Here's two different versions of this America album...one at a high rate and one even higher, for $17.98 and $24.98 each. Why would I buy anything but a CD in this case? Until lossless downloads are readily available from all artists/titles and until the lossless prices become more realistic, CDs are not going to die.



P.S. Downloads from HDTracks and CD from Amazon.

Rhino/Warner have put virtually no effort into their recent download and hi-rez offerings. In this instance, for example, they're still selling the same remaster which was used for the 2001 DVD-A:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005OA6X/?tag=imwan-20

Difference being, the physical disc includes a 5.1 mix in addition to stereo. Since it's an out of print collectible, the stereo download is cheaper.

That was my first America album.

Great album.

Rhino also offers OOP Handmade titles for download, although, as shown above, they tend to be cost-prohibitive, even in relative terms ($59.99 for the Monkees "Headquarters Sessions"?).

That said, if a song or a title is unavailable on CD, I have no problem owning and listening to it in MP3 form, and if I do manage to find a particular title on CD, I then simply delete the MP3 from my hard drive. I'm not going to deprive myself of listening to a particular song simply because I don't like the format. While I admit that "owning" this music on my hard drive isn't nearly as satisfying as owning a physical copy of a partticular title, the thrill of the chase is still there--I enjoy tracking down these various MP3's the same way I enjoy tracking down other b-sides and variations.

Something else I'll add to the conversation. With CDs, I get liner notes. With downloads? I don't think many download services are always very thorough with artwork/notes.

Over the past year or so, Amazon has been selling a lot of MP3 albums with digital booklets in PDF format. It's a good addition to the package.

Downloads are still primarily the domain of people who want quick, easy music for portable devices. Higher resolutions, bigger file sizes, album artwork, those are features sought by more dedicated collectors, and the mainstream services mostly haven't reached that part of the market yet. I think they will eventually.

But at what cost? If they keep the prices so high, they'll never be able to sell in reasonable quantities. The cost to the record company for uploading digital files is significantly cheaper than pressing CDs, and the profit margin is much higher as well. There's no reason I can think of for even the highest-resolution digital albums to sell for $20 or more. I would only consider buying a high-res digital download if (a) it's the only available format for that particular title and (b) the price is less than the average CD price. But that's just me...

Although I don't find HDTracks compelling, the prices Steve posted aren't way out of line. They're similar to the prices for audiophile discs. And we can probably assume that the price for such downloads will drop once the big services like Amazon and iTunes get into this part of the market in a measurable way.

If you're asking why we should bother with downloads at all if CDs are comparably priced, well, I currently don't. I like physical media for music because it's part of the whole listening experience for me. You know, sitting in front of a real A/V system and examining the album artwork as the music plays. That's a ritual I've followed since my teens. But if the day comes that a lot of artists I like are downloadable in resolution higher than what's available on CD, I'll adapt.

Wait... people PAY for downloads?!?!?

Linda, I agree with everything you wrote. However, you compared the price of HDTracks to audiophile discs, but is the sound quality of those downloads the equivalent of those discs, or is it just an uncompressed version of a standard CD? To me, a lossless FLAC or WAV download is still not the equivalent of buying a CD, and it won't be until it's the only option available (even if they include a PDF with lyrics & liner notes). Plus, as I previously mentioned, the profit margin for labels on downloads is much higher than for CDs, so the download prices don't need to be so steep.

24/96 is hi-rez. A CD is 16/44. What I'm saying is, for me, it will be time to give serious consideration to downloads if enough of them become available in higher resolution than CDs.

I usually chime in with something like I HATE DOWNLOADS.

Done.

I'll never pay for one. When CDs are done, so am I. I have MORE than enough to last me a lifetime and used CDs will always be around as well. Shit, so are 8-tracks.

I've often felt the same way, but what if it's some holy grail title you've never been able to find, and it's only available as a high-res download? Or some amazing archive material from one of your favorite artists? It will take a lot to get me to pay for a download, no matter how good the quality, but I won't say "never."

I'm with you on that one, however I will miss out on some great music if I didn't buy the music available.
One more thing is the artwork going to be available with the download music? I often buy a CD for the information as much as the music on the CD. A good example is the Who re-issues that have fantastic booklets with a lot of info on the music, the musicians etc.

What album could be left out there I'd want that's never been issued? Even if it was all 700 rare Thin Lizzy songs Universal claims to have, I don't know if I'd pay for a download-only set. Maybe, but very doubtful for me. Alright, I'll say 99% sure I won't pay for a download, so I'll leave some wiggle room!

Yep, that's my percentage as well. Like you wrote earlier, I already have more than enough music to last many lifetimes, and thanks to used CDs and other nefarious sources of digital music, I shouldn't ever have to pay for a downloaded album even if CD manufacturing disappears.

Pricing has to get realistic on this stuff. I'm not a fan of downloads, especially when I can get a physical version - I'll always opt for the physical. I have to admit, I do like when an artists gives you a download when you buy a CD from their site - getting that instant gratification is pretty cool.

But if my only option is a download, don't expect me to pay CD prices, especially for lossy formats. That new Bill Hicks EP is download only, but it's only $5. Compare that to ZFT's download version of "Mothermania", which as I recall is a single album (may be wrong about that). I know it's a COMPILATION. Download price? $18 for 256kbps MP3, $22 for FLAC. The rest of the downloads there seem to be about $15 MP3/$20 FLAC for single albums, and $20/$28 for doubles. No thanks.

You only have to look at the Louis CK video download for an example of how cheap this stuff is to distribute this way, and that was a new production, not something that was already produced.

Alan

Now that i have the Oppo BDP-95 (I bought it today), I may start becoming interested in hi res downloads. Though due to another brilliant stroke by the b@$t@rd$ at the RIAA & MPAA Oppo's been forced to stop iso support with their next firmware release, which I take to mean it will only play files until one feels the need to to upgrade the firmware.

It is POSSIBLE that by iso they mean the pirated SACD PS2 rips that have been appearing, but technically any data disc is an iso.

I need to call Oppo tomorrow, so I will add that to my list of questions.

I don't want or need anything higher than 16 bit/44.1k. I am fine with CD quality. If the price is reasonable, and the music is otherwise unavailable in physical form, I'll go the DL route.

Geff, what do you think of the Oppo I've been thinking about buying one of those myself. I'd love to hear your opinions, especially about hi-res sound quality. I've got a Neil Young BluRay box that's just sitting in the corner waiting for me to buy a BluRay player.

Greg, 2 channel Hi res is STUNNING out of the box. No opinion yet on cd until it's had a few weeks to burn in (tried one last night that wasn't as good as the hi res). Actually haven't played a Blu yet (though I own 2). No comment on 5.1 or 7.1; my system is stereo.

One unexpected +: this thing will also play hi res computer files (flac, wav, ape) burned to a data disc or transferred to a USB key, & they sound really good.
It is also said to be able to play many avi/mp4/mkv etc type movie files in similar fashion & will play photo files too.

I posted about this here:
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=77844

keep in mind these comments are from right out of the box, normally digital components get better for a month or so; the reviews I've read say that is especially true in this case.