Some people remember when Compact Discs first came out. The CD allowed people to listen to their favorite bands or artists without having to rewind.
In the late 1990’s, the CD-R came out allowing us to “rip” discs for sharing.
The CD, though, is now becoming a thing of the past. Best Buy will no longer be selling CDs starting July 1 . Target, too, will only sell CDs under a consignment basis.
“Entertainment has been and continues to be an important part of Target’s brand. We are committed to working closely with our partners to bring the latest movies and music titles, along with exclusive content, to our guests,” said Target in a statement to theverge.com. “The changes we’re evaluating to our operating model, which shows a continued investment in our Entertainment business, reflect a broader shift in the industry and consumer behavior. We have nothing more to share at this time.”
Soon CDs will only be found in places such as Walmart, record shops and online.
This evolution is brought on by streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music taking over the industry.
In 2000, Pandora first came to us as the first “Internet radio.”
Eight years later, Spotify came and together the two offered free music without the hassle of “ripping” CDs or spending money.
According to digitaltrends.com, in 2014, streaming revenue eclipsed CD sales for the first time, and did the same for digital downloads in 2015.
It seems since the Internet is easy to access for most people, so is music.
Music can be offered to people with the press of a button. Streaming made it easier to take your favorite songs with you on the go. No other devices other than your phone are needed.
In this day and age however, there are people who still prefer owning a CD and browsing through the different cases that are available to them.
“I actually have all CDs in my car,” said Delta College student Sarah Wilkinson. “I don’t listen to the radio. The few times I do, it’s usually because I don’t have a CD I want to listen to. I have a bunch of CDs in my car and in a drawer, I don’t really buy music on iTunes or anything.”
CD lovers won’t stray from what they love just because something else is more popular.
“I buy CDs for certain bands and artists that I really like just because of the artwork, and I also want physical copies of it,” said Delta student Matthew Collins.
Despite what media is saying about CDs dying, there are still some places where CDs will always be made available.
Enter a record shop for example, chances are you’ll find stacks of CDs along with tons of vinyl records and cassette tapes, which ironically have been growing steadily in population.
Stores like Rasputin’s Music on Pacific Avenue sells a wide variety of CDs and other forms of music, along with DVDs and VHS, which has been considered dead for quite some time now.
