high end audio show from here to Kalamazoo, you'll see turn tables spinning vinyl records in just about every room.  However, when you look around that room, you'll see practically nobody but middle age older people salivating over the old physical media (and that incudes the people running the room."

Maybe you don't see them because they can't afford at this stage of their lives the equipment displayed at the  high end shows that doesn't mean that they aren't purchasing turntables that they can afford and hence vinyl. Likewise, they may well not be gawking over highend streamers or all in ones but that doesn't sop them from streaming

Vinyl was enjoying some popularity with the 30s crowd. They like to display album covers as art work.. I had written before about my nephew, otherwise a fairly intelligent guy, buying an lp and then being shocked to learn he couldn’t play it in a computer disc drive. One of my son’s girlfriend, who truly is an idiot, buys LPs and plays them them on some box of a contraption that includes a turn table, speakers, usb port and Bluetooth transmitter. It retails for $50 and she then raves about the sound of her $40 Barnes and Noble vinyls.

Antique stores are dying. No one wants old big heavy furniture, silver, or china that smells of mold and moth balls. However there will apparently always be a desire for stuff from yester year . Vinyl and CD fill some of that need. It occupies less space, has a higher spousal acceptance factor, and is a lot more functional than a set of dishes that are hauled out twice a year for holiday meals.
The CD players that will fit the antique collectors wants the best are the top loaders and ones that show the spinning disc. After all you can’t watch the bits from a streamer produce music

The discussion of physical media in a world of streaming is not new. While I stream music, most of the time, my favorite streaming service is broadcast FM Stereo, played through a decent analog tuner with a good antenna. 

Every shift in nee technology brings a renewed interest in old content. When CDs hit in the 80s there was a ton of material getting released that was 20+ years old and you would need to skip a car payment to afford. Same with the vinyl resurgence of late. I’m more interested in how the shifts affect the available content  myself. As far as I’m concerned, the more times culture changes its mind, the better for me. 

Interesting view points! I personally like Cd's, a lot. They are more convenient to use than records and easier to store. I have the ability to create my own Cd's or DVD's to preserve whatever I want. Cd's work well in the car, providing far better SQ than tapes or radio. CD's only need power to provide music, an internet connection is not required, something that is not always available. The biggest downfall to the CD is they are still attractive to thieves who think nothing of smashing car windows to get them? They also tend to scratch far easier than we were initially led to believe they would be. I do spin my CD's quit a bit at home, I won't be getting rid of them any time soon.