CDs or Downloads?
Over the past couple years I have become an online-music convert, meaning I've stopped buying CDs in favor of music downloads (no, not the illegal kind). I love being able to buy individual tracks for 99 cents apiece, or an entire album for $9.99. Those numbers satisfy my inner cheapskate (though I'm happier still when I'm able to score 79-cent tracks from BuyMusic.com).
The thing is, I'd rather have CDs. For starters, I can rip the songs in whatever format I want at whatever bit rate I want. Plus I have a backup in case of hard-drive failure. And sometimes it's kinda nice to have song lyrics, liner notes, and all that--stuff you don't get from digital downloads.
But inexplicably, CDs still sell for $12-14 on average. Add a couple bucks for shipping (Amazon, for example, charges $2.98 for one CD) and you're looking at upwards of $17. What's that, you say? I could go to a store and save on shipping? Sure, but then I gotta spend money on gas (chuh-ching!), time in the car and at the mall, and more money on sales tax. I'd be willing to do that if CDs sold for five, six bucks--heck, I'd buy 'em by the crate--but for now CDs are still a rip-off.
So, what is to be learned from this little diatribe? Basically, this: music downloads are still the cheapest way to go, even if you end up burning your own CDs (because blanks cost mere pennies). It also saves you travel time, sales tax, and gas money. Oh, you knew that already? Well, chalk it up to Diatribe Wednesday--basically I just wanted to gripe about CDs and why they still haven't come down in price.
The thing is, I'd rather have CDs. For starters, I can rip the songs in whatever format I want at whatever bit rate I want. Plus I have a backup in case of hard-drive failure. And sometimes it's kinda nice to have song lyrics, liner notes, and all that--stuff you don't get from digital downloads.
But inexplicably, CDs still sell for $12-14 on average. Add a couple bucks for shipping (Amazon, for example, charges $2.98 for one CD) and you're looking at upwards of $17. What's that, you say? I could go to a store and save on shipping? Sure, but then I gotta spend money on gas (chuh-ching!), time in the car and at the mall, and more money on sales tax. I'd be willing to do that if CDs sold for five, six bucks--heck, I'd buy 'em by the crate--but for now CDs are still a rip-off.
So, what is to be learned from this little diatribe? Basically, this: music downloads are still the cheapest way to go, even if you end up burning your own CDs (because blanks cost mere pennies). It also saves you travel time, sales tax, and gas money. Oh, you knew that already? Well, chalk it up to Diatribe Wednesday--basically I just wanted to gripe about CDs and why they still haven't come down in price.
posted by Rick Broida at
12:09 PM
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