CDs are not “obsolete” and will be playable far into the future (Week 29, 2020) – Don Lindich's Sound Advice (2024)

FAQs

Are CDs going to be obsolete? ›

CDs are not “obsolete” and will be playable far into the future (Week 29, 2020) Q. I recently read your column about the limited selection of CD players on the market. I have an extensive collection of 4,000 CDs and have this horrible fear of CD players becoming obsolete.

CD sales continued to grow until they peaked in 2002. In 2003 CD sales began to decline and have been rapidly falling ever since (it's no coincidence that the original iPod was released in 2001).

Bio has developed a patent pending medium named a USB Music Card™, that will not only replace CDs, but provide live time data and analytics to record labels, musicians, and music sponsors.

As demonstrated in the histograms in Figures 18 and 19, that lifetime could be less than 25 years for some discs, up to 500 years for others, and even longer.

While collectors generally pay well over the odds to get their hands on a rare records or even VHS tapes, the same is also true of CDs. Among other things, anything with a limited release, or which was pulled from distribution shortly after release, can generally expect to fetch a hefty sum.

If you're wondering “are CDs worth anything”, you should know there's a lot of value in those old CDs, especially if you're an audiophile. These days, some streaming services are losing their luster – with some famous artists like Neil Young taking down entire catalogs.

Yes, CD rates are currently on the rise. In March 2023, the Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) raised the target range for the federal funds rate by 0.25%, bringing the benchmark range to 4.75% to 5.00%. Banks generally use the federal funds rate as a guide when setting rates on savings and lending products.

Several economists have made interest rates forecasts for 2023, which give some insights for the direction of CD rates. Bankrate forecasts high but steady interest rates for 2023, with a federal funds rate between 5.25% and 5.50% and a national average for 1-year CD rates of 1.8%.

CD Rates Will Likely Increase Into the Second Half of 2023

With the Fed rate hike reaching 4.75% in February and then 5% in March, combined with Powell's comments during March's FOMC meeting, signs point to the Fed raising rates at least once more this year.

Do CDs sound better than streaming? ›

Streaming is better for important categories like audience reach and portability, while CDs win on sound quality, brand building, and monetization — perhaps the most important of all.

From a technical standpoint, digital CD audio quality is clearly superior to vinyl. CDs have a better signal-to-noise ratio (i.e. there is less interference from hissing, turntable rumble, etc.), better stereo channel separation, and have no variation in playback speed.

CD's and DVD's to repel deer

Hang them from a fence and let them rotate freely in the breeze. The sun glinting off the disc or aluminum foil is supposed to make the deer uneasy. If you don't have a fence, you could try hanging them in a tree or from a shepherd's hook. I used colored ribbon to make it look pretty.

By some measures, CDs may be able to keep up with inflation. However, your actual purchasing power is based on your income after taxes. The interest earned from CDs held outside of a qualified retirement plan is taxable as ordinary income, so the net return of CDs is reduced by your effective tax rate.

Global sales of vinyl, CDs and other physical formats increased 4% in 2022, accounting for $4.6 billion of the $26.2 billion worldwide music market, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's Global Music Report 2023.

First, advances in MP3s and now music-streaming services such as Spotify made it possible to carry tens of thousands of albums in the palm of your hand. Conversely, many fans have reverted back to vinyl as their preferred format for “physical” music. Sales of new CDs have plummeted by about 90% over the past decade.

Why are CDs so expensive now? ›

The really big costs of CD's derive from marketing, promotion, artists' fees, royalties and, often, an arbitrary markup representing a calculated guess at what the market will bear. The recording process alone for "A Spanner in the Works" cost just shy of a $1 million.

The disc should be stored in its case and placed vertically, like a book, on a shelf. Long-term horizontal storage, particularly in a heated environment, can cause the disc to become permanently bowed.

Do no withdraw cash. Despite the recent uncertainty, experts don't recommend withdrawing cash from your account. Keeping your money in financial institutions rather than in your home is safer, especially when the amount is insured. "It's not a time to pull your money out of the bank," Silver said.

Compared to savings accounts and short-term time deposits, 10-year certificates of deposit may offer more competitive interest rates. They're also virtually risk-free and guarantee a specific rate of return. But given the long return horizon, a 10-year CD isn't a good fit for every saver.

Long-term CDs (4-5 years)

Pledging to leave your money inaccessible for that long can be worth the commitment, especially if you can lock into a high APY before a falling-rate environment. The national average rate for a five-year term is 1.37% APY and you can find higher rates at some banks and credit unions.

As we wrap up June 2023, the leading 1-year rate has skyrocketed more than five-fold, to 5.52% APY. The rate surge can be seen in every CD term, with today's leaders in our daily ranking of the best nationwide CDs all paying three to six times more than what you could earn in early 2022.

How high will interest rates go CD? ›

Top CD Rates Since October 2021 - As of June 23, 2023

In October 2021, the top rate across CD terms of 6 months to 5 years ranged from 0.70% to 1.35% APY. After 10 Fed hikes between March 2022 and May 2023, the top rates have surged to a range of 4.77% to 5.65% APY.

If you can hold out for two years, 24-month CDs today are being offered at interest rates as high as 4.31% APY. The top rate last week at this time was a similar 4.31%. Two-year CDs now have an average APY of 2.49%. That's the same as last week at this time.

Bluetooth offers higher resolution than MP3 music (320 kbps), but it doesn't offer the same resolution as high-res music or even CDs, like USB does. Check out our article about Bluetooth codecs for more information.

Streaming: Total Revenue for Musicians. To this day, CD sales still surpass streaming services for musicians, coming in at around $7 billion in 2015, while streaming hovers just around $3 billion. With these numbers, in order for a musician to make $11, they would need over 10,000 plays on Spotify.

There is no best bitrate, only the right bitrate.

Audio CD bitrate is always 1,411 kilobits per second (Kbps). The MP3 format can range from around 96 to 320Kbps, and streaming services like Spotify range from around 96 to 160Kbps. High bitrates appeal to audiophiles, but they are not always better.

Superior Sound

The music and vocals or closer to the way artists sound live, with a lossless format that isn't overly compressed. And most songs are mastered with better dynamics than CD or digital, so you hear more of the dynamic range.

There are several factors driving the vinyl revival. Although the opinion is subjective, Brennfoerder claims the format provides a warmer, more authentic sound compared to digital. Nostalgia also plays a part for those who lived through the golden age of vinyl, but younger generations are driving sales too.

CDs range from 2 Hz – 21 KHz. And cassettes range from 20 Hz – 20 KHz. For frequency response, cassettes have a higher range. This full range can be beneficial but doesn't always ensure better quality overall.

Fortunately, scratches are more common on the reflected side, and that's where toothpaste comes in handy. The laser that reads the CD needs to bounce evenly off the smooth, reflective surface. Toothpaste is just abrasive enough to wear down scratched areas to a smoother surface.

Scare them with CDs and DVDs

Put them in your garden amongst your plants and tree branches. Their mirror effect frightens squirrels. However, make sure you regularly change the CDs and DVDs to keep them shiny and effective.

Does hanging CDs keep squirrels away? ›

The Old Farmer's Almanac says sheets of aluminum foil can be stretched over the top of container plants to keep the creatures at bay. Old CDs placed in the garden can also drive squirrels away. A burst of water from a sprinkler can give squirrels an unpleasant surprise if they venture too close to your plants.

CDs take over

Released on CD in May 1985, the hit album became a musical mainstay, and vinyl fans and audiophiles began to purchase CD players in droves to adopt the growing format. By 1988, CD sales eclipsed vinyl, and overtook the cassette in 1991.

Beginning in the 2000s, CDs were increasingly being replaced by other forms of digital storage and distribution, with the result that by 2010 the number of audio CDs being sold in the U.S. had dropped about 50% from their peak; however, they remained one of the primary distribution methods for the music industry.

CDs were made available to the public in 1982 and they quickly became the most efficient way of storing music. Before CDs, music was stored and played on vinyl and cassette tapes. Vinyl discs were a lot bigger than CDs and could be broken easily.

In the late 1970s, the two companies Philips and Sony, separately developed prototypes in a bid to become the first to develop the Compact Disc (CD). Below, we delve into the history of the CD and its evolution.

Most self-released CDs are not tracked by Nielsen Soundscan

So, independent artists sell the majority of their CDs at shows to make a few extra bucks when they perform. Plus, of course, some artists sell their CDs on Bandcamp and their own websites.

Vinyl record sales have consistently increased over the last 16 years according to the RIAA report. Now, they account for 71% of all physical music format revenue.

Sound Quality

From a technical standpoint, digital CD audio quality is clearly superior to vinyl. CDs have a better signal-to-noise ratio (i.e. there is less interference from hissing, turntable rumble, etc.), better stereo channel separation, and have no variation in playback speed.

The SACD format allows multiple audio channels (i.e. surround sound or multichannel sound). It also provides a higher bit rate and longer playing time than a conventional CD.

Well, yes, if you're looking for the first CD released in the US, as Born In The U.S.A. became the first compact disc manufactured in the US for commercial release on September 21, 1984. While we're at it, we should note that the first CD to sell a million copies was Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms, released in 1985.

Are new CD players better than old ones? ›

In terms of build quality, serviceability, operational life and general 'vintage goodness', older CD players are almost always better and nicer to own than new ones.

CDs have a dynamic range of 96 dB whereas cassettes typically have a range between 50-75 dB. The higher the dynamic range, the better. Frequency response is the range in which the bass, midrange, and high frequencies are measured on a device. CDs range from 2 Hz – 21 KHz.

Audio CD. The logical format of an audio CD (officially Compact Disc Digital Audio or CD-DA) is described in a document produced in 1980 by the format's joint creators, Sony and Philips. The document is known colloquially as the Red Book CD-DA after the color of its cover.

The rise of the CD

So much so, that by 1988 (just 5 years after its U.S. release), CD sales had eclipsed vinyl, and would soon overtake the cassette just three years later in 1991.

This guide will discuss the four main types of CDs: fixed-rate, variable-rate, bump-up, and liquid.

A CD cost around $15 to $20 in the 1990s.