Will the CD Go the Way of Vinyl?

[mandy]

Apple delivered a one-two punch to the CD format, first with the iPod and then with the iTunes store, a digital music store where you can purchase nearly any popular song for a mere 99 cents. Let's not forget that oh-so-sinister world of free downloading, either.

The iTunes store recently started offering "digital booklets" to try to replicate the feel of a CD.

So how can the CD manage to stay afloat? Is anyone even still interested in it?

Well, there seems to be a rare breed of people who would answer yes.

Nostalgia plays a big part in keeping the format alive. Jim Laudisio, an English teacher at Williamsville North High School in Williamsville, N.Y., and avid music fan, was a teenager when the CD was at its most popular. "I remember getting a bootleg copy of Nirvana's 'In Utero' in eighth grade; that kept me rapt for a while, and still does," he said. "Probably the most exciting CD release for me as a teenager was 'Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness' by the Smashing Pumpkins in 1995."...

full article: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/rUnJ...inyl.xhtml

[mandy]

A related article:

Glancing at a report on Forbes.com this morning, there was an article showing that CD sales are expected to be down 20% 2008 (slightly higher than the 15% drop initially predicted). Why such a drop? Well, there has been a recorded drop of 18% so far in 2007 and the trend seems to be steady and indicative of future trending.

But what's really happening?

A couple things are to "blame". For one, there seems to be a case of shrinking floor space as sales decline. This will likely get worse as stores heavily monitor what items are making money and carefully guard real-estate in their stores, making adjustments to compensate for industry trends and swings. If sales continue to shift online, look for the physical presence of CDs to drop...

full article: http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry...olete.html