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Posts: 15242
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
CD Baby Overstock
So back in 2017 I got a message saying I had too much in stock of my album Live in Fresno with Jesus Montoya, and that I had to pay them for shipping or they would “recycle” the overstock. The album is pretty much out of print so those 3 copies they had were of the last. I announced it then (I couldn’t find it here so maybe I used facebook?) and some people bought them, leaving only one in stock. So Yesterday I got a ridiculous message that I had too many in stock, only 1 copy total, and the same deal, send them money to ship it or they recycle it! I feel it is the sad punctuation mark on the end of an era.
Looks like the CD is going the way of the vinyl LP. I've got stacks of both. Reading Jose Manuel Gamboa's "La Correspondencia de Sabicas" I've wanted to fill a few gaps in the collection. A couple of times I could find no CD, only an LP was available.
My regular site for classical recordings has been bought by someone else. It has been down for months, but claims it will be back. We'll see.
The streaming people have wiped out the the musicians' earnings from recordings.
After using a cheap Sony TV sound system for years, I upgraded my good stereo setup for surround sound. TV and movie soundtracks still sound lousy most of the time.
During the last couple of years the local classical guitar society has streamed several concerts due to the pandemic. They have figured out how to make Youtube sound good, so there's that.
"If the world was perfect, it wouldn't be." Yogi Berra
Looks like the CD is going the way of the vinyl LP. I've got stacks of both.
I do too. I have kept my favorite vinyl LPs in my collection, from classical to folk to country & western to jazz to flamenco and beyond, since I was in high school. And I still play them on a Sony Stereo unit I bought in 1977 at the Military Assistance Group's PX when I was assigned to the American Embassy in Manila. They still sound great.
Interestingly, there seems to be a movement among aficionados back to the vinyl LP. But it will probably remain small. I'm glad I kept all of mine.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
I still have my vinyl too, and bought a turntable a few years ago, but rarely use it. I'll still buy CD's and rip them so I can listen on my phone, etc. I like having the physical product, but the reality is that CD's are dead.
I saw a post yesterday from a local jazz guitarist who said it made no sense for him to make records anymore. He went on to say he regretted not making any for the last decade because he has no record of how his playing has changed. He also said he was planning a new recording. Musicians will always record, if only for themselves and their fans, but it's a money loser for most all these days. Really a shame.
CDBaby was great for independent musicians at one point, now they just siphon off a percentage of the paltry streaming fees. Napster killed it for musicians, and the public showed they don't care as long as they get free music. People blamed the greedy record companies and the fact that a cd was 20.00 when the reality is they stole the music because they could. If they could walk onto a car lot and take BMW's, they'd do that too.
Interestingly, there seems to be a movement among aficionados back to the vinyl LP.
According to the British Phonographic Industry UK vinyl sales are in their 14th consecutive year of growth. 5 million bought last year. Vinyl purchases at their highest level in over three decades.
RIAA report USA 2021 vinyl sales are in the 15th consecutive year of growth. 2021 vinyl revenue $1 billion, accounting for 63% of revenues from physical formats. Streaming accounts for 83% of total revenues. Streaming revenue was $12.4 billion, compared to physical sales revenue of $1.65 billion.
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