It does seem that many music lovers have grown tired of files on hard drives. A CD tray card and tiny booklet may have seemed impersonal compared to an LP and its jacket. But, the CD is downright warm and fuzzy compared to a file on a hard drive, with no graphics, no booklet, no notes, nothing tangible. As one who has lamented the decline of physical media, I welcome it's return. Classical collectors like myself have been fortunate that physical media has continued to thrive, whether the CD or, more recently, high-res formats such as DVD-Audio (which never really caught on), SACD and high-res Blu-ray. And, most of the sites that offer classical music as downloads also include tray cards and booklets that you can print yourself and put in jewel cases. If I download a recording, I always make physical artifacts from the supplied materials. A file on a hard drive is not enough. I just placed another order to Sleeve City for jewel cases and trays. I'm almost out!
Best,
Gary
Gary Galo
Audio Engineer Emeritus
The Crane School of Music
SUNY at Potsdam, NY 13676
"Great art presupposes the alert mind of the educated listener."
Arnold Schoenberg
"A true artist doesn't want to be admired, he wants to be believed."
Igor Markevitch
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From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Giovanni Punto
Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2022 10:00 PM
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Subject: [EXTERNAL] [ARSCLIST] Rolling Stone says CDs are back
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I was expecting the usual "The Millennials Discover Their Parent's ____ and Think it's Way Cool" article written by some reporter unfamiliar with the item and who just didn't get it. Surprisingly, this guy is not just talking
(writing) through his hat and puts into words some of the vague thoughts and feelings I have about CDs and other hard copy media vs. disembodied downloads and streams. He also comes up some interesting points concerning box sets that I hadn't thought of.
Maybe some of the rest of you share his and my attachment to the concrete object, too (I know that this is a ridiculous understatement to make to this crowd). Or you may disagree with everything he writes. In either case, I think the article is worth reading through. I hope this link works for you. I linked to the article from a blog, there may have been something in the link to get past a pay wall.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/cd-revival-compact-discs-rob-sheffield-1284487/
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