Why I Still Sometimes Buy CDs

It’s 2012 — why do I still buy music on CDs?

1. Included Physical Backup

I sleep more easily knowing that most of the music I’ve purchased can be restored from a physical medium no matter what crazy shit happens to my computer or other devices. Backing up something I’ve bought on the iTunes store requires me to do something. With a CD, the backup has already been done for me.

2. Better Audio Quality

Though Apple has improved the bitrate of its AAC downloads to 256 kbs, a CD is still (relatively-speaking) loss-less and thus a better starting point for making copies for the car, friends, etc. A CD is also going to sound better on a car stereo than MP3 or AAC files.

3. Memorable Packaging

In the era of vinyl records, album art and packaging was a big deal. Bands produced elaborate designs to support the art of the music. Really, the package itself became a part of the art. Happily, this is still often the case, and I think that the phenomenon will continue as an incentive to get people like me to keep buying physical media.

The photos in the post below (and linked here) are of Good Old War’s Come Back As Rain record, which just came out today. The album is fucking incredible, and so is the packaging. I hope that the photos do it justice.

Note the included set of mini-prints of photographs, on the back of which one finds song lyrics.

Wonderful.

Sometimes, it’s still worth it to buy a CD.