[Misc] Selling CD's advice?

A substantial CD collection was once the mark of the true muso, with the format hailed for its superior sound quality and , of course, compactness. But many collections now sit gathering dust since the ascent of streaming, which accounts for 38% of the total global revenues for recorded music – surpassing physical formats for the first time last year.

High-street shops such as the hipster haven Urban Outfitters have made vinyl and cassettes available to a younger demographic, and the popularity of the annual Record Store Day shows that vinyl has had a full-scale revival. But while CDs make up only 30% of the total global market for recorded music, 42% of the UK population still choose CDs as their preferred format, according to a YouGov report. Of this 42%, two-thirds said they would probably still be listening to them in five years.

While CDs are often maligned for their rigid packaging, some also see this as an attractive feature. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the senior editor at AllMusic, says: “I want to have the liner notes around. I’ve found that CD liner notes, especially for reissues in the 90s and beyond, can be the only detailed writing available for certain artists, scenes, eras and labels.”

Secondhand CDs are proving just as popular: it is the fastest-growing sales format on the music marketplace Discogs, chalking up 28% growth last year. The company’s discography specialist, Brent Greissle, says: “As someone who is always looking for new music, the overall lack of attention being paid to CDs means I can generally find a lot more of what I like without having to pay a premium.”


Though secondhand CD are an increasingly popular alternative to vinyl, their relative affordability also serves as a sign of their decline. Richard Farnell, the co-owner of Vinyl Exchange, a record shop in Manchester, says: “We still sell a lot of CDs but at much cheaper prices than five to 10 years ago. There is no evidence of a CD revival – the majority of newly opened record shops generally don’t even stock CDs.”

These shops sell vinyl instead – to DJs, to those who want to fulfil a nostalgic need, and to younger patrons trying to bolster their retro cache. None of these roles is currently filled by CDs. “CDs lack both the romance of vinyl and the endearing clunkiness of cassettes,” says Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow, author of Personal Stereo. “They may not be as conducive to nostalgia because we may not have had the chance to miss them as much. By the same token, we may not associate them strongly with any particular bygone era.”

But that could be starting to change. “Generation Z is getting into the nostalgia zone,” Greissle says. “It’s likely that people will start reconnecting with their youth and buying the music they loved in the formats they originally owned them on. I’ve even seen some evidence of people reconnecting with this era by buying reconditioned first-gen iPods.”

Like so many others, the hipster is at the helm of these revivals. “Something that was once the dominant format fades from the zeitgeist, before someone of a hip-inclined nature rediscovers it to differentiate themselves from the rest of the crowd,” Greissle says. “To be honest, I always assumed CDs were hipster kryptonite, but this could be changing. Time will tell.”

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pearl said:

but the cases protect them?

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Triggaaar said:

Generally the DACs built in to little laptops might not be very good, but the DAC in my PC is decent (separate soundcard), and not all CD players have good DACs.

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beorhthelm said:

artist get a lot more £ from CD. outside the top household name acts, the revenue most get from streaming is naff all.

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Bold Seagull said:

I think this is a misconception. Now artist's have realised they don't need a label to produce music to steaming service and are keeping their copyright, they are making money again. Streaming service royalties have actually been high, but record labels keep the majority of this then pay their artists. You always needed a record deal to produce a CD, now there is more freedom as long as artists aren't beholden to their labels in terms of revenue from streaming. Artists initial blamed Spotify for low returns, but the reality is that it was their labels keeping their dues from that.

This is only relevant from a quick google search.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/apr/24/weve-got-more-money-swirling-around-how-streaming-saved-the-music-industry

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Herr Tubthumper said:

My advice is don’t sell them. I sold all my vinyl when I was a student, with the idea I’d replace all the good stuff with CD, and I have regretted it. I regret it so much I have spent the past 5 years searching out the vinyl and repurchasing it.

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beorhthelm said:

some number in there dont match other articles i've read, where the royalies to artist were in order or 1/100,000's penny per play, there they suggest its 1/1000th's. maybe things have changed. i gather that sales from apple store, sound cloud and the like are were the money is good for the smaller artist and independent labels.

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Green Cross Code Man said:

With the advent of streaming services, apart from the odd piece of vinyl, our music collection has been made redundant. I am sure that many others like myself have found themselves in this position as I need to get rid of it.

Is there any kind of market for CD's these days? The CD's are the most part a mixture of soft rock to heavy or progressive stuff. There is little pop, but also loads of Classical music. I don't want to sell the CD's individually on ebay as that'd be very time-consuming.

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thedonkeycentrehalf said:

I rip all of my CDs for use in the car or on the music player but I still like they physical part of looking at the inserts and also having a backup when the devices fail (and they will).

If you are looking to sell up, put up a list on here and see what you can make through here first. I'm always looking to fill gaps in my collection so your main mix of rock etc would be of interest to me.

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