The Americana and roots music authority

Is Anyone Still Buying Music CDs ...

And if you are where are you shopping? Here in Vancouver, HMV was our last big flagship store and it has recently been sold. And I noticed that the music selection has really shrunk especially for the more esoteric stuff. Or am I one of the last holdouts that hasn't abandoned the cd for digital streaming? Let's create a list of the best places to buy Canadiana or Americana roots music.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Doug on August 9, 2011 at 3:36pm

Honestly, I don't think I've purchased a CD from a bricks & mortar location since Virgin left Vancouver. Don't think I've set foot in HMV since shortly after that time. HMV never seemed like a good fit for a location of that size.

Buying a CD just means having to rip it to MP3, so downloads are my preferred method of buying.

I get almost all of my music from emusic.com. If I can't get it there, then I try to buy directly from the artist. I purchased Irene (on CD; great album!) by the Honeycutters that way. I like CD Baby for both CDs and MP3s. Last on my list of options is iTunes. Based on no factual knowledge whatsoever, I just assume that iTunes keeps too much of the sales proceeds for itself.

Permalink Reply by paul gallagher on August 9, 2011 at 3:58pm

I buy very selectively. Sometimes from local artists that I can meet and get an autograph. Occasionally something will really knock me out and I will go to one of the record stores in Toronto (there still are several) . Just as often I will hear a local artist on radio and before the song is over, buy that single....

Permalink Reply by John Smith on August 9, 2011 at 6:30pm

MP 3's are fine for the car or casual listening, but the sound does not compare to CD quality on any decent sound system. Degradation occurs in downloads, streaming and conversion.

I buy direct from the artist (they at least get a better cut of the sales) as well as a local independent stores. The resurgence of vinyl means "hard music" will never die!

Permalink Reply by Ron Myhr on August 9, 2011 at 6:54pm

I still buy lots of CDs, but not by preference.

I very very seldom listen to music played from CD via my CD player. When a CD comes into the house, it gets ripped immediately to full-CD-quality files that get played through my regular stereo via a music server that's on 24/7. So I'm very comfortable with getting digital files.

The problem is that most available downloads aren't available in full CD quality, referred to as "lossless" and usually in the file format called flac (free lossless audio codec), or in Apple-world, alac (apple lossless audio codec). The quality of the sound is important to me, and I find that even on my good (but certainly not audiophile quality) stereo I can really hear the difference between compressed MP3s and lossless flacs. Not an issue for mobile listening via an mp3 player, but it is at home.

When I can find online sources for lossless versions of music, I'll get them in preference to a CD every time. One of the best sources is zunior.com, a good Canadian service that has MANY Canadian roots artists, including all of Steve Dawson's Black Hen Records releases. Zunior has both high-quality MP3s and flacs. The former are $8.88 and the latter are a $2 premium, and a much longer download time. Artists sometimes have lossless flac downloads on their websites. For instance, the Cowboy Junkies releases come in flacs, as does the music from Canadian vocal duo Dala, but only on their websites as far as I can tell.

But for most recordings I can't find a lossless download site, except for the "free" services that represent a ripoff of the artists. So I buy the CDs, rip them to lossless files the instant they come into the house and (eventually) put the CDs into boxes and store them in the basement. I back up the ripped files regularly.

I seldom go to bricks-and-mortar shops for my CDs. When I read a review or hear of a new release or something, I'll go online to the artist's site and to Amazon, and buy that way. I buy from the artist if the price is not too much higher than Amazon, but sadly that is not too often. If I can find a cheaper Amazon-listed vendor of a new or used CD, I'll get that.

If the price of the available CDs is too high, or if I'm in a big hurry, I do buy via download from eMusic, CDBaby and very occasionally from iTunes. I have a low-end eMusic subscription, and sometimes buy additional "packs". I'll also sometimes get music from eMusic to fill a gap in my collection, when I don't expect to listen to the music a whole lot, or where I'm not sure I'll like the artist. I appreciate the eMusic service, but note that for some albums (especially multi-disc packages with many tracks) it can actually be quite a lot cheaper to buy the "hard copy" from Amazon.

Permalink Reply by John Smith on August 10, 2011 at 6:51pm

Great post Ron. I did a fair amount of research on flac and the results do prove that it does an exact copy of the CD. But I still prefer the sensual side of actually holding the CD case and maybe hummin' along with the lyrics. And I do miss the vinyl size alblum art

Permalink Reply by Deb Jacklin on August 9, 2011 at 7:14pm

I still buy CDs. I know a lot of folks download single songs not entire albums, but I still appreciate how a good album can tell a story. Oftentimes, I end up loving a song on a disk that was never intended as a single, so I’d miss out on a lot of good music if all I did was one-of downloads. Disclosure: I have never actually downloaded a song and I’m not really interested in giving it a try. I have a media centre system at home that I store all my CDs on and I share my music files between that and my mp3 player. There’s an independent store in my hometown that still sells CDs, vinyl too, so I end up getting most of my music from there.

Permalink Reply by Danny D on August 9, 2011 at 7:46pm

still definitely buy cds. thousands. in alberta i buy from blueprint (lethbridge), sloth (calgary), blackbyrd or permanent (edmonton). i also, admittedly, buy off amazon.ca and of course off the band stand. support the independents!

Permalink Reply by Dusty Fortyfives on August 9, 2011 at 7:55pm

Yeah, HMV in West Ed Mall was supposedly one of the largest stores in Canada, but they sell mostly movies & video games now. I have always had a soft spot for local independent record stores, but again, unless I was to be looking for top 40 pop/rock or obscure hipster bands, their selection seems to be getting smaller all the time.

I am a regular music reviewer/freelance writer who often has to deal with MP3s for my work, but I will always love a physical album with the complete artistic package, whether it is CD or vinyl.

So now, I tend to resort to things like special orders through the indie guys like Permanent or Blackbyrd, which can get pricey (although I occasionally get albums well before they are officially released for some reason) or using Amazon.ca, which usually has the best prices.

Permalink Reply by Albert on August 10, 2011 at 9:51am

So far from the responses it sounds like the "traditional" music store is dead and people are buying either cds or downloads online. I have to admit that I miss the old independent record stores that were run by music aficiandos who knew their stuff and always had interesting recommendations. It was a great place to hang out and discuss artists and concerts. I guess sites like this are replacing that. I do buy cds at Village Records in the US onlline and find they have a good selection and reasonable costs. Their shipping charges to Canada are incredibly reasonable. I still haven't made the transition from the physical medium and am not sure if I will ever be able to give it up. With cloud technology we will soon be renting everything. But I am getting long in the tooth and maybe downloads is for a future world.

Permalink Reply by Willy Blizzard on September 10, 2011 at 2:48am

This is a good question for both consumers and producers of content. As musicians, we have given up trying to sell our album through traditional retail outlets, because we can't find any! However, we're surprised by the number of concert goers who still want to get a hard copy purchased at a live performance. There is something to be said for the added value of having product literally hand delivered by the recording artist, complete with a signature and a chat. And yes, the tactile experience of handling a CD is satisfying. As music consumers, we now spend many happy hours flipping through the record/cassette/vinyl bins at thrift shops.

Thank you for this discussion.

Permalink Reply by Jason Paul Johnston on November 28, 2011 at 6:20pm

I found even living in Toronto, I could rarely find the music I was looking for. So...online and mostly MP3's it is for me....

Permalink Reply by Rickey McKown on December 18, 2011 at 8:52pm

I just bought a couple of CDs last Friday at the Blackbyrd on Whyte Ave in Edmonton; they have a good selection (including vinyl for those who prefer that) and I've gotten albums by my favourite artists there (Emmylou, Gillian, Alison, Nanci, etc). Highly recommended.

Will also buy CDs at concerts (e.g., Judy Collins when she came through here a few weeks back; Jayme Stone when he came through last year) and festivals (e.g., the Dukhs at the Vancouver Folk Festival in July). I also order CDs on-line (Amazon.ca or their affiliates, sometimes even an Amazon.com affiliate if they have something I can't get elsewhere at a reasonable price, but I only download as an mp3 when no CD is available (e.g., Emmylou's Evangeline, which has never been released on CD) or when the "CD" is really a "CD-R" produced "on request" (heck, even I can do that!).