I'd have to say that I fall firmly on
BOTH sides of this one.
I personally
NEVER read the liner notes on CDs.
If I'm curious about the details I generally just Google them.
Therefore, when I acquire a new CD, it immedlately gets ripped, and the plastic gets tossed into the closet in a box.
However, of course, some people do enjoy that aspect of collecting music.
That said, I do also have somewhat of a "collector mentality".
Because of that, I have certain groups and artists who I 'collect", and I do enjoy knowing that "I have all their discs".
I also enjoy knowing that I will never lose access to any of their albums due to a licensing dispute or something like that (which might result in its becoming unavailable via streaming).
Therefore, I will always buy a copy of their latest album when it comes out, and keep the CD and the album notes in my permanent collection.
However, that only applies to a small percentage of all the music I listen to.
For a much larger majority of it, I am quite satisfied being able to simply punch up a song from a streaming service.
It saves me the aggravation of finding a CD that I rarely listen to, and, if one specific song were to become unavailable, it wouldn't be a tragedy.
(If I feel that way about one or two songs then I'll buy the CD they're on - or buy a download copy - or find a copy I can back up some other way.)
Also, to be honest, my main concern is that I not lose access to the music, so a full quality file I can download and back up on a hard drive is about as good as the plastic version.
I'm currently in the process of sorting through the remainder of the rather large collection of CDs I've acquired over the years.
I plan to rip and keep the ones that I consider "my favorites"... and the rest will go to a friend of mine who still has a CD player and enjoys handling the plastic.
(Those are the ones that never come out of the closet now anyway - because they're easier to stream.)
I should also point out that the whole ecosystem of tradictional physical discs has some serious drawbacks than many people seem to ignore.
First, there is the whole absurd notion about licensing and ownership.
A long time ago, I purchased a vinyl copy of Dark Side Of The Moon; at the time I was told that most of the $15 I paid was for the license to listen to the music.
Then I purchased the MFSL "audiophile version" (which is mastered very differently and sounds quite different).
However, not only did I pay for new plastic and new mastering, but I didn't even get a discount because
I HAD ALREADY PAID FOR THE MUSIC.
Then, when it came out on CD, I was expected to pay full price again (even though they insisted that the plastic was only about $1 and the license was most of the price).
And, when the dog ate my disc one day, instead of simply "replacing the plastic for a service charge", those crooks expected me to pay full price again.
Many people complain that computer software companies are unethical.
However, as long as you retain a copy of the license, most of them will allow you to download a new copy of the actual software for free, or sell you a replacement disc for a few $$$.
Second, there is a trend with many record companies these days to issue
multiple different copies of their physical CDs.
There may be "the regular copy, the deluxe copy, and the special copy they sell at Target"...
Or there may be different copies that are ostensibly targeted to different countries or continents.
While they have various ways of justifying the need to do so I personally find it to be highly unethical.
It means that, if I really want to buy "all the songs on their new album", I am forced to purchase multiple copies of the disc (different versions).
(Instead of being fair and saying: "You already paid $15 for the disc; we'll sell you the extra deluxe track for another $1".)
(I see no problem with having a "deluxe version" that has more songs than the "cheap version" - but, if I purchase the most expensive copy, I should get ALL the songs.
Don't tell me that there are two songs that are ONLY available on "the South American version disc"... but two other songs are only available on the US version.)
Not only do I personally find this highly unethocal...
But, from a practical point of view, it means that,
EVEN IF I BUY THE ACTUAL DISC I AM NOT ASSURED OF HAVING ACCESS TO THE ENTIRE ALBUM.
(To me, this completely eliminates one of the main reasons for owning that disc, which was to actually be assured access to it.)
There are always collectors who collect like stamps. Some people collect headphones like that. I don't fill lists myself though. I chase down branches of the tree looking for relationships between performers and styles. It isn't as organized as stamp collecting- more organic.
I tend to explore particular subjects in bursts... for instance, I heard a Buddy Rich song that I liked, so I bought a few Buddy Rich box sets and devoured them. When I listen to a bunch of a particular kind of music, I can get a feel for the overall shape of the subject. That is what I'm interested in, not specific songs.