Let’s Face it, the future is Grim for CDs
When the CDs first graced the market the impact was all too big that it became clear it was now time for the CD format. So great with it that both the consumers and retailers felt like it was going be like this forever. What people failed to realize is that digital media and especially digital technology much like a CDs design is a double-edged sword.
Digital Content Distribution – Pure Taboo Example
There is not much left for CDs. While we thought it could take a little longer for CDs to disappear from our daily life it actually happened much faster! How? The internet connections are so fast these days that it’s simply easier and more profitable to provide content online. Look at example of Pure Taboo – adults only series that’s been extremely popular in last months. It’s available strictly online and it doesn’t stop visitors from enjoying it. They can stream all they want at PureTaboo.org – the official video website of the project. Does anyone ask about having it on CDs? No!
Digital Surpassed CD
The CD has a short coming that can no longer be overlooked. This is the fact that digital content on physical forms of media is prone to failure rendering the data to be inaccessible. In other words, what we mean is that archivists (like you) have to be prompt enough to have transferred the data before your CD fails. This did not just start now as we think that the decline started more than a decade ago. We are ushering in a new age best seen with the way global digital music revenues surpassed CD income. Blank Digital Versatile Disc Supplying Companies like Verbatim, Sony, Memorex, amazonbasics among others are now at the forefront in making a killing out of the fall of CDs.
Heed the Calls
Every technology is will change, and be faced out. And what’s surprising is that there were calls warning of the inevitable.
For example: IBM expert warns of short life span for burned CDs [PC World, 2006]
We think that it’s basically about time we to heed these calls and not dismiss them with ease. It was just a matter time and the time for the CD has come and in fact we think that it’s long overdue. Of course almost nobody foresaw it because the going was too good that nobody stopped to think twice. From where we stand we think that the popularity and profitability of the CD was so great such that industry players couldn’t fathom life without it. Until they were forced to.
Disc Rot’ Phenomenon behind CD failure
To understand the grim nature of the future of CDs let us first look at a report by Tedium. They reported what we believe to be the mother of all failures with CDs and that is that this media, which evidently uses faulty dyes, is bound to fail in less than ten years, attributed to what they unpleasantly referred to as “disc rot.” This is what Target, Starbucks, Walmart, Barnes& Nob
le which used to take big chunks of profits are no longer the leaders they once were. They have been forced to catch up with the trend.
Now the main issue according to us is the surprising but yet too common wanting business ethics with our manufacturers. They basically pushed the CD over the edge thinking that they were making room for more business. Alternative options and devices such as iPod and flash disks coupled with this poor business ethics has basically killed any future for the CDs. At least that’s according to us as retail shops are opting for the new and doing away with the old.
Discs are no longer reliable for backup or storage and the availability of such convenient and way better alternative makes it all the more easier to ditch CDs all together. This is because CDs are surrounded by other issues such as scratch and wear.
Take a look at some of the do’s and don’ts: CD and DVD Lifetime and Maintenance [wow, 2007 Blogger!]
All in all we believe that there is no future for CDs. This failure which can best be attributed to a classical failure of marketing to work with science has already done the damage which is irreparable.