Article #5 – Downloads or CD’s

I think we all know that the way to win over a girl is to make her a mix tape. I remember spending hours going through and listening to what seemed like a million songs trying to find the right ones. I know everyone knows what I’m talking about, because everyone has either made a mix tape or received one. Now that I think about it though, it wasn’t a tape. I made mix Cd’s. “Mix cd” does not have the same ring to it is as “mix tape” does. In the same way that tapes and vinyl are not very common anymore I am willing to bet Cd’s will be phased out at some point for some new format.

What does the future hold for the compact disc? Is it already on its way out, or does it have a long life ahead of itself still? 588.2 million Albums were sold in 2005 which is 4.9% less than the previous year, and although not surpassing in store album sales digital downloads were up 65% from 2005. Last year people purchased an amazing 581.9 million tracks online. Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m personally not really a numbers person but those are still some interesting figures.

We’re at an interesting crossroads in time, when it comes to the way that music is delivered to us. Everything points towards downloads phasing out physical cds sooner or later, but can a download phase out something tangible? I for one will miss the feeling of buying that new Cd and sitting there flipping through the booklet reading lyrics and looking at the artwork. Staring at a computer screen reading a “digital” booklet is just not the same, trust me.

We cant hold on to the past forever, especially while technology rages on. As long as DRM is prevalent I think we need Cds or at least something tangible that we can use for personal use in whichever way we chose.

Are you someone that buys/gets (well talk about “gets” later down the road) albums online or in the store? Which do you prefer and why?