I've been selling CD's since 1997 and watched the transition to digital happen. I sell CD's via my home site and Amazon, but I also sell digital downloads on iTunes and Amazon via Tunecore. I can tell you that it's getting to about 1 CD sold for every 10 digital download sales. I used to get an order or two per day off my web site about 4 years ago. Now it's about 1 order every 15 days. My remaining stock of CD's will make great coasters at least.
If anyone is thinking about manufacturing CD's, don't do it!
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Also I don't know if you could copy protect burnt CDs. There is
Also I don't know if you could copy protect burnt CDs.
There is copy protection technology that the major labels use that is easily defeated. Essentially it doesn't work. A company in Germany has a different copy protection technology (ProtectDisc) that essentially can't be digitally copied by the hackers, but it is expensive. They charge per CD along with a setup fee to make the master disc. For indie CD's it's just not worth paying extra to copy protect. The better route is to flood the torrents with decoys so that it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. However the serious downloaders will eventually find what they're looking for.
CD and DVD media will be just about obsolete within 10 years. That's what the experts are saying. I believe it.
As disturbing as this all is, its astonishing to be in these tim
As disturbing as this all is, its astonishing to be in these times for the unknown factor. There has got to me more people than ever making music. I wonder what that number is?
Where are all those "record" stores going? We saw them move with the times for so long. We've been moving with them...but now, its coming to an end. Are they going to be moving into cell phones and MP3 player retail? There must be thousands all over the world. How are they even keeping the doors open for the last few years is a puzzling.
The music and newspaper industry have got to be the most upturned two in this new generation. sarNz hit on the head. This can't sustain itself the way its going for much longer.
Music has evolved into a total virtual world where we are accepting fake everywhere. Has it really turned into this I keep asking myself. Its all really weird but I keep thinking we are doing this for a living , right?
And then there are all these companies making hardware for an ITB/OTB fast and moving generation. Something is dividing.
I was walking to work yesterday and looking at all the women's hair and realized not one of them had their real colour. Its makes me wonder how our brians are part of our bodies. Something is going to snap.
There has got to me more people than ever making music. I wonder
There has got to me more people than ever making music. I wonder what that number is?
It's cheap and easy now. It used to be that if you wanted to record music you needed to shell out a lot of money for a decent mixer, Tascam multitrack recorder, a drum machine, outboard effects, etc, etc. I used to have a Tascam 16 track reel to reel and a Tascam 32 channel automated mixer and all of that cost me around $20,000.
Now (if you're broke) all you need is a computer and PirateBay. Hell you don't even need a bass guitar. Trillian sounds better than I could ever record with my Ibanez bass.
Agreed. I want to record my own stuff with what I have, and the
Agreed. I want to record my own stuff with what I have, and then put them on burnt CDs, and sell them for like 5 bucks if I ever get the courage to play somewhere. The only disadvantage of burnt CDs before is that players used to not be able to recognize them. Also I don't know if you could copy protect burnt CDs. But nowadays, everything will play a burnt CD, and all it really does is go from the CD to itunes and stay there forever.
I gotta say, I used to run this little bootleg business back in high school for these hot girls I was friends with.. it was cool even just making mix CDs. Even those had a sort of personality to them when all was said and done. Everything is so single serving now.. Single artists, single songs. Bands don't get signed anymore. We need to have everything, all of the time. Why have a mix CD with 17 songs on it when you could have an ipod with 3,000 songs on it? I'll tell you what, going back through those old high school mixes really brought back a lot of memories.
I still don't think it will last forever. Right now we are on this digital kick. But things will have to become tangible again at some point.