Thread: In the not-so-distant future, will the notion of music as a physical object be

archaic? With the ever-increasing popularity of iTunes and, groans, LimeWire, is the notion of music as a physical object you can sell in a store and hold in your hands (in other words, CDs) becoming archaic? Will we soon reach a day where it's no longer worth the cost of producing, shippig, and storing CDs simply because so few people are buying them?

I hate the idea, but I don't feel it's so far-fetched. I can easily imagine, in, say, 2035, CDs being in a small corner in specialty shops or sold for high prices on band websites only, and the lion's share of sales being done through the internet. Ugh.
I hate the idea of an album only existing as MP3s in a folder on my computer. It's such a 'fuller' experience to hold the CD, with the liner notes and such. You feel as if you truly own the music in a certain respect.

I used to believe CDs would be replaced eventually by a different medium (VHS to DVD-type switch), but it seems fewer people every year actually buy music in stores. It seems like it's a dying concept. F*cking society. lol

It's true dude....cd's will be extinct sooner then we all think it's going to be rare to have cd's..

argh stupid technology

I think a worse repercussion is the amount of overproducing nowadays. Vinyls couldnt really be overproduced because of their limitations. The music is much more important than the form it comes in.

Sad but true.I don't even want to think about it.In fact, I probably won't be able to sleep tonight.

unfortunately, yes. the same thing will happen with books as well, though it will take longer. practicality wise, it's not such a bad thing. sentimentally? it's depressing as fuck.

I think we'll be paying for bandwidth.

Commercial music is already digitally recorded at higher than CD quality, usually in software called ProTools, and is 'dithered down' for CDs -- a standard that dates back to the 80's.

Obviously it's over.

I think sadly that's the way it seems to be going. I feel actually going out and buying the cd makes the music much more special and personal.

*cringes* Yes, I fear the same thing. Call me old fashion, but I still buy 95% of my music in CD format just because I feel like it is incomplete without the album art work and, well, the physical thing. So, yes, I do unfortunately foresee this change :S