Sunday, May 25, 2008

MISSING (iNightmare)



Have you seen these or their cousin, the DVD?

Does anyone still go into a store and actually buy CDs? I love buying CDs. Especially for my favorite artists and those artists that I like but aren't gold and platinum selling. I love walking out of the store with and having that case and liner notes in my hand. Everytime I buy a Hip-Hop CD and I know DJ Premier has a track on it, I scan the notes for his song and it's typically the first thing that I play.

Lots of times I like to admire the artwork on the cover while I'm listening to the album the first time through if it cover art of note. Although, sadly, that's a dying art as well. Last dope album cover I remember was Blackstar's album cover. Now, I'll buy individual tracks online and sometimes albums that I just absolutely can't find a physical copy. When buying digital music I use Amazon.com's mp3 store, which by the way is the greatest thing ever! All of their songs are DRM free, which means they can be played on any mp3 player. They also have a massive library of music, which doesn't require a subscription or software that needs to be downloaded in order to use their store, which can't be said for most major online music retailers. I can't believe it took them this long to finally get into the digital music business. Seemed like such a logical step. I know it's definitely good for the consumer since Apple has become the top music retailer of any kind. They definitely need the compitition. Monopolies are never good for the consumer.

Enough with the Amazon love and back to the original topic of this blog, CDs and why people aren't buying them. I know it's so easy to cop music online, but when you hear a great album don't you still go to the store and cop it to support the artist? I know you're saying, "but, 8, you have music to download on your blog!" Yes, this is true, but I tend to keep things to an indivdual track or mixtapes, which are for promotional use only. :) But, even when I do download an album for free, if it's hot I still go out and buy it, unless we are talking about Jay-Z's of the world (although the only hot album he has is Reasonable Doubt and I do own that) who along with Madonna & possibly 50 Cent are no longer focusing on CD/music sales. They are concentrating more on other means of revenue like clothing, vitamin water, acting & concerts. Hell, newer artists like The Cool Kids aren't even that concerned about selling albums at all. According to Chuck of The Cool Kids in an interview with Rhapsody.com,
Everybody is like, “Aright, so when’s the album coming out?” We’re probably just going to keep leaking songs till we figure this thing out. Why not? Who cares? If we have a song and you want to hear it, you can get it. So what is the point? I’m just really rebellious toward what I can and can’t do. I can do whatever I want. If it was up to me, I’d just make CDs and put them out. You can’t sell music, man. It’s not possible. You can sell tickets to a show so you can do those songs. We’re past selling music. It’s boring.


If I'm lucky enough to ever have children, I wonder if they will even know what a CD is. It's probably going to be just as bad for DVDs in the next year or two. Movie and TV show rentals make total sense. I would download or stream a rental, easily through something like Netflix, Zune Marketplace or iTunes. Apple now makes movies available to buy the same day as the DVDs hit the shelves, previously they would be available a month after DVD release. Even Blockbuster is attempting to throw their hat in the video download ring. With their bid to buy Circuit City it's believed that they would use Circuit City as a way to sell set top boxes that would receive the movies that you would download from Blockbuster's website.

I can watch a TV show on my laptop, but I don't know if I want to sit infront of a monitor to watch a movie. I'll often find myself catching an episode of The Office on Hulu.com. But, when it comes to movies the only options in regards to downloading for me would be something like Apple TV or the proposition that Blockbuster may offer if the aquisition of Circuit City is successful. I need to see my movies on TV, but even with that as an option I still want that case and cover. Plus, do these movie downloads come with all the extras of the DVD? I just caught Iron Man in the theater on Friday and when that movie is released how could you not have the extras, also?

There's something to be said for shelves full fo CDs & DVDs. I guess it's the High Fidelity in me.

*shrug*

p.s. What's the last CD or DVD that you went into a store to buy?

p.p.s. When and if you do legal downloading, what service do you use?


7 comments:

SerenityLife said...

I FEEL YOU!

I lived down the street from Tower Records in NYC on 66th and Broadway.

When the store went bankrupt and closed, I cried so much I did not know what to do. That is when I discovered last.fm and other music stores in NYC but most of them are closing too. There is one in the village (disc-o-rama) that I frequent every now and then but it is so sad not having what I am accustomed to and that is a record store on every block that people would hang out and shoot the breeze with.

I still buy CDs when I can but I have been using more of CD Baby.

Independent route for me for it seems as though those singers signed to a major label are about pushing units and not making a true economical return unless they make their money from merchandise and concerts. Just my take on all of it.

Thanks for the memories!

[hugz]

Unknown said...

I hear you... to be honest, i'm just not with the whole online music thing. It just feels weird to me. I've bought tracks from itunes....but i still have to go get the cd.

I know technology is constant.... i just hope i'll be able to keep up.
The last CD i bought was The Devil Wears Prada Soundtrack and... Santogold

Lena said...

:( @ Jay-Z's only hot album being Reasonable Doubt. what about Blueprint?? anyhoo, I think I'll always want a physical copy of stuff. I LIKE getting up & actually traveling to a store to buy an album on the day it comes out. something about having to get up & make time in your day to buy it makes it seem more official or...something. anyhoo, the last CD I bought was Rising Down.

8thlight said...

@ Serenitylife: From now on artists will be focused more on the selling of tickets to concerts & merchandise it seems. It may be good for concert goers if it results in artists hitting the road more, but on the flipside it may bring higher ticket prices. :(

@ Kristin: Yeah, I mainly only buy individual tracks online from Amazon, but every now and then there is an album that I can only find online so I just have to bite the bullet. I want Torae's Daily Conversation, but I can't find it in any store around here. I may cop the hard copy from Amazon.

How's that Santogold?

@ d'lena: Sorry, but I really didn't like those Blueprint albums. They had tracks here and there that I liked, but it was something that was strictly for the clubs and that's not me. Reasonable Doubt & The Black Album are the only two that I own and listen to fully. lol

How do you like Rising Down?

Hello Kitty Junkie said...

I do buy cds (just not new ones) I have been trying to acquire a good Jazz collection lately... So I will probably keep buying old cds.

I try to support Amoeba Records (independent shop in Hollywood) because it's my favorite shop and they have like everything. :) And I also like the instant gratification.

Oh! And I will buy anything Mariah Carey... Always! I will take a picture of my Hello Kitty cd rack with all Mariah cds, hehehe. ;)

*Coop* said...

*chiming in super late*

The last CD I purchased was Musiq's Onmyradio.

And I use iTunes for downloads. It'll likely change soon, thanks to some helpful information. :-)

Krishna Benjamin said...

Yo i really rate what you saying. I'm from Jamaica and for the most part most people don't buy the CD's. They use file sharing programs and blogs like yours to get the music they want(promotional purposes only lol)and if they do buy CD's it is usually of the 'burned' persuasion. I think original CD purchases in Jamaica have virtually died, so much so that most of the musical artistes in Jamaica have been reduced to releasing singles with no album i sight! All of this in the hopes that they will get enough airplay from the one song so that people will know them and then get bookings for concerts or parties. I personally hope that we will get back to supporting artistes that we like in the right way i.e. buy their CD's and stop leeching! KUDOS