The 3 Biggest Reasons to Go Back to CDs... Again

Are CDs Really Making a Comeback? The Shocking Truth!

CDs are back… or are they? Everywhere I look, people are talking about the return of CDs, but is it just nostalgia, or is there something deeper driving this trend? After talking to customers, friends, and collectors, I’ve discovered some surprising reasons why people are buying CDs again—one of which is downright scary.

In this video, I share my thoughts on the CD resurgence, from sound quality and the loudness wars to the disturbing trend of autotuning classic albums (yes, even Queen). Plus, we’ll talk about re-recordings, why some people are ditching streaming, and whether CDs are really worth collecting again.

🔹 Topics covered:

The moment I first experienced CDs in the '80s
Why MP3s and streaming almost killed physical media
The impact of compression and why it changed music forever
The shocking truth about autotune in classic album remixes
Why some re-recordings don’t sound quite right
The younger generation’s surprising reason for buying CDs

💿 What do you think? Are you getting back into CDs? Let’s discuss in the comments!

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#CDs #PhysicalMedia #MusicCollecting

[skylabsaudio]

Join our live stream this Tuesday 4-1-25 @2pm central time on YouTube. Kevin and friends will dive deeper into CDs and CD players!
Thank you for watching and commenting!

Skylabsaudio.com

[mrkgrmn]

I buy CDs because I'm sick and tired of the "rent for life" commercial reality we've entered. Everything from software, music, movies, etc., is now something to pay a monthly rental fee for instead of owning for life. If the internet goes down you've got nothing.

[steelbat]

I’m 70. I still have my vinyl. I still have my 8 tracks. I still have my cassettes. And I still have all my CD’s. Physical media for me will always be my preference..

[msbae]

Go back to CDs? I never stopped buying them.

[CarelCronenberg-whty]

So now and then I want to fully disconnect from the Internet. Listening to a CD is a private thing. There is nowhere an algorithm tracking what I’m listening to, and that is a comforting feeling.

[chrispomphrett]

Reason,
Streaming is rubbish.
Ownership is king.
No one else can decide you are no longer going to be able to listen to xyz

[JustinOpinionChannel]

How about, "we're changing our terms of service - you can either agree to get less and pay more, or lose everything you've already paid for." Terms of Service are NEVER changed to give the customer more value.

[tomdaoust]

You nailed it. I have a box with 100s of CDs. I’ve ripped almost every one to MP3 format and built a library of 20, 000 songs. I’m so glad I preserved my unmanipulated songs AND kept the CDs. No one can transmogrify my original copies. When I listen to music on Pandora or a streaming channel I know instantly if the song I’m listening to is not the original. Most of it is manipulated and I’m immediately pissed off. I’m 73, so nearly all my favorite music is decades old. I don’t own a Taylor Swift tune. Thanks for sharing your opinions on this. You really highlighted the downside of today’s music recordings. I’m so glad I didn’t trash my CDs.

[justinschlicher]

A few years ago I bought some used audio equipment from an older gentleman, and one of the items was a 100 CD changer. When I asked him if he still had his CD collection he said his kids did something with them, which he was upset about because he loved the collection. I got home with all the equipment and I noticed the CD changer was unusually heavy and had what sounded like its internals loose inside. I opened it up and his whole CD collection was loose inside behind the changer mechanism. Someone at his home must have lifted the changer in a way that made the CDs fall off their mechanism tracks. I got back in touch with him and let him know what I found. He was thrilled to get them back.

[GrooveOnWheelsMix]

What I loved about CD was the whole process of buying, unpacking, reading through the booklet and learning of who produced, mixed, mastered that music while listening to it. Also reading all "thank you" messages and so on. I felt connected to the artist more somehow.

[francescotenti]

Nothing like owning physical media in any format, it will protect against any changes and re-editing made for whatever reason(s) and also to have music/movies if/when streaming is not available or possible. Never throw your stuff away.

[nisterror]

Buying CDs and Vinyls has been a good way to support bands when they come in town to play.
It is also exciting to get them to sign the media you just bought from them; makes it extra memorable and special to own.

[WavePotter]

The big thing for me is that with CDs, you actually own your physical copies and you can listen to them any time. With streaming services, they can change the price, or screw up the licensing deals or who knows what, and suddenly you lose your library and have no control over it. You don’t own any copies of that music.

[petermacdonald]

When you buy a cd you own it! It’s always going to be available for your listening pleasure 😎

[kevinrempel]

This is so funny to me, I have been listening to cds for the last 30 years. I didn't know they went away.

[andyphilipson]

Oh my goodness - I’ve recently experienced a number of songs on Spotify that I was super familiar with for years that suddenly just sounded ‘wrong’. I couldn’t put my finger on why and thought I was going mad. I had no idea re-recording them was a thing. Thanks for rescuing my sanity!

[tvav]

It makes me mad that cars no longer have CD players. 😢 That’s so short-sighted.

[anotheruser]

Another thing: streaming 'services' can and will remove albums.

[Corn_Pone_Flicks]

Some of us never stopped collecting CDs. Physical media or nothing. I have no interest in "having access" to what I've bought. I want it there, in my home, mine forever, not subject to anyone else's whims.

[AbeKillian]

Fantastic video. As a radio guy of some decades, so great to hear someone talking about the awful over compression. Thanks for bringing it up. The rest was great too 😊