As We See It

It Isn't Just the Music

Jim Austin, Tom Fine  |  Jul 16, 2024

Physical media market shares, from 1973–2024. From riaa.com/u-s-sales-database.

When the CD is gone, and it will be soon, we'll miss it. New CD releases are winding down (footnote 1). In the classical world, the era of big, bargain-priced boxes of CDs—a somewhat recent development—is ending because, after a long, slow descent, retail sales have fallen off a cliff in the past year or so. In pop and rock, if you discover a new band you like, you may or may not be able to buy a CD. Perhaps they'll self-publish a few to sell at concerts; there's a better chance they'll have LPs, assuming they can get time at a vinyl-mastering studio and a pressing plant, both of which are booked to the max. CDs, though, are an afterthought if they're even that.

Vinyl records will likely stay around indefinitely as a collector's artifact, but new CDs are fading fast. This is momentous. CD will be remembered as the last mainstream physical music format. Its passing marks the death of physical music media.

Don't misunderstand us. We love streaming. We use Qobuz every day. (One of us also uses Tidal, the other lossy Spotify.) Hi-rez streaming is revolutionary, the most important advance for lovers of recorded music at least since the CD's introduction. But we're losing something, too.

In the near future, the most common silver music discs may be not CD but Blu-ray. Every 5 to 10 years, the same classic albums get the deluxe anniversary-reissue treatment. A recent hook is a new Atmos mix on a Blu-ray disc, alongside a discrete 5.1 surround mix, etc. For the 50th anniversary of Deep Purple's Machine Head (celebrated a year late), which Robert Baird wrote about in the June issue, Rhino put together a lavish package with new stereo and Atmos remixes by Dweezil Zappa and new remasters of the original album mix, plus live recordings, outtakes, and the 1974 four-channel Quad mix (which turned out to be the best multichannel of the bunch). There's also an LP of Dweezil's new stereo mix, an illustrated booklet, and a poster.

There are plenty of reasons to worry about this, even beyond the purely sentimental. Mostly it comes down to a loss of control. You control what you own—what's on your shelf—but a favorite (or even acceptable) streaming service could end at any time, for any number of reasons. The biggest streamer, Spotify, has so far been profitable intermittently and has yet to offer lossless streaming. The financial health of other streaming services, including audiophile favorites Qobuz and Tidal, is largely unknown.

Think about that Machine Head reissue: Now that Dweezil's stereo mix exists, will you still be able to access the original mix, by Martin Birch, years into the future? If you own the LP or CD, the answer is yes—but what if you're dependent on streaming?

If you own a CD or LP, you know exactly what you've got—or at least you can know, with research. When your music is streamed, you can never be sure what you're listening to and it can change at any time without your knowledge. Did the streaming service choose the '95 remaster? Is it the version that originally appeared on LP? Is it a special version created for the streaming service (à la "Made for iTunes")? Why are the drums in the left channel instead of the right, as they are on the LP?

Until each track and album is tagged with reliable metadata—and your streaming appliance or app displays it—it's impossible to know exactly what you're hearing. Some listeners may not care, but we do, and we think others do.

Another form of control over music, and an important one, is search. Searching physical media may be laborious, but if your organization scheme is sound and you stick to it, you will find what you're looking for, and you know when you've found it, since you're holding it in your hands. Generally, streaming search engines are reliable and useful only for common, simple music. Search the same terms on Spotify and Qobuz, and you'll likely get different results—maybe not for "Taylor Swift Red," but try "Dorati Stravinsky" or "Copland Bernstein." Many audiophiles have chosen Roon for this reason—because of its superior, cross-platform search capabilities. But from a search perspective, Roon is hardly ideal—and it doesn't incorporate the two most popular streamers, Spotify and Apple Music. What's more, though Roon adds data on many recordings versus what the streaming apps provide, that data is tied to titles and not to specific releases. For instance, multiple versions of Kind of Blue list all the engineers who ever remastered it instead of the correct person for that version.

Not many music-management services and apps display complete metadata for classical works, even when it's offered. Can your favorite program list a composer, an orchestra, a soloist, a conductor, and the name of the work and its movements? Probably not, because the user interface was designed for pop music. (Idagio and Apple Music Classical are exceptions.) We have streamed classical tracks and not been able to find out from the app which orchestra is playing.

Losing physical media also means losing a rich multimedia experience. At their best, LP covers and liner notes, and CD booklets, are visually compelling, informative, thought provoking, and part of the artist-intended experience. In a streaming-only world, we get the music but not the visual/informational statement—though kudos to Qobuz for delivering some booklets as PDFs.

This matters less for albums born into this streaming world—artists adjust and find creative new ways to make their statements with new technology—than it does for the 40+ years' worth of CDs sold with booklets produced with thought and care, intended as part of the album experience (footnote 2).

The upshot: We strongly advise you think hard and think twice before selling off your collection, even if you've ripped them to a hard drive and relegated the jewel boxes to your attic. Consider what you'll be losing—the booklets, the data, the visual art, the guaranteed access—and whether it's worth freeing up a few cubic feet of storage space.

Footnote 1: See riaa.com/u-s-sales-database. Note the second chart, shown at the top of this article, which tracks physical media market shares; streaming is now the mainstream medium and physical media accounts for just a tiny portion of all music revenues; see the first chart at the RIAA website.

Footnote 2: For a variety of reasons, classical and jazz fans have the most to lose from the passing of physical media; those liner notes and booklets were educational and added oft-needed context to the listening experience, especially the first time.

COMMENTS
Auditor's picture
Submitted by Auditor on July 16, 2024 - 7:43am

Very interesting article! Thank you!

Do you have any hard data, though, to back up the idea that Blu-Ray Audio is growing? Call me a dinosaur, but I still do all my listening via physical media, a bit of vinyl, but mostly CDs and SACDs. I still purchase a lot of silver discs every month. I think I have a good view of what's happening "on the ground". And as a customer on the ground, I'm not seeing Blu-Ray Audio making much headway. I must say, I'm not surprised since I think Blu-Ray Audio is a flawed format because it usually requires a screen to be used properly. Not everyone wants their hi-fi system and their television (or screen) in the same room. The hi-fi business doesn't seem to see much of a future there either. Whereas new CD and SACD players are still being developed and released, audiophile-grade Blu-Ray players (or universal players) are a dying breed.

Another thing... It would have been interesting to look at the data in other countries too. Only looking at the US numbers skews the picture. Compared to all the other available formats, CD sales remain surprisingly strong in certain important markets in Europe and Asia, e.g. Japan.

teched58's picture
Submitted by teched58 on July 17, 2024 - 3:45am

Another indication that opinion on SP often trumps both the facts and common sense. Blu-rays are the future? It's so counterfactual, I almost jumped out of my chair.

From Feb 2024: "Sales and rentals of DVD, Blu-ray, and UHD Blu-ray discs declined by a further 25.32% from $2 billion to $1.56 billion annually."

Auditor's picture
Submitted by Auditor on July 17, 2024 - 6:11am

It's good to have some numbers. However, since the bulk of Blu-Rays sold are for movies, whatever the trend is for Blu-Ray Audio, we won't be able to see it if we look at the aggregate data for all Blu-Ray discs.

But we both share the same hunch: that the trend for Blu-Ray Audio is most probably downward.

teched58's picture
Submitted by teched58 on July 17, 2024 - 6:53am

The data point that proves Jim and Tom's column is phantasmagorical is fact that the Beatles and solo estates are walking away from Atmos

A big recent SDE (I can't remember which) has the Atmos mixes as
streaming only on Apple Music with no blu-ray in the box set.

There have been multiple reports that the Beatles as a whole and the Lennon and Harrison estates are saying that it's just too expensive now to bear the prep and manufacturing costs for blu-rays when the potential market returns just aren't there.

DaveinSM's picture
Submitted by DaveinSM on July 16, 2024 - 8:21am

Sad news, and just another indicator of our increasingly throw away culture. I expect the subsequent quality of future popular music to keep on plummeting, as there’s no money in it for the artists anymore.

I will never, ever get rid of my physical music collection. Ironically, some limited release SACDs have been very valuable on the used market and will continue to appreciate because of this… and I’ll never sell those either.

ok's picture
Submitted by ok on July 16, 2024 - 9:20am

lossless - or not - streaming would be a no brainer along with a dongle dac and a pair of decent earbuds (which I own anyway and they sound excellent). Now my musical taste is very specific and to a large extent saturated. I'm still interested in new - uknown to me that is, not merely contemporary - music, but after a while streaming platforms make me want to rediscover my trusty expanding cd and vinyl collection through a nice audiophile setup. CDs and vinyl also sound much more natural than any kind of computer audio - not that the latter sounds remotely bad. Your mileage may vary.

jimtavegia's picture
Submitted by jimtavegia on July 16, 2024 - 9:53am

When streaming wins the day in any format, sales will fall. I do enjoy Tidal from time to time.

You can also see this in DVD sales. I have been concerned about the audio quality for some time and this is what I have found. BlyRay is 2.1 mbps I am guessing for all channels.

DVD is much worse. I have seen nothing higher than 448 kbps and most is at 224 and 320 kbps...MP3 quality and why dialogue is often hard to make out with my nearly 77 year old ears. I really have a hard time with streaming shows through our ROKU boxes on Acorn, Brit Box and others.

I recorded Episode 3 of Hollington Drive on Acorn and sent it to the UK production company for them to see what we are hearing here in the US. I sent them a CD in redbook and a USB drive with the file on them. I doubt I will hear back, although Acorn was concerned, and we had some email conversations about the audio mastering of the sound files. How do we worry about 4k and 8K and then send MP3 sound with it?

I was able to make it more listenable using a 4:1 compression at -25db which evened out the audio levels. Some actors seemed to be in whisper mode most of the time. I also think that mic technique for some audio people is wanting.

Glad I have a bunch of LPs and CDs to listen to. When I pass, I hope some family member will enjoy them.

Shahram's picture
Submitted by Shahram on July 16, 2024 - 10:54am

But I do find myself purchasing CD quality and high res music from an artists bandcamp page. No it does't come with artwork, booklets, etc but at least I know that the musician is getting a much larger piece of the pie.

Strat's picture
Submitted by Strat on July 17, 2024 - 3:05pm

I've heard this before about CD's going away. For a long time really. If it happens it happens, but I'm not getting rid of mine either. I've bought a lot of CD's from Bandcamp and Ripple Music, as well as several other places. I still seem to get everything I want on CD and I still buy a lot. If it becomes stream only, well, they can keep it. I love new music and I'm always looking for more, but I certainly have plenty to listen to.

RobertSlavin's picture
Submitted by RobertSlavin on July 16, 2024 - 2:14pm

While musicians get tiny fractions of a penny for plays of their songs on Spotify, Pandora, Tidal and the like, they get a few dollars for the sale of their records and CDs. Many put a great deal of effort into their work. Many have trained for years to get to the point they are able to play for a recording. They deserve to get paid a decent amount for their work.

If musicians continue to be paid poorly for their work, there will be less and less quality music to listen to in the coming years and decades. And isn't what the readers of Stereophile want more than good audio equipment is good music to listen to?

supamark's picture
Submitted by supamark on July 16, 2024 - 4:20pm

Read the late Steve Albini's opinion about record labels/contracts/business from 1993: https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-problem-with-music

About the only things that have changed in the last 30 years is that the cost and amount of equipment/knowledge to record a hit record has come down by at least an order of magnitude, and LiveNation/Ticketmaster have insterted themselves into the system to hoover up any money saved in recording and then some. Musicians have always been getting screwed, now it's just by more/different people.

cognoscente's picture
Submitted by cognoscente on July 17, 2024 - 12:57am

You can also buy music on Qobuz, which I do.

First of all, you have the unlimited "user rights" of the music (not the ownership right or, as it is called in music, the copy-rights, which the label retains).

Secondly, the quality of the file is better (again, for streaming services, data costs are the largest cost item, so they have a vested interest in not sending you the best format, which they do not do).

Third, and this forgets everyone, when buying, the actual musicians and the label get the money, when streaming it comes in the big pot and it is "divided" according to a distribution key that Taylor Swift gets disproportionately more than her should actually should earn and the starting musician get nothing, not what she/he/they actually should earn). This system, such as profiles on social media, only maintains the big ones.

Anyway it is a choice between independence or dependence (buying or streaming) and between quality and quantity (buying less music or being able to listen indefinitely). I am for independence and quality.

But streaming is part of a much bigger picture, the further shifting of ownership, or money in influence/power, from the common man (that's everyone except the 1% of the 1%) to the (real) elite, the 1% of the 1% (not the so-called political elite , that is not elite). People lease cars, many their house,, heating or cooling systems, the washing machine, the refrigerator, etc. etc. Nowadays you can even lease clothing. A trend with the result that the non-1% of the 1% will soon no longer own any property, and therefore no longer have influence/power and independence, and everything will be owned by, and and will be in the power of the 1% of the 1%.

It would be best if everyone made their own music and possibly recorded it and played it for themselves. I don't want to think about it, that wouldn't be audible in my case. So that is not something to want and not realistic. Buying (music, houses, cars etc etc) is still best. Im music both in the sense of independence and most of all quality.

jimtavegia's picture
Submitted by jimtavegia on July 17, 2024 - 8:07am

People with nothing to add but money have ruined the music business. Too many artists have been cheated since the dawn of time in music. For the artists they have gained little by streaming other than access.

What is true now is that to make real money they have to tour as there is not enough physical sales to make it work. Streaming at a cost took over the free listening of AM and FM which then led to us going to the record store. Many old, valuable recording studios have closed.

If you want to know what is ultimately bad about digital, it is the streaming business, and the next thing was the invention of the MP3 which really ruined quality. The CD was a great invention, but sadly the ones and zeros ruined the business. Now the sound of Movies on DVD is MP3 as well.

Now we are left with $20 to $100 LPs which are the new high rez medium, I guess. Hard to say this full circle is success.

DaveinSM's picture
Submitted by DaveinSM on July 17, 2024 - 1:01pm

What’s worse, as pretty much all new music is recorded digitally nowadays and not onto analog master tapes, any vinyl pressings and remasters of those recordings are not going to enjoy even the resolution benefits of an AAA all analog recording. I suspect a fair number of vinyl fans have already been listening to vinyl reissues that were cut from a digital master and didn’t realize it. Original master analog tapes don’t last forever, and many were lost in fires, worn out, beyond repair, have a rolled off top end, etc, etc.

So you’ll be left with all the disadvantages of both mediums if you’re spinning new vinyl. I imagine this ought to irk and especially impact classical and jazz fans. I predict that analog tape recording may make a comeback for certain live performances, but the ability to record, mix, edit, master, and produce popular music digitally using protools, auto-tune, etc, etc, has made music production way more efficient and cost effective for non-live music that’s made in the studio.

whell's picture
Submitted by whell on July 20, 2024 - 2:40pm

There's nothing that's going on today in the music business that wasn't going on 60 years ago...and that's a problem. The music business has always been resistant to change because they're usually behind the curve when it comes to changes in tech and changes in consumer behavior.

Example: when I was a kid, most music was sold out of corner stores, department stores and dedicated record stores. My favorite record store had an extensive collection of all kinds of music...and also drug paraphernalia in the glass case near the cash register.

Then came Musicland, Peaches, Sam Goody and other large retailers. Not only did that push music sales out of department stores and spell the end of the "ma and pa" record shops, the music business found that they no longer had the scales tipped in their favor in the marketplace and retailers were starting to dictate the terms under which music was sold, profit margins, inventory, etc.

If the consumer is moving on from physical media, so be it. The music industry could, if they made some smart moves, become the driver in a very segmented retail / streaming marketplace. Warner Brothers is finally turning a profit with its Max video streaming service. Maybe they can figure out how to do the same with music.

volvic's picture
Submitted by volvic on July 17, 2024 - 3:03pm

What does that mean for hardware manufacturers, who make SACD & CD players, and turntables? At some point there will be too many entrants in a shrinking market. Ugh!

JohnnyThunder2.0's picture
Submitted by JohnnyThunder2.0 on July 17, 2024 - 5:27pm

for audiophile equipment for the billions of used LPs and CDs available in the world. It's sobering numbers for new music for sure - it's equivalent to how people want to consume movies and TV - not in a theater or on physical media but streaming.

volvic's picture
Submitted by volvic on July 17, 2024 - 7:55pm

But the younger generation isn’t interested in hifi. As we middle aged folks, who love buying records and CDs, die off, who will take our place? My ten year old has no interest in my gear nor my taste in music. I am hoping things will change for him, but in the end he’ll end up being an anomaly even if he embraces physical formats.

mikerr's picture
Submitted by mikerr on July 17, 2024 - 3:24pm

I seek out Blu-ray Audio discs. The newest Yes, Atmos (as well as their previous release), the Pink Floyd releases Dark Side and Animals (and Waters/Gilmore solo albums), Who, Beatles, Doors, Zappa, XTC, King Crimson, you name it, It is out there, and it seems like all the Serious artists are all including a Blu-ray(Atmos) disc availability, or even include one in the LP packaging. I have hundreds of CD's but Rarely play them unless it's obscure stuff that the Streamers don't offer.
You didn't even mention Amazon Prime Unlimited Streaming service, which seems to me to have MOSTLY HD audio to Atmos all throughout their catalog. Yes, I have a TV in my system and Love the 4k artwork and menus !

jimtavegia's picture
Submitted by jimtavegia on July 18, 2024 - 4:31am

Atmos being 768kbps is what I don't get with a 4K or 8K picture. It is clear that visual is winning the day.

We have enjoyed many shows from the UK on BritBox and Acorn, but whoever mixes their dialogue needs to be fired. It is not even 8-Track quality with dynamic range all over the place. People with a mic and a cheap USB interface sound better on YouTube.

This all now has me spending time with my own music collection and less TV watching. I, personally, find Tidal the best of the streaming services in quality. I ditched my Scarlett 4th USB interface and now my affordable Schiit DAC and headphone amp sound way better through my AKG K-701s.

It is just sad with all this technology where audio is headed in 2024. I didn't see this coming.

jimtavegia's picture
Submitted by jimtavegia on July 17, 2024 - 3:27pm

I guess I am still glad I bought my Technics SL-100C and my 3 new Topping E50 DACs. It has surely hurt CD player sales I would think, and I was thinking of buying a new SACD player, but probably not now.

I enjoy movies and owning them, but the MP3 sound makes no sense to me in 2024. We are supposed to be seeing audio advances, not this. I do feel sorry for those spending crazy money on gear now. With the quality of the software going south what is the point? Sure to see short runs of LPs from now on with their rising prices.

SGVPatrick's picture
Submitted by SGVPatrick on July 17, 2024 - 6:05pm

I don't think multichannel SACD players exist anymore. It's amazing that SACD releases continue to trickle in (or maybe "out"). Some record co. people apparently still have faith in the format!

justmeagain's picture
Submitted by justmeagain on July 17, 2024 - 4:00pm

I haven't had any trouble finding CDs of new music. Maybe my taste isn't "cutting edge" enough. I sometimes buy LPs to support a particular artist, or when I think the music is well-suited to that format. No problem there, either. I don't think CDs or LPs are going away any time soon, although sales numbers are likely to drop, because musicians still make more money per unit from physical media than from streaming.

cag1624's picture
Submitted by cag1624 on July 17, 2024 - 4:06pm

A lot of this was foreseen in The Recording Angel (Evan Eisenberg) first published 1987 where he beautifully captures the passion of collectors. He couldn't quite foresee the future of streaming but his challenge that somebody else would control the accessible library was a huge concern that this article captures well.

https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300099041/the-recording-angel/

A recommended read for avid music collectors!

SGVPatrick's picture
Submitted by SGVPatrick on July 17, 2024 - 6:00pm

I have no problem finding new CDs here in California. From Music Week (UK): "Kim Bayley, CEO of digital entertainment and retail advocacy association ERA, said: “There’s definitely something happening with CD. Compared with its glory days, CD is clearly much diminished, but there are lessons to be learned from vinyl. The industry can be too quick to write off older formats and the excitement of embracing the new can sometimes blind us to the benefits of the established.

“A recent trend is that our members are reporting that amid the cost of living crisis, increasing numbers of younger people are opting for CD as a value for money alternative to vinyl."

Auditor's picture
Submitted by Auditor on July 17, 2024 - 7:05pm

As I wrote above, you can't just look at the US numbers. CDs sales are higher in many countries; the best example being Japan. In some markets apparently, the decrease in CD sales has even stopped; some markets have even seen a — modest! — increase. (Sorry, I can't trot out any numbers; I'm basing my assertion on some articles I remember reading in the last two or three years.) Most record labels sell their discs everywhere. If the market remains strong enough globally, they'll continue to manufacture CDs.

I also think the fact that new CD players are being released all the time indicates that the CD as an "ecosystem" is still alive and well. Some companies (like Hegel) who had jumped on the CDs-are-dead bandwagon have come to realize they were wrong and have gone back to manufacturing players. That says a lot.

A few people have mentioned they don't have any trouble finding the music they want on CD. As a regular CD buyer, I can attest to that.

Let's not get too pessimistic, folks!

Trevor_Bartram's picture
Submitted by Trevor_Bartram on July 18, 2024 - 4:33am

since I bought a CD, mainly because now I stream & I've run out of storage space. The vinyl boom & YT reviews of reissues has been a boon, it gives me suggestions on what to listen to, I just hope it continues. I say adapt & survive!

barfle's picture
Submitted by barfle on July 18, 2024 - 5:35am

I can’t say that there’s a trend because I don’t have much data, but I do know that at least three manufacturers, Rhino, SDE Shop, and Dutton-Vocalion are making several releases annually of high-resolution material on shiny discs. D-V are putting theirs out on SACD, the others on Blu-ray.

Rhino is putting out about 20 new releases each year in their “Quadio” series, and since they continue to do it, it appears that it’s overall profitable. I’m buying quite a bit from each one of these. But I don’t see them for sale in brick-and-mortar stores much. They all seem to be on-line, so shopping is certainly a different experience.

As far as CDs are concerned, they do seem to be dwindling in availability. I have a decent collection of them, and I’m not expecting to divest myself of them anytime soon. Maybe my heirs will, but then I won’t care.

I don’t get the LP craze at all. I still have my lifetime collection of about 1300 LPs, but I rarely see anything I want to add to the collection. Digital is far more robust and convenient, if the music is the same.

Glotz's picture
Submitted by Glotz on July 18, 2024 - 7:50am

There is nothing really to add that others haven't.

The culprit is the industry and will always be. They don't see money in physical format with streaming dominating. 95% of consumers are followers and really don't care about the pride of ownership, as many state above.

I think I still buy 1 or 2 every few years, and it really revolves around Dylan cd's of unabridged works.

I won't be buying his new 1974 The Band live 27-CD set hitting next month. I will be buying his 3 LP set from 3rd Man.

Retail pricing is to blame for this. From LP's to hi-rez downloads on Qobuz or elsewhere the pricing is too high across the board.

Auditor's picture
Submitted by Auditor on July 18, 2024 - 8:31am

Most CDs are pretty cheap today, I find. I'm in Canada and a CD doesn't cost much more than what I used to pay when I was teenager in the 90's. A new CD will cost me about $18 (Canadian dollars, that is) at the record store (yeah, there are still a few around). When I had long hair and baggy pants, it was about $15. If you take inflation into account, that means that the real price has dropped considerably.

That's for Red Book CDs. SACDs are another matter.

Glotz's picture
Submitted by Glotz on July 22, 2024 - 7:55am

They were a rip-off in the 80's and 90's. Especially for their sound quality and their inherent fragility. All of my friends' CD's are trashed beyond operation from a few months of casual listening in the car. Granted, they are normal consumers and can't be bothered with jewel cases, but for the value of a permanent archive, it's always been a joke.

Downloads at $30 per album off of the few major sites is also way heinous and obnoxious pricing. Same with SACD.

It's all absurd, most of all, LP's- especially for the crap job that all vinyl plants perform these days, less a few key companies.

I will always find ways around this bullshit, but further proof that this industry has always sucked.

teched58's picture
Submitted by teched58 on July 23, 2024 - 12:12pm

...you are allowed to curse and trash me but I'm not allowed to say anything critical of you. As far as your given name, that's been used here and on the many other boards you post on many times, so it's not doxxing, nor was that my intent.

Glotz's picture
Submitted by Glotz on July 23, 2024 - 1:16pm

Where did I curse and trash you prior?

Not allowed to say anything critical? You're trolling to start a fight where there was none.

teched58's picture
Submitted by teched58 on July 24, 2024 - 6:03am

JG (apparently I'm not allowed to say your name, even though Jim has made a point numerous times that he doesn't like anonymity and that people should use their real names), I think you are good for the hobby in one sense that you obviously advocate for a audiophile tech.

But what bothers me is that you (and also our deceased bandmate Mr. Thunders) jump down the throats of anybody who complains that there's too much expensive stuff that performs like spit.

The fact of the matter is that cheap but decent performing Chinesium is going to wipe away all of the high end (except for expensive speakers that also serve as furniture in terms of filling out one's room), just the same way the internet killed off print magazines and newspapers.

Anyway I hope last week's swarm of people didn't crimp the cables in your high end headphones.

Glotz's picture
Submitted by Glotz on July 24, 2024 - 1:30pm

It takes time and effort to explain anyone's criticism, and MOST do not do that here. They crap on stuff they don't understand and use justification from a single measurement to reinforce their faulty argument. (Not saying you...)

But this pursuit is about listening. Measurements POINT to performance, they don't dictate it in the vast array of components reviewed here.

More to your point- Because I do spend time trying to dig deeper on some of the reviews and essays, I think I do get a little leeway in some of the more provocative responses I create. I definitely don't think I am getting preferential treatment- Jim has hammered me more than once to think of the general public, like Jerome S. below, for instance. (Nice album btw!)

I don't believe that Chinese gear will wipe the world with this equipment; it is the now and that's great. In 10 years it will be vastly different. China will be cut off and relegated to rogue nation status by them, IMO. (The chip production shift from Hong Kong to the US is key.)

Retirees and richer IT people that have way more money than I do will drive the high-end after they tire of the Chinese gear. Upgrades are the way and have propelled the industry for 50 years plus.

My tag Glotz works. I can't change my user logon here so it stays as such for the past 20+ years.

If I used 'Ed' from a post under duress or anger- I guessed the name and I apologize sincerely. Teched, i apologize.

Tone in writing is very hard to nail when we are trying to be relatable and casual. Other times, in getting technical it's easy to come off as rigid and unfeeling.

Apologies- in the end we are all trying to convey our passions here!

Bottom line- if we use ad hominem or personal attacks, expect to get censored! (Or if there were too many edits in one post... lol.)

saxman73's picture
Submitted by saxman73 on July 18, 2024 - 9:28am

I agree with the piece, and many of the comments.

As a listener, I still very much value physical media, whether vinyl or CD. If I settle for files, I buy high res files, which, at least, usually sound better, and I take comfort in the fact that more money goes to the musicians if I buy a file, as opposed to streaming it, which pays next to nothing to the artists.

It is also true that it's much easier to get correct information on physical media, although sadly, that's not always the case either.

As a working musician, and someone producing records, I am encouraged by the vinyl resurgence. Someone buying an LP or a CD, especially directly from an artist, makes a huge difference to our bottom line. The support of customers who buy physical media is what enables musicians - especially those in a niche market such as jazz or classical - to keep recording new music.

Unless people are still willing to buy music, the offering of new music will dwindle, and what will be left will be reissues, and more mass market music, because that's pretty much the only kind that can - more or less - survive on streaming and touring.

As an aside, there are still people recording to analog tape, and pressing AAA vinyl. I am one of them.

To anyone reading this, if you like someone's music, I guarantee it makes a lot of difference to them to actually buy it, especially on physical media, and not just stream it!

Jerome Sabbagh
Analog Tone Factory

MLP's picture
Submitted by MLP on August 11, 2024 - 1:38pm

Streaming needs to cost a bit more, and everyone needs to pay. If with-ads streaming can't support itself at a higher return rate for musicians, then it needs to end and every user needs to pay a monthly subscription price. Streaming is too convenient and ubiquitous to go away, but Jerome makes a great point that if people aren't paid a fair wage to make music, they'll do something else. Also, the pie needs to be bigger so all the crappy metadata can get fixed. A lot of it is legacy from group-source kluster-f's like cddb, which had no editors. The record labels never imposed standards on metadata, so things like song titles and artist names have inconsistencies that make search engines tilt. And the classical metadata is so FUBAR! To fix this, you need human editors with knowledge of the history of music and recordings. In other words skilled people who will demand a professional wage. AI can't do it, but it can probably help on the fringes, maybe more so as the human experts get things straightened.

Another thing is all the pirate content on the streamers. AI could definitely keep this in check, but the streamers have no incentive to spend any time and money chasing away pirates because the record companies signed contracts that didn't require them to!

As a person who absolutely loves the convenience and vast musical variety of streaming, Qobuz in particular, I hope these problems get solved and I hope all of us streaming fans are willing to step up and pay a bit more so artists can be paid fairly to make art.

htobin5051's picture
Submitted by htobin5051 on July 18, 2024 - 10:20am

The Chart makes no sense for the Color Blind, an improved format is needed.

adwit19_stereophile's picture
Submitted by adwit19_stereophile on July 18, 2024 - 11:37am

Good summary article, still listening to my CDs and will rip ( a longer term project:))
That said you point out the data loss by streaming services, I use tidal on bluos node convenient and decent quality, yet when you look for credit/Production info routinely sent to a worthless last.fm page(presume this is a clickstream ad to be sold). My perspective is this is the venal work of music publishers (and support from major artists), not to have a well engineered page link for their catalog with important production info is just lazy and marginal. Had to go to a Wikipedia page to confirm the players on Linda Ronstadt's simple dreams how pathetic.

PeterPani's picture
Submitted by PeterPani on July 19, 2024 - 6:20am

and I love to listen to the differences in reproduction. Nice to listen to the music on the carrier of its time. La Paloma from Hans Albers on 78 is another experience than on stream service. The shellack-sound hit you with a hammer. The way to listen to KOB: Sorry, Hemiolia - it is not the perfect 15 ips reel from 2022 that I really love, but the original 2-track reel from Columbia 1959.
And talking about the best media ever invented for analog music: Laserdisc. What a pity that it was not developed further for audio only. THE missed opportunity. With further increased carrier frequency Audio Only Laserdisc would be Analog Heaven...

ChrisS's picture
Submitted by ChrisS on July 20, 2024 - 10:34am

...Resume Shortly".

Now that MQA is gone the music that I've only ever heard in MQA form is so anemic it's unlistenable.

My lp's and cd's will now get more airtime and my rate of purchasing new hard copies will resume at its normal pace.

Then, perhaps, a new DAC?

Gregory68's picture
Submitted by Gregory68 on July 20, 2024 - 4:33pm

I’m frustrated that technology companies haven’t made it possible for me to conveniently own digital content. Sure I can download Contant to my private storage. But to have a platform I control and can stream from any location. I’m on aware of any option. Unless that changes I see dark days for collecting content/music. I would love to see the ability to own and stream content to all my devices made easy.

donlin's picture
Submitted by donlin on July 21, 2024 - 4:35pm

Yet I still manage to buy several new releases every month just like I did in 1995. Also got a newly released TEAC cd player late last year which is the best sounding I’ve ever owned.

DaveinSM's picture
Submitted by DaveinSM on July 22, 2024 - 8:07am

Physical media is not dead - supposedly it’s been making a comeback:
https://deadline.com/2024/03/recorded-music-sales-2023-streaming-vinyl-1235869333/
https://www.gearpatrol.com/audio/fiio-dm13-portable-cd-player/

Chervokas's picture
Submitted by Chervokas on July 28, 2024 - 6:27am

Here's the thing, I have thousands and thousands of LPs and even more CDs, and I didn't buy a single one of them for any reason other than to hear the music on them. I don't care about the artwork, any liner notes and I don't give a rat's ass about the "album experience." There's nothing magical or sacred about an "album" Bach never made an album, nor Robert Johnson. If I want to hear Andrew Norman's The Companion Guide to Rome in the recorded performance by A Far Cry, but I don't want to hear Ted Hearne's Law of Mosaics which it's paired with on the album, it's fine, nothing's violated, nothing's lost.

Music is inherently experiential and ephemeral. It's an art of sound and duration that exists momentarily when the sound waves are in the air, and then is gone. Recording technology, over the last 100 years, HAS, I'll admit, altered humanity's engagement with music. For the 60K years of more before recording (that's the age of the oldest extant musical instrument), experiencing music meant making it or being in the present of those making it in the moment and any given performance only existing in that moment. 100 years of recording really hasn't changed the fundamental evolutionary nature of music and humanity -- music is still an experiential art of sound and duration. All the clap trap of physical media, the conversion of music into a marketable packaged good that can be sold as such, artistic response to that in terms of people making "albums" as a unit of music, are artifact of their time and place in the 20th century. They're not and never work enduring, universal, essential, and defining things about music. Just about a certain kind of music product of a certain time and place. Time marches on, things change, but actually what doesn't change is that humans make music and use it -- for dance, for worship, for mood, for artistic expression -- and that music is an art of sound and duration that must be lived through to experience. All the other stuff -- physical media, streaming, a "rich multimedia experience" that some of us don't care about at all, is just kind of ancillary.

teched58's picture
Submitted by teched58 on July 29, 2024 - 4:54am

Your post is very thoughtful and intelligent (though structurally marred by the lack of a paragraph break in that second long wall of text).

However, it begs the question: What are you doing here?

I think I can speak with the unusual confidence of believing that for once, my nemeses will agree with me when I say ALL of us here also enjoy the ancillary things that physical media bring to the party, like liner notes, cover art, inserts, and even hype stickers.

And as for the listening experience, yes, it's supposed to be all about the music, but it's not. I love music and I love listening to music. But I flat out admit that I also "listen" to my equipment. And I enjoy that, too.

Peace to you, brother, because you are on a higher plain of listening sophistication than I am. (I'm not being sarcastic, I mean that.) I think if I could for a moment achieve what you have, I might enjoy the music portion of the listening experience more. So you've introduced me to a new concept. But I am who and what I am, as described.

DaveinSM's picture
Submitted by DaveinSM on July 31, 2024 - 5:24pm

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/why-i-finally-quit-spotify#:~:text=Music%20on%20the%20app%20is,slow%2Dmotion%20bait%20and%20switch.

Music streaming has been “enshittified”.

ejlif's picture
Submitted by ejlif on August 22, 2024 - 7:13am

I don't find this at all in my music quests. There are tons of new CDs you can get. Who cares about the big labels. There is so much good new music put out on bandcamp and small labels not to mention Discogs is a treasure trove of a record store. Many old CDs I have are worth into the hundreds of dollars even. CDs spun in my transport sound much better than streaming. I have Roon and all that garbage and I'll take a CD player over it all day long. Plus it is important to hold the art in your hand and look at the notes and look at the art, it's all part of it. How many times do you sit down and stream a whole album? For me it's almost never. The sound is skeletal and without life. If you are a music lover you should have a music collection. Everyone likes music the real fans own it and it couldn't be any other way.

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