Are CDs really making a comeback? Or are we misreading something?
You may have seen stories about how after years of decline, CDs are making a comeback. The most dramatic report came from Techcrunch which breathlessly wrote “CD sales are making an unexpected comeback amid a retro tech boom,” pointing to a claimed sales increase of 60 per cent in the US, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. That’s not just a boom. It’s a nuclear blast.
Rolling Stone is a little more reserved, using statistics from Luminate, the watcher of all things to do with music consumption, citing an increase of about 16 per cent in CD sales. That’s still very healthy.
So on the surface, this looks like a replay of the vinyl resurrection where records and turntables have once again become must-have things for music fans. Another physical format is back! The revolution against an all-virtual, all-digital, non-tangible, and non-physical musical existence is gaining strength? Are people scooping up CDs the way they used to in the 90s when HMV had its famous “buy 10 and get one free” frequent shopper card? Is the music coming out of passing cars from CDs playing in the dashboard? Are stereo shops stocking up on inventory for a rush on CD players this Christmas?
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Not really. This is one of those situations that falls under Mark Twain’s assertions about “lies, damn lies, and statistics.” Let’s deconstruct things. This is the truth behind the hype of the return of the compact disc.
Yes, people are getting into physical media again, with young people experiencing nostalgia for an era that existed before they were born. Physical media (LPs, CDs, and even cassettes) are being purchased as collectibles, not something to actually listen to. When they can afford it, they buy vinyl. When they can’t, a CD will do just fine.
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This trend toward creating a record collecting is being encouraged by some sneaky tactics by artists and record labels. They’re doing this by issuing multiple versions of albums which are just different enough from each other for superfans want to own all of them. Take, for example, the most recent BTS album, ARIRANG. It’s available in 11 different CD versions. In the past, a fan would buy one copy and be happy. Now they’re buying 11 copies, Paul McCartney is playing this game with six CD versions of his last album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane. Madonna’s Confessions II is available in four versions. The Rolling Stones. Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, and others have employed a similar tactic over the last few years.
Fans have responded. Buying the same album several times. And what’s the result? The album debuts at number one on the Top 200. That’s a PR coup and bragging rights–albeit a hollow one because of all the manipulation involved.
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In his newsletter, Bob Lefsetz points out that all this hype focuses on percentage increases, which is different from raw numbers. The 16 per cent increase Luminate reported represents 16.3 million units. That’s nothing. He also points out that if you remove the K-pop sales, the sales increase is 6.7 per cent.
See what I’m saying? Young people are not suddenly having their eyes opened to physical music media. They’re becoming serious collectors of material from their favourite artists and not walking out of record stores with armloads of CDs from different artists. INC.com has also connected these same dots. Take K-pop out of the equation and you have a very different story. What’s nostalgia got to do with it? Nothing.
Consider this, too. While CDs sound good, you can get even better sound via streaming music services that offer lossless streams. If true high-resolution audio is as important to you as the convenience that comes with streaming, then you have many choices ranging from Spotify to Amazon Music to Apple Music to–well, almost all the streaming companies.
This would be a good time to point out that in Canada, the numbers surrounding CDs aren’t as breathtaking. In fact, we’re not seeing a boom at all. even with the multiple-CD gambit. While the compact disc death spiral has slowed greatly–there was an eight-week stretch early this year where Canadian sales trended up–we’re not exactly seeing new CD plants opening up across the fruited plain.
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Luminate reported that for the week ending Sept. 3, Canadians bought 1,044,052 CDs so far this year, which is 0.8 per cent less at this point last year. Vinyl is still by far the top-selling physical music format in this country and in a few other around the world. Yes, vinyl sales are also being goosed with the multiple version method, but that’s only part of the story. People are also buying armloads of LPs from different artists.
So beware the hype. The compact disc isn’t going anywhere just yet, but if someone tries to convince you that CDs have entered a second act like we see with vinyl. But if you’re into collecting, fill yer boots. Enjoy it.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.