Has streaming made old formats obsolete?
The latest news from Cafestudy
Posted by: Caféstudy
26th Jun 2023 02:51pm
We asked Cafestudy members if they still used CDs and DVDs or if the old technology had become obsolete.
The majority of you have not parted with your nostalgic collections. Some are gathering dust, some have been used for craft projects, but many still provide listening and viewing pleasure.
"I still use my cassette player to listen to cassette tapes or past BBC radio shows and books. I am 78 years young and don't need all the tech gadgets. Let's go back to the old days."
"It's super important to me to own physical media, as you never know when a streaming service might go under or the licensing rights may be removed, and some older or niche series/movies can only be watched on DVD anyway, which is what most of mine are!"
"Obsolete? I maintain my cd's as the quality on streaming is abysmal. Also not everything is available online. At least 30% of my collection is not on any streaming site."
The results echo trends seen in Australia and the United States where there has been a resurgence of the vinyl format in particular.
Statistics from ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) show that vinyl sales jumped more than 20 per cent to $36.9 million in 2002 and there have been reports of a boom in vinyl stores in post-pandemic Australia.
"They are making a big come back, especially vinyl and CDs. I prefer to listen to CDs and vinyl analog records over digital mp3s."
"You also get a physical album cover with artwork and even song lyrics. With old record album covers you even get that nostalgic smell l, just like an old book."
"We have a large library of CD's and old vinyls we would not get rid of. Not everything has to be digitised and it's bice to listen to warts and all."
Meanwhile, some of you are curious about cashing in on the revival.
"My old collection has served me well. I do acrylic paint pouring on them, they look great!If they are in the original box and in good condition, they could be worth something one day. I wish I had looked after the vinyls I bought in my youth. They were scratched to hell!"
"I have hundreds of country music cds and I love to play them. Mine collect dust until they are played, but I like to hear what I want so I will keep my collection."
"It's very rare that I reach for a CD or DVD these days. I am looking to sell them all but i dont know who would buy them. I have put ads on gumtree but nobody seems interested?"
Another alternative to dust-gathering is finding creative ways to re-use your old formats.
"My old collection has served me well. I do acrylic paint pouring on them, they look great!"
"I am actually exploring for recycling CDs.. loads of creative ideas for making decorative stuff"
"I had a lot of cassettes and mix tapes and now they are just filling shelf space. I started giving the cassettes to my kids old primary school for the kids to use for craft project"
As one member noted, perhaps media formats are like fashion - rather than becoming dated, if you wait long enough they will come back in vogue.
Comments 4
ventnorgirl
i still listen to my cassette tapes recorded from bbc radio over 25years ago use a walkman
Bazz
"old technology" never becomes obsolete. There are many reasons audiophiles prefer Vinyls over anything else. This was the age before Dolby Digital Compression buggered everything up and did away with all the nuances and techniques musicians worked so hard to add. On a good system, well-preserved vinyls can sound better than anything. Not only are vinyls coming back, but so are newly-built record players, warm-glowing, soft-clipping valve amplifiers & pre-amps. My friends are into building their own.
jtmorri
Technology just keeps advancing.
Cathy K
My dream is to have the perfect sound system set up, where I can use all forms of media depending on what I'm in the mood for. I love me some old school, but also open to new systems. Determined to find an expert who can set this up for me.