Do you think CDs will be the last physical form of music?
 

Hey guys, as time has gone on, many different physical formats of music have been introduced but with the huge popularity of digital based music, do you guys think that the compact disc (CD) will be the last physical form of music? (or at least for a long time?)

I was wondering this the other day when my father told me that he collected a bunch of vinyl when he was younger only to have them be made completely out of date by a new form of media. I thought to myself that with all the CDs I've collected, it would suck if a new form of physical music came and made my collection out of date.

So what do you guys think?

I would think the record labels would try to promote/patronise/fund some sort of new digital format, as they want to be able to charge inflated prices for music (as they always have done) and can't do that with downloads where people can pick a single track if that's all they want. How many albums do you have where, had you the choice at the time (vinyl or CD) you might not have chosen certain tracks, if you could pay less? That's the way music is going now, and I expect the record industry to do all they can to limit people's choices and get themselves back behind the seat of power.

How they're going to do it, I have no idea. I suppose it all depends on what's next? 3D music discs? DVD concerts with albums? Interactive albums? Holo-discs? Who can say? But I'd think physical music will be with us for some time yet: can't see the Cigars letting go of the reins while there's life in their overpaid bodies!

By the way, which one's Pink? ;)

I imagine some sort of flash disk would be the next storage medium. Makes for pretty tiny album art. Actual walk in music stores are probably a little redundant though.

Yeah, I can see that being a possibility. I wouldn't be surprised.

I think it's the last physical media for music, at least for some time to come. SACD and DVD-A came and went (for the most part) and I don't see BD-Audio gaining much traction outside of a niche audiophile community.

We already see the clues with digital downloads slowly creeping up to overtake CD sales. Even with the vinyl anomaly right now, I see CD's dropping down to niche status within about 5 years, and vinyl/SACD/the rest not gaining much traction outside what's already occurred.

It's the reality of the situation -- I like physical media since it's not lossy in nature, but most consumers are quite happy with high-rate lossy files from Amazon or iTunes. And if they go lossless and high-res, that will be the final nail in the coffin for physical media for sure.

There is no doubt that CD will be the last physical thing before digital age will really take over. Tapes are long dead.

I can see vinyl outlasting CD. It has both novelty value and quite the loyal following. But in terms of the last "new" physical technology, yes. It will be the last one that will have caught on.

USB Flash Drive albums just didn't have the same appeal. There are only so many of those things you can use.

Vinyl will survive CD. My understanding is that it's doing well amongst audiophiles and general collectors, whereas nobody really appreciates the CD.

But the thing is that blank CDs is still around quite a bit.

Only because cars don't all have aux inputs for ipods.