The best classic game music and more
NEW YORK (WABC) --
It's the end of an era as Best Buy is phasing out CDs.According to a report from Billboard, the chain has pulled compact discs from its shelves nationwide.
Best Buy saw a more than 18-percent drop in CD sales last year amid the rise in online music streaming.
However, the electronics giant will continue to sell vinyl records for the next two years.
Source: http://abc7ny.com/3686520/
The biggest surprise for me is that this is only just now happening.
I don't think I've even stepped into Best Buy's CD section in years, much less browsed it...
This is really unfortunate. I still buy CDs all the time but they're getting harder and harder to find. To be perfectly honest I'm not satisfied ordering online and having to wait up to a week after retail to get it in the mail just to listen to it. If I'm interested enough in a band or artist to want to purchase their music physically, I want to listen to it as soon as it's out, not wait. Thankfully NJ still has a few independent record stores that satisfy me but this trend is a scourge. Streaming is fine if you're into that kind of thing, and I do use it for new music discovery, but from a collection / archival perspective, it's terrible. People are going to really regret this in 30 years when they want to listen to something they used to have on iTunes or Spotify but no longer have because the service is shut down and they no longer have access to things they purchased. I spend way too much money on music yearly to not want to have a copy of it that I'll have forever. Streaming is not forever.
While I have used Spotify in the past and do use Youtube to check out new music or old soundtracks sometimes, I refuse to get rid of my physical media for the "convenience" and "hands free" listening of streaming. When I want to dig into an album I turn off my phone and listen to it on my Discman with noise canceling headphones; I read the liners/credits and enjoy the tactile senstations of experiencing a new album for the first time or an old favorite in a new light. (Side note: apparently SaGa Frontier II is absolutely ridiculous.)
I have all of my physical media ripped to my computer at a decent bitrate so for more casual listening and for commuting I just listen on my iPhone. If I can't decide on what I want to listen to I have a few playlists (strictly VGM, non-VGM, artist-based, etc.) so I basically have a specially curated Pandora-type radio stations that's coming directly from my own collection. It's all stuff I know and love and isn't just some "sounds like this" or "for fans of that" type of playlist that's being put together or aggregated by corporations.
Streaming is fine if you're into that kind of thing, and I do use it for new music discovery, but from a collection / archival perspective, it's terrible. People are going to really regret this in 30 years when they want to listen to something they used to have on iTunes or Spotify but no longer have because the service is shut down and they no longer have access to things they purchased. I spend way too much money on music yearly to not want to have a copy of it that I'll have forever.
Agreed, 100%. I will still have access to all my music if Spotify shuts down or if Apple Music restricts their content or if Youtube bans all non-sponsored music-related videos. If my computer crashes or my phone explodes I will still have all my CDs. I'm positive I've said this a bunch over the years, but there's still something special about collecting physical music I love that can never be replicated with an iTunes or Bandcamp MP3 purchase.
no matter how much we stream now,, at 95 we'll all be using catheters
Streaming is cute and all, but it'll never compare to a full CD collection. Similar to how the Virtual Console is convenient but it can't compare to popping in a cart on a console and playing on a CRT.
Ironically though, I'm NOT on board with the whole vinyl revival thing. I think the cost of an effective vinyl rig and the issues with keeping records in good shape far outweigh the benefits. I mean, I play songs to DEATH...That listening habit is incompatible with vinyl. Especially vinyl that is expensive and made in limited quantities and is a pain in the ass to rip to digital.