Music downloads - are you on board?

[The Curmudgeon]

It's a fact that more and more music is now being sold on the digital format, with physical copies (especially in the single format) being rendered obsolete as Ipod's and the like become ever more dominant in the way we listen to music.

But has it affected YOU? Do you still buy all your music on CDs? Or have your most recent purchases all been online?

Personally, I do buy a lot of songs from I-Tunes, but I've become increasingly tired of the faceless, relatively worthless nature of it. In fact, I've now made a pact to try and listen to CDs more, as its just too easy to browse through my I-Tunes library and listen to various tracks while I'm typing. Music shouldn't be like that, dammit. Oh, and I would never, ever buy a full album from I-Tunes. That just seems pointless to me.

Comments?

[trashcanman]

Agreed. I listen to CD's in my car and I take my iPod to work with me as I'm lucky enough to work in the one place in the plant that allows us to have a stereo. I've purhased a few dozen songs from iTunes, but nothing more. Full albums? Pssssh. As if. I'll cling to the compact disc format for as long as I can find them.

[The Curmudgeon]

Do you think the CD will die, Trashy? I mean.. I really can't imagine a day when a record store is full of nothing but little "download" machines. Man, what a grey day that's gonna be.

[trashcanman]

I think it's inevitable that the format will be replaced in time, probably by little mini data drives that plug into a USB port or something. I don't think the physical industry will die so much as downsize with the new format when and if it comes. And just like people still seek out records that are actually on RECORDS (vinyl and such) there will be a market for CD's, it'll just be smaller.

[The Curmudgeon]

Believe it or not, but vinyl singles (in the UK anyway) now outsell CD singles.