Best Buy to stop selling CD's 6/1/18

[IndyMLVC]

https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/...ter-this-year/

A technologically obsolete medium that self-destructs over time? No wonder only 89 million CDs were purchased in all of 2017. Back in 2001, that number peaked at 800 million and many of those copies were sold by retail giants like Best Buy and Target. But as interest in physical discs has waned, so too has the amount of space these stores dedicate to such inventory. Soon enough, Best Buy will cease selling CDs altogether, while Target will ask record labels to front the costs, according to a new report from Billboard.

Come June 1st, Best Buy will no longer offer CDs in its retail stores. Physical music is only generating around $40 million in annual revenue for the company and executives would rather dedicate the floor space to more lucrative items, Billboard notes. Best Buy will continue to sell vinyl for at least the next two years, but titles will now be merchandised with turntables.

Meanwhile, Target is reportedly pressuring record companies into signing consignment agreements. Under such a scenario, the label would be required to purchase back any unsold inventory. Though Target only stocks 100 titles at any given time, it’s still responsible for a sizable chunk of sales. For example, last year Target moved 500,000 copies of Taylor Swift’s latest, Reputation. Even still, one major label has already turned down Target’s demands, while two others are undecided, according to Billboard.

[Gator66]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/...ter-this-year/

Not surprising. While I still use physical cd's, it's only burned copies of purchased digital music. I don't think I've purchased a cd in-store in 3 or 4 years.

BTW....I really, really miss the good old days of browsing/buying in an actual record store (80's and before).

[Alister_M]

"Self destructs over time?" Uhh ok, maybe if you play Frisbee with them...

[bipbop13]

pathetic. Not that I bought many CD's from them. Just one less place for physical audio media.

[bandit29]

CD selection there has been pathetic for a few years. Now it's a disorganized mess in a very small section of the store.

I buy online or go to the music shop near my work.

[Petey Parker]

The CD section is pretty much a non-existent tiny shelf near the appliances at my local store. A huge change from when the music section occupied almost the entire front of the store.

[Promo_Cop]

Anyone who stills says physical media is not dying... wake up.

[Alister_M]

Originally Posted by Promo_Cop

Anyone who stills says physical media is not dying... wake up.

It's becoming an optional medium for people who actually care about quality. The ignorant masses can keep their streaming and lossy compression.

[Moviefan2k4]

This is nuts; I much prefer CDs over any digital-exclusive format. The reason is simple: I don't trust companies to one day decide they should have control over my collection that I paid for, and start erasing files from my account on a whim. I'm the same way with books; give me a real one any day versus some tablet-only nonsense.

[thecooldud]

Originally Posted by Promo_Cop

Anyone who stills says physical media is not dying... wake up.

It's the high street that's dying, thanks to the internet. This really has little to nothing to do with physical media. I very rarely even use JB to buy DVDs or Blu rays, because they're cheaper to get online, and the internet always has things in stock somewhere.

[Strilo]

I mean I buy 95% of my physical media on Amazon anyway, so...

[JamesOttoSweetHeart]

I prefer physical albums because then you have something for the singer to sign should you ever get to meet them.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

[drb999]

Originally Posted by Strilo

I mean I buy 95% of my physical media on Amazon anyway, so...

Same for me. Most of the CDs I've bought were from Amazon. I think that the only CDs I've gotten from the physical Best Buy store in the past few years are the Star Wars soundtracks. The BB cd section is such a mess that it's impossible to find anything. No real loss here.

Question this is just in store, right? They will still sell them online? i do occasionally get CDs on like from BB.

[Dubstar]

oh well, their loss ... I buy most of CD's from Amazon anyways, and the occasional Barnes and Nobles that hasn't dissembled their media department (and B&N online)

[bandit29]

Originally Posted by Alister_M

It's becoming an optional medium for people who actually care about quality. The ignorant masses can keep their streaming and lossy compression.

The only time I stream is outside in the summer when I'm drinking and grilling.

The Sony 5 disc changer from the mid 90s still gets regular use. It sat at the in-laws unused for years. Works great.

[Alister_M]

Originally Posted by bandit29

The only time I stream is outside in the summer when I'm drinking and grilling.

The Sony 5 disc changer from the mid 90s still gets regular use. It sat at the in-laws unused for years. Works great.

I just have a 14GB memory card in my phone. 320kbps mp3s are good enough for portable speakers outdoors. That way I can run the player while still Facebooking/texting/whatever

[dcx4610]

I'm fine with physical music going away since unlike movies, there isn't much data stored and the same quality can be had digitally.

That said, I'm annoyed that lossless hasn't taken off. 320 is good enough for most people but it still drives me crazy knowing it's a lossy format. I have a huge FLAC collection but mostly because of CD rips.

If CDs are to die, I really want sites like Amazon to offer non-DRM'ed FLAC files. I guess Apple offers lossless for certain albums but I don't like their format and it's not as widely compatible.

I wish enough people cared to put pressure on these digital sites to offer FLAC and lossless. It seems like we are going to be stuck with 320kbs MP3s.

[stvn1974]

CDs go away and downloads will be next. Apple and amazon.com will want you to use their streaming service. The days of buying an album or songs from iTunes and burning them to disc are going to go next.

[malja316]

If BBY is selling CD’s via their website only, they should charge a $1.99 shipping fee for the first CD ordered and 50 cents for each additional CD purchased. Maybe cap the shipping at $5 if you order a large enough quantity at one time. The fact these imbeciles are charging $4 to ship one CD makes this news hurt even more!!! I listen to lots of rock and metal, so it has always been a challenge for me to get the music I want on CD via the physical BBY store, but online has never been a problem...until this coming summer! I guess we shall see what happens...

[OI8T12]

Amazon will happily take my money. I'm in the process of updating my music collection with some rock albums that I haven't bought yet. Some AC/DC, Def Leppard, Greta Van Fleet CD's were added in the last couple of days. I'm sure I'll be buying some more in the upcoming weeks. Long live physical media.