[Grado Diesel]

I'm relatively new to the audiophile world. I just got my FIIO X3II earlier this year, a Schiit Vali2 and a pair of HIFIMAN HE-400i's about a month ago. However I've always been an avid music collector and have a massive collection of rocknroll, funk, jazz, blues, country etc mostly in CD form and some vinyls. I hate to see this format disappear. iTunes is great but is definitely geared more towards millennials who don't mind having their music owned and controlled by a company and just want instant gratification on their phones. The hi res music sites are a whole other ball game and I've got respect for them but there is something about having a tangible recording of music that just doesn't exist anywhere else other than with CDs, vinyls, cassettes and reel to reels. I hope some music fans realize this before CDs get phased out.

 

[WraithApe]

I don't think there's much chance in the long term. With the ever-increasing availability of high quality digital downloads and streaming, CDs don't offer anything over and above that. I have a large CD collection myself, but I've ripped them all to files and very rarely play the actual CD in a player. Vinyl is the one physical medium I expect to outlast all others. Technically, it's inferior but offers a different experience that a lot of people like and more importantly, most dance music singles + EPs still come out on vinyl first, with a digital release following maybe a month later. I would almost say CD is a dead format already but rarer CDs do still command a premium on places like Discogs Marketplace, so there's obviously still a market for now, though I suspect it's a generational thing; I can't imagine many people under the age of 30 buying CDs.

 

[Grado Diesel]

I don't think there's much chance in the long term. With the ever-increasing availability of high quality digital downloads and streaming, CDs don't offer anything over and above that. I have a large CD collection myself, but I've ripped them all to files and very rarely play the actual CD in a player. Vinyl is the one physical medium I expect to outlast all others. Technically, it's inferior but offers a different experience that a lot of people like and more importantly, most dance music singles + EPs still come out on vinyl first, with a digital release following maybe a month later. I would almost say CD is a dead format already but rarer CDs do still command a premium on places like Discogs Marketplace, so there's obviously still a market for now, though I suspect it's a generational thing; I can't imagine many people under the age of 30 buying CDs.

You're right, you can get master tape quality recordings off HD Tracks and sites like that which beat CDs quality without a doubt. It's just the tangible aspect that draws me to CDs. I feel that's lost with steaming and downloading music. The other issue I've found, particularly with iTunes is you're at the company's mercy as far as what versions of recordings you get. For example Strangefolks first album is out of print on CD and Apple has it up for download, however the the source Apple used to load this album in their database has skips throughout the songs. Everyone is forced to listen to that same damaged "disc".

 

[WraithApe]

You're right, you can get master tape quality recordings off HD Tracks and sites like that which beat CDs quality without a doubt. It's just the tangible aspect that draws me to CDs. I feel that's lost with steaming and downloading music. The other issue I've found, particularly with iTunes is you're at the company's mercy as far as what versions of recordings you get. For example Strangefolks first album is out of print on CD and Apple has it up for download, however the the source Apple used to load this album in their database has skips throughout the songs. Everyone is forced to listen to that same damaged "disc".

 
That's a point. I was only really looking at it from the perspective of new music, which I buy mainly from Bandcamp these days. For older releases, I guess you do have to rely on services like iTunes which are less than ideal, so in that case I can see the value in still buying CDs and ripping them.
 
Being of an age where I grew up buying albums on cassette tape, then CD, I share your attachment to the physical form, but I'm weening myself off it gradually! This year is the first where all my musical purchases have been digital. For younger generations, I doubt it's an issue at all - the age of physical media is largely in the past. In fact, the whole landscape of music consumption is changing; a lot of people don't even buy and listen to whole albums any more but just download or stream individual tracks. I think that's a shame personally; I always prefer to listen to a whole album or EP.