When I tell people that I own crates full of CDs and that I still go to record stores to buy physical albums, I am typically met with looks of surprise and/or mockery. Let’s face it—most people are just not into CDs anymore. Digital downloads are where it’s at and CD sales have been suffering ever since the downloading option entered the scene.
Full CD albums are definitely not the money-maker they used to be, and although some people still buy them, there are plenty of reasons not to.
Reasons not to buy CDs anymore:
- Cool factor—Anyone still using a portable CD player is living in the dark ages. Compared to an MP3 player, it’s incredibly inconvenient and people will think you’re really out of touch for using one.
- Scratching—CDs scratch easily and can be ruined quickly, especially if you’re always dropping them in your car when trying to change discs.
- Storage—A large CD collection takes up a lot of space, is a pain to transport, and tedious to organize.
- Annoying packaging—We’ve all struggled with this. You buy a CD and then it takes five frustration-filled minutes just to get it out of the packaging. On top of that, all that plastic used to package the CD is wasteful and harmful to the environment.
- Illegal downloading/CD burning—Why buy something you can get for free online or from a friend? Many people nowadays are hesitant to shell out $15-$20 of their hard-earned cash for an album, especially when they are only interested in one or two tracks.
- Internet radio—There are many ways people can listen to music for free online, with streaming radio stations like Pandora and Last.fm.
- Convenience—It’s far more convenient for people to preview tracks beforehand and immediately purchase them online, rather than spending time perusing the selection at a record store. And, they can pick and choose the ones they want.
- Interactivity—After CD has been uploaded onto a computer, it becomes irrelevant because the listener is interacting with the music on their computer or MP3 player and not with the CD/CD player.
Avid fans still buy physical albums from the bands they love. Lots of people still want that physical object to interact with, but CDs have become out-dated, in comparison to what you can do with the Internet and digital files.
The issue now is bridging the gap between the music and the merchandise, merging the two together to make people more interested in owning a tangible product again. Music USBs, which you can order from sites like www.pdlink.com, are an easy and affordable way for bands to provide this innovative type of merchandise to their fans. And since you can customize them however you want, you can create an interesting and interactive product that will be more likely to catch the eye of people who are on the fence about buying another boring CD that will eventually make a great coaster for their coffee table.
