Hi. Welcome to the blog for my IB English B class at Jur Hronec High School in Bratislava, Slovakia. Below you will find links to other websites and discussion questions. My students are required to comment on one of these postings every month and also respond to each other's comments. Feel free to add your two bits, but be aware that all comments are monitored before being posted.
Does all “obsolete”
technology eventually make a comeback?What do you think about these pro-CD and anti-streaming arguments?What is your preferred means of listening to
and/or collecting music?
I personally haven’t experienced the great boom of CDs, yet I would say they are quite close to me. We have a huge stack of CDs at home and listen to them to this day. It is true that we do so less often than we used to but we have never really lost touch with them. The same goes for my uncle and grandpa.
In my opinion, the main reason why the majority of people switched to streaming platforms is the convenience and mobility they offer. Enjoying CDs at home is hassle-free; you just need to change the CD every hour or so. However, this convenience diminishes when you're on the go and wish to listen to music outside. This, I think, is the principal aspect in which Spotify and other streaming platforms beat good old CDs.
However, streaming platforms aren’t impeccable either. From my perspective, many people get discouraged by the subscription system and the thought that once they stop paying, they will lose everything. You might consider the current price of a certain streaming platform reasonable and create a huge library which you will love. Yet a day might come when the price rapidly changes. Normally, you wouldn’t continue to pay, but now you have a great music collection you are proud of. The streaming platform is holding your playlist hostage. You have to either continue to pay the subscription or bid farewell to your music library. To put it simply, many people falsely think that when they pay subscription, they own the pieces. The bitter truth is that by paying subscription you only borrow the songs they offer and they can be taken from you the moment you stop paying.
However, I am not suggesting that all subscription-based services are a bad deal. Films and games, for example, are different. You watch a film or play a game once or twice and hardly ever have a need to return to it again. On the other hand, once you like a song or a band you are likely to listen to it repeatedly.
Another reason why many prefer CDs are the gems hidden amongst them. While the majority of music has been digitized, there still are pieces that are near to impossible to find in other than physical form. This is particularly true for works by lesser-known and older music producers and bands, as well as for folklore music.
Finally, I would like to say that people shouldn’t look at streaming platforms and physical forms like CDs as polar opposites and commit to just one. Instead, I think it is best to combine these two in a way that would be most beneficial for the user. For me the way described in the article by Reddit user Muted_land’782 brings together the best of both worlds. - Oliver
Hey Oliver, I found your comment very interesting as someone who doesn’t listen to CDs anymore. When we were moving, we got rid of our playback machine as it was too big and wouldn’t match the style of the new living room, and my parents didn’t bother getting a new one as we barely used it at that point anyway. We transferred most of the content from our CDs onto a computer and subsequently onto a USB drive, which is much more compact and compatible.
I agree with you on the point why many people switched to streaming platforms as these are the reasons why I switched as well. The ability to listen to your music or podcasts on the go, having nearly unlimited choice of what to listen to, and also compatibility with headphones, car speakers or just normal ones, all while only carrying a small device are in my opinion benefits unmatchable by CDs.
I don’t however agree with the point you made about subscription systems. If consumers are discouraged from them due to the fact that they won’t actually own the songs, they can still opt-out to buy a digital version of the song/album they want, for the same or in most cases cheaper price than a CD would cost them. Another point you made about streaming platforms holding their playlists hostage, therefore forcing consumers to pay their subscription fee if they don’t want to lose them is in my opinion false to an extent. Subscriptions in majority of the cases such as Spotify, Youtube, Soundcloud (and I am sure many others) only offer extra benefits and features to their listeners such as the ability to download, ads-free listening (Soundcloud doesn’t have ads even without a subscription) and more, all while still offering the ability to listen to music completely for free. Even though you are required to stream the music online, many people have cellular data, and even if they don’t, there are many public places that offer free WiFi and I think we can agree that all modern homes have WiFi.
I think that most people buy CDs nowadays because they want to support a certain artist and have a physical copy of their favorite song or album, which they can keep at their house and holds some sentimental value to them. I agree with you that another reason why people might be still using CDs is that not all of their content is available online such as you mentioned folk music, older music producers, but also children’s stories and music.
I was interested in this article because I often find myself in contact with this theme. Quite a few of my friends collect records and CDs. I also own a record player, and while I did originally want to collect vinyl, I quickly changed my mind. Purchasing CDs/records of one’s favorite musicians has a certain allure, but I think the drawbacks are too great for me to ignore.
As mentioned in the article, the price of new CDs/records is pretty high. This is why I think that many people see it as a stressful investment since they are paying quite a lot for a very specific album that might have only one song they like on it. Not only are CDs/records pricey, but so is the accompanying equipment (CD and record players, speakers, adapters, etc.). I believe that a lot of people, including myself, are scared off by these product’s high prices and do not consider them to be a wise purchase. Particularly with apps like Spotify that are affordable considering the vast quantity of music that is constantly accessible to users. When people are offered a way cheaper alternative they will likely choose it.
One major disadvantage for me personally is that a majority of CDs/records sold are full albums or compilations of one artist. I like to create playlists for different moods, atmospheres, and activities. For example, for studying, exercising, and daily music. When purchasing albums, I do not have the possibility of mixing genres and artists and lose the variety of music I could be playing. If I wanted to choose a different song to play, I would have to change the CD/record playing could prove to be very time-consuming. There is a possibility of making mixtapes, but this requires people to download all the songs they like and transfer them to a CD, which sounds very impractical to me.
Overall, I do respect people who listen to music mainly on CDs/records and do not deny that it must be a lovely experience. On the other hand, I find many disadvantages which discourage me from the idea. The price is very limiting and other apps/subscriptions are way cheaper. The lack of variety is also a drawback. Nevertheless, I am interested to see how long this recurring trend will last.
In my opinion CDs are great when someone that has not been growing up around them wants to feel a certain nostalgic feeling that CDs might evoke by inserting them into a CD player and listening to all of its tracks one by one. For example my father has a rather large collection of CDs which includes a wide variety of genres which he has collected over a big period of time as his music taste has changed and evolved, therefore I know a little bit about them.
From my perspective the technology of CDs will not make a comeback, although I still think they will be used by many people who enjoy them. The main reason why I think that newer technology will lower the amount of CD listeners even more is because of the practicality and convenience of listening to music digitally. I strongly believe that listening to music for example on your phone is better in the long run, the fact that a person can listen to his music nowadays through bluetooth earbuds and use them while taking a walk, or even working out is truly something amazing when comparing it with a CD player which is awkward and you can only really use indoors in a calm environment.
Personally joining a music streaming platform was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I have found that I enjoy many different genres which I discovered through the beauty of everything being on one single mobile app. This I believe is something that a CD could never achieve since a listener is only capable of listening to the one thing that is put on the CD. One fact however is that we are not able to go back in time, meaning that very old CDs might have some of the rarest music out there which will never be found on a streaming platform but only in a physical copy.
In conclusion I believe CDs are definitely not to be thrown away or forgotten about due to their cultural significance and sentimental value, nevertheless I still firmly believe that digital streaming platforms are taking over the music industry at a rapid pace due to their significant technological advancement and accessibility.
I personally haven’t experienced the great boom of CDs, yet I would say they are quite close to me. We have a huge stack of CDs at home and listen to them to this day. It is true that we do so less often than we used to but we have never really lost touch with them. The same goes for my uncle and grandpa.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the main reason why the majority of people switched to streaming platforms is the convenience and mobility they offer. Enjoying CDs at home is hassle-free; you just need to change the CD every hour or so. However, this convenience diminishes when you're on the go and wish to listen to music outside. This, I think, is the principal aspect in which Spotify and other streaming platforms beat good old CDs.
However, streaming platforms aren’t impeccable either. From my perspective, many people get discouraged by the subscription system and the thought that once they stop paying, they will lose everything.
You might consider the current price of a certain streaming platform reasonable and create a huge library which you will love. Yet a day might come when the price rapidly changes. Normally, you wouldn’t continue to pay, but now you have a great music collection you are proud of. The streaming platform is holding your playlist hostage. You have to either continue to pay the subscription or bid farewell to your music library. To put it simply, many people falsely think that when they pay subscription, they own the pieces. The bitter truth is that by paying subscription you only borrow the songs they offer and they can be taken from you the moment you stop paying.
However, I am not suggesting that all subscription-based services are a bad deal. Films and games, for example, are different. You watch a film or play a game once or twice and hardly ever have a need to return to it again. On the other hand, once you like a song or a band you are likely to listen to it repeatedly.
Another reason why many prefer CDs are the gems hidden amongst them. While the majority of music has been digitized, there still are pieces that are near to impossible to find in other than physical form. This is particularly true for works by lesser-known and older music producers and bands, as well as for folklore music.
Finally, I would like to say that people shouldn’t look at streaming platforms and physical forms like CDs as polar opposites and commit to just one. Instead, I think it is best to combine these two in a way that would be most beneficial for the user. For me the way described in the article by Reddit user Muted_land’782 brings together the best of both worlds.
- Oliver
Hey Oliver, I found your comment very interesting as someone who doesn’t listen to CDs anymore. When we were moving, we got rid of our playback machine as it was too big and wouldn’t match the style of the new living room, and my parents didn’t bother getting a new one as we barely used it at that point anyway. We transferred most of the content from our CDs onto a computer and subsequently onto a USB drive, which is much more compact and compatible.
DeleteI agree with you on the point why many people switched to streaming platforms as these are the reasons why I switched as well. The ability to listen to your music or podcasts on the go, having nearly unlimited choice of what to listen to, and also compatibility with headphones, car speakers or just normal ones, all while only carrying a small device are in my opinion benefits unmatchable by CDs.
I don’t however agree with the point you made about subscription systems. If consumers are discouraged from them due to the fact that they won’t actually own the songs, they can still opt-out to buy a digital version of the song/album they want, for the same or in most cases cheaper price than a CD would cost them. Another point you made about streaming platforms holding their playlists hostage, therefore forcing consumers to pay their subscription fee if they don’t want to lose them is in my opinion false to an extent. Subscriptions in majority of the cases such as Spotify, Youtube, Soundcloud (and I am sure many others) only offer extra benefits and features to their listeners such as the ability to download, ads-free listening (Soundcloud doesn’t have ads even without a subscription) and more, all while still offering the ability to listen to music completely for free. Even though you are required to stream the music online, many people have cellular data, and even if they don’t, there are many public places that offer free WiFi and I think we can agree that all modern homes have WiFi.
I think that most people buy CDs nowadays because they want to support a certain artist and have a physical copy of their favorite song or album, which they can keep at their house and holds some sentimental value to them. I agree with you that another reason why people might be still using CDs is that not all of their content is available online such as you mentioned folk music, older music producers, but also children’s stories and music.
-Michal
ReplyDeleteI was interested in this article because I often find myself in contact with this theme. Quite a few of my friends collect records and CDs. I also own a record player, and while I did originally want to collect vinyl, I quickly changed my mind. Purchasing CDs/records of one’s favorite musicians has a certain allure, but I think the drawbacks are too great for me to ignore.
As mentioned in the article, the price of new CDs/records is pretty high. This is why I think that many people see it as a stressful investment since they are paying quite a lot for a very specific album that might have only one song they like on it. Not only are CDs/records pricey, but so is the accompanying equipment (CD and record players, speakers, adapters, etc.). I believe that a lot of people, including myself, are scared off by these product’s high prices and do not consider them to be a wise purchase. Particularly with apps like Spotify that are affordable considering the vast quantity of music that is constantly accessible to users. When people are offered a way cheaper alternative they will likely choose it.
One major disadvantage for me personally is that a majority of CDs/records sold are full albums or compilations of one artist. I like to create playlists for different moods, atmospheres, and activities. For example, for studying, exercising, and daily music. When purchasing albums, I do not have the possibility of mixing genres and artists and lose the variety of music I could be playing. If I wanted to choose a different song to play, I would have to change the CD/record playing could prove to be very time-consuming. There is a possibility of making mixtapes, but this requires people to download all the songs they like and transfer them to a CD, which sounds very impractical to me.
Overall, I do respect people who listen to music mainly on CDs/records and do not deny that it must be a lovely experience. On the other hand, I find many disadvantages which discourage me from the idea. The price is very limiting and other apps/subscriptions are way cheaper. The lack of variety is also a drawback. Nevertheless, I am interested to see how long this recurring trend will last.
Nina
This is a comment from Eduard:
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion CDs are great when someone that has not been growing up around them wants to feel a certain nostalgic feeling that CDs might evoke by inserting them into a CD player and listening to all of its tracks one by one. For example my father has a rather large collection of CDs which includes a wide variety of genres which he has collected over a big period of time as his music taste has changed and evolved, therefore I know a little bit about them.
From my perspective the technology of CDs will not make a comeback, although I still think they will be used by many people who enjoy them. The main reason why I think that newer technology will lower the amount of CD listeners even more is because of the practicality and convenience of listening to music digitally. I strongly believe that listening to music for example on your phone is better in the long run, the fact that a person can listen to his music nowadays through bluetooth earbuds and use them while taking a walk, or even working out is truly something amazing when comparing it with a CD player which is awkward and you can only really use indoors in a calm environment.
Personally joining a music streaming platform was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I have found that I enjoy many different genres which I discovered through the beauty of everything being on one single mobile app. This I believe is something that a CD could never achieve since a listener is only capable of listening to the one thing that is put on the CD. One fact however is that we are not able to go back in time, meaning that very old CDs might have some of the rarest music out there which will never be found on a streaming platform but only in a physical copy.
In conclusion I believe CDs are definitely not to be thrown away or forgotten about due to their cultural significance and sentimental value, nevertheless I still firmly believe that digital streaming platforms are taking over the music industry at a rapid pace due to their significant technological advancement and accessibility.