Okay, almost dead. They are most certainly on life support. Now it is just a matter of convincing the emotionally distraught family (the record labels) to pull the plug.
Don’t get me wrong, I love CDs. In my childhood we had to deal with incredibly inconvenient cassette tapes, so as soon as CD technology made its way into the mainstream, it was very exciting. The ability to be able to skip between tracks nearly instantly seemed like the most important technological advancement of all time. Having a CD player quickly went from being prestigious to being mandatory.
Then of course CD burners came along, and the record labels along with the RIAA bitched and moaned about how the ability to copy and share music would destroy the music industry, not unlike how they once bitched and moaned about cassettes. Obviously, CDs didn’t cripple the industry. In fact, the music industry instead saw a golden age of obscene CD sales that it is missing very badly today.
According to modern day record labels, all was fine with the world until that blasted Internet came along. A wild, chaotic, and dangerous place where information was transferred at lightning speeds in an unstable, uncontrolled environment.
In reality, it is just a natural progression of technology, and it is only logical that hard media such as CDs will quickly become obsolete. Instead of shedding tears over the loss of our old friend the CD, why not look at some of the reasons we should be glad to see them go:
- A whole wall of CDs can easily fit onto an electronic device the size of your hand with tons of room to spare.
- MP3s are a hell of a lot cheaper to send over the internet (free, in most cases) than the cost of shipping a CD.
- CDs are manufactured using a highly toxic and controversial chemical known as Bisphenol A. They also create tons of waste every year.
- Digital audio files cannot be scratched. Cats are also unable to urinate on them.
Instead of grieving over the end of CDs, try to look at the brighter side of things. Digital audio technology is making listening to our favorite music so much more convenient. I think if CDs were here with us right now, they would tell us to be strong and embrace this new era of music.
If you’re still not convinced that the end of the CD is not a positive thing, just think of all the coffee coasters you’ve just acquired.
