I hear vinyl sales are surging, and are the highest they’ve been for decades, I wonder what’s happening with CDs? I’m getting into listening to music on CD, cassette and LP again, recently. Call me nostalgic, but I predict a further surge in physical media sales over the next decade, and a movement back to properly enjoying music again.
Something about physical media
Something about the sound quality and ceremony of vinyl, the act of choosing CDs and cassettes, stacking them in a queue, opening the case, looking at the album art which is fab. Vinyl in particular just sounds warmer, fuller and more real, and I love looking at the album sleeve, taking out the record, the smell, placing it on the turn table, and setting the needle. And having to turn an album half way, introduces extra effort which makes you appreciate what you are listening to more.
Wonderful memories awakened
Listening to Ben Folds 5, takes me back to Uni, at Warwick, chatting with friends, enjoying good company, and listening to CDs. Playing an old mixtape takes me back to my childhood, in the rear of the car, on our way to Great Yarmouth. Listening to ‘The Corrs’ greatest hits, reminded me of visiting my sister in her shared accommodation in Edgebaston, whilst she was at uni.
Why physical media for music really is better
Digital music is so throw away, whereas other formats seem more tangible, worthwhile, tactile and memorable. The physical experience to me is more meaningful, because you have something physical to hold and look at. Also because you own a physical asset, it takes up physical space, and so feels like it has more importance. I think that also physical media is expensive, so there’s more curation involved, and more pride in building and having a collection. There’s something mirrored with eBooks – there’s a place for them, but there’s nothing quite like the experience of reading a good book, an actual real paper book.
Even the ceremony of choosing is just better, it involves visual cues as well as physical cues of touching the cases, moving around the music shelf, picking them up and putting them down and all the memories each illicit.
My journey back to real music
My old Aiwa Hifi, which just looks sleek, is on its last legs, screen no longer working, cassette player eats tape, CD no longer works. Though radio works! I managed to find one on ebay… took a punt, but that failed to work any better – though the screen still functions.
So I reset, researched, and managed to find a boombox from Argos which plays CDs and cassettes, as such I’ve been in my element, beginning to re-explore my back catalogue of music CDs.
I still love vinyl.
Do you listen to CDs, cassettes or vinyl?
Do you listen to music on physical formats? Why or why not? Leave a comment.
So TL;DR – Rediscover the joy of music, one ‘real’ album at a time.
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