Continuing with CDs?

One of the larger indie labels (want to say Sub Pop) packages their CDs in those larger-than-normal digipaks - the kind that doesn't fit in a standard-sized CD slot.

yup that's Sub Pop, hate those

Drag City have reverted to just flimsy sleeves that look like one of those free magazine covermount promo things you'd get in a gift bag at CMJ circa 1998 and immediately throw in the garbage

I kept all my covermounts, and put them up for sale on Discogs a few months ago. I've sold at least 75%, including some big bulk orders - turns out that a lot of people collect them. Makes sense that they would, as they're cheap even by second-hand CD standards.

Since the 80s, when I was a maniac collector, and beginning to sell at record etc. shows, this was always very helpful: Bags Unlimited---still a source of CD (and other format) acessories: http://www.bagsunlimited.com/search?searchterm=CD

Since having a couple of albums pressed to vinyl, I have begun to question the idea that vinyl sounds better. However, pressing albums to CD seems unappetising because I figure that they would be tough to shift and people simply don't value them as much, apart from a minority.

CDs of any era > new vinyl

vinyl sounds "better" if the music has been mixed and mastered for vinyl, not just pressed on it

and how many new vinyl releases fall into this category?

vinyl sounds "better" if the music has been mixed and mastered for vinyl, not just pressed on it

― blokes you can't rust (sic), Saturday, 6 April 2019 18:00 (sixteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The point is still the same though surely, that there are dynamic ranges that are trivial on a CD that will cause problems on vinyl.

To clarify though, I do enjoy the sound of vinyl and also think that when people are listening they are not just weighing up scientific data about dynamic ranges etc.
Personally I think the main advantage of vinyl is long life span rather than improved sound quality as such, I have plenty of LPs that are nearly 50 years old or more that still play fine even if there is some deterioration.

The last Adele album sounds a lot better on vinyl than CD, actually. a lot more dynamic. *shrugs*

Adele is still on XL, a label founded on dance 12"s that basically require attentive mastering to be playable out.

I imagine if it was possible, it would already be happening, but is there the possibility of print-on-demand CDs becoming a thing? Like CDs of lasting quality and not terrible CDR discs or whatever those Lush box set and Standish/Carlyon discs were.

What kind of quality CDs are being sent from Bandcamp artists?

I've never gotten a CD from Bandcamp that was a CD-R unless it was explicitly stated it was a CD-R (Legendary Pink Dots do limited pressings on CD-R and sell 'em). They're all manufactured. Last CD I had trouble ripping was the Loreena McKennitt Live at Royal Albert Hall set... took a couple hours to rip a clean set of FLACs from those.

Usually the minimum order from most plants for a glass mastered pressed CD is 300, because of the expense in preparing to press. Most of the on-demand pressing are to CDR like what Amazon does. CDRs are pretty much laser direct etching into the disc and don't have the top clear coat like usual pressed cd, so they are more fragile. You probably could press only 100 on a glass mastered disc, but I would bet it would cost the same as pressing 300.

What's a good "personal" portable (like successor to Discman) still being sold new? Has to run entirely on batteries, if I chose (and I do), even if adapter incl.

I'd be interested to know that myself. Last time I was looking for one there were literally no major brands left making them, Coby (lol) was the only brand I recognized.

Wound up buying a Sony at a thrift store.

yeah I think used is gonna be your only real option here, but also following

i've used a sony d-sj301 "s2 sports" discman for almost 20 years. these days it just sits on my desk and plays CDs into my stereo via aux cord. back in the day tho i used to bring it to school on the bus ever day and then later to the airport etc. it's built super sturdy and i think was marketed as a jogging / gym companion tho i never used it for that. i just bring it up because of its longevity (in my case) and because it completely defies the stereotype of portable CD players being flimsy and cheap.

looks like plenty of sellers on amazon are offering them secondhand starting around $20.

I have two panasonics that have been running since 1997

I had a Sony boombox that I got in like '92 for Christmas that died a couple years ago and the one I replaced it with for my desk at work lasted all of 14 months. It will work with blue tooth but the player keeled over.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41mvrSDZAzL._AC_.jpg

Just discovered that my first CDR from the 21st century (Charalambides' Home) just became unreadable. Bit rot is real folks.

Someday I've got to go through all of the CD-r stuff I've bought over the years. I do know some of the Celebrate Psi Phenomenon releases I've had for a long time still play/rip fine and am kinda surprised considering they're cheap looking light green discs and the packaging is textured wallpaper.

xp that's one I STILL don't have, holding out for a digital reissue now, I guess

I've ripped all my CD-r releases but yeah resale value is probably minimal

So my current set-up – and it's likely unchangeable due to the space/layout in my apt – has my CD collection getting a few stripes of sunlight on it. Some spine colors (maybe pinks and yellows) are getting some fade but the others seem mostly untouched...

Is there certain colors/years of printing this will affect more than others?

regular CDs? I don't think so.

The spines, not the CDs themselves!

ahh gotcha, good question!

Let 'em fade, it's part of life

I get that on cds and records and books! Red through to magenta seems to be the most unstable colour range

I've accepted this as a marker for the transience of life. And aye, red seems to be the worst by some distance.

In the midst of selling off the last 250 or so CDs that I absolutely don't feel the need to keep (ie: keeping things by friends and a few sentimental favorites like the Nick Drake Fruit Tree box and the Cocteau Twins ep box), should have done this before now as the floor has really fallen out on discogs, though I'll note that for lots of things I have, all the other listings are from Europe. Which tells me that people are maybe still buying CDs in Europe, or at least, still selling them.

lol i just spent £30 on one used CD

I really should downsize in anticipation of an inevitable move, but I look over everything on the shelf and say "no, I still like this and can totally see myself listening to that again... someday." And once in a while I even make good on that idea. It's fun to have so much music!

(Saying this prompts fond recollections of Scott Seward, who of course turned his habit into his livelihood... and even said he liked CDs sometimes! Hope Scott's doing well.)

Xpost - my vinyl collection got a bit of morning sun for about a decade before I moved everything around. Quite a bit of fade on some spines. But I know I'll never sell it so I sort of dgaf- part of life etc

I've bought so many CDs in recent years because they're cheap, convenient etc etc. I now rarely play vinyl, which is maybe a pity. I must spend some time digging out older records

I actually need a new CD player, any recommendations?

You can get CD players for peanuts on Craigslist. I have a Denon 5 CD changer, fairly high end in its day, I think I paid $50.

I've been looking! They are surprisingly hard to find used! I will keep checking, thanks.

i bought a cheap cdj to play my cds on so i can fuck about with tempos and whatnot, also has a usb port so i can play files from other sources through it too

one of my bookcases is next to a window and yeah, there's some disturbing (and disturbingly variable amounts of) spine fading on the books. they don't even get any direct sunlight as the window faces almost due north

I have a lotttt of CDs I have no real attachment to any more and I ought to sell them as they're just taking up space and I will curse them if I ever move, but I fear it's too late to find a market for them, and I'm scared of doing something wrong (grading or packaging or something) if I sell them via discogs. last time I took a pile to the second-hand record shop I got, like, £2 credit for about 10 CDs, and that wasn't recent; I wasn't expecting much but had underestimated how annoyed I'd be.

(tbh I was extra annoyed because I carefully selected a batch of good condition stuff that might be vaguely saleable locally/similar to the usual "staff picks" at the shop, then threw in a free-with-magazine Prince CD I found cz I thought they could shift that easily from their countertop promo basket, seeing as it was just after Prince died. the guy barely looked at the actual CDs but spent a good minute telling me the covermount wasn't worth anything like I didn't understand what it was - yeah I know, I just don't want it! but someone will likely be stood at your counter and think "oh yeah, Prince, too bad he died, I'll have that for 50p" - at least, that's likelier than me playing it ever again - so put it in the basket and look at the other stuff, please!)

Do you have record shows/fairs in your area? Seems like the handful of CD merchants I see at those are doing boffo business.

yeah I do pretty well selling them for $5 each/5 for $20

I've been taking advantage of the chance to buy used copies of all the CD boxsets that I always coveted back in the day, which at the time seemed like impossible luxury expenses but now can often be had for 20 bucks or less. Picked up a 6-CD version of the Anthology of American Folk Music recently for 10 bucks. What a time to be alive.

yeah I keep finding amazing box sets in thrift stores for a couple bucks, often in surprisingly good shape. Last one was the 3xCD Sinatra Reprise Collection.

Picked up a 6-CD version of the Anthology of American Folk Music recently for 10 bucks. What a time to be alive.

― turn the jawhatthefuckever on (One Eye Open), Friday, 7 February 2020

Unbelievable. I'm really enjoying buying cheap CDs.

Me too, buying loads of bluenote CDs for a fiver and other jazz plus theres 10CDsets for a tenner type boxes kicking around , not much in the way of sleevenotes but a great way to quickly get some 'lesser' albums by an act i have CDs by.

the 5 classic albums on 5 CD sets are great too

I wish the super duper fancy mosaic box sets were as cheap!

After a few years of not buying CDs at all I slowly started buying them again last year - a handful of classical things and also some albums I used to own but sold back when I needed the money (e.g. the Blood and Fire reissue of Heart of the Congos I ordered from Discogs marketplace just the other day).

I continue to continue with CDs

picked up all but the last disc of Coltrane's Complete Atlantic Recordings today for $12 (6 CDs total)