CDs Still Rule in Japan!

[MylesBAstor]

[Alrainbow]

That answer is obvious they want to have something in there hands like vinyl. Think if there was a digital device that played vinyl perfect and you could download the music would you ?? I say you would not. When I post on what's spinning tonight it's never digtital. Not on any forums. It there are some people on Facebook doing it digital.

[Analog21]

I'd rather have a CD than a download. Used CDS are the biggest bargain in audio right now. Can find many at around the $2 - $3 range which is crazy. Much cheaper than downloads too. If I buy a digital device, I will most likely want to have a CD transport as well as a DAC downloads. I grew up with the CD generation in the 90s, so this is also a nostalgia factor for me as well.

[Rhapsody]

Streaming Tidal with a great DAC is what works for me.

[david k]

I wonder what the age group is for the CD buying public in Japan, that might have something to do with it. For myself I mostly use Pandora to find something new and then buy the physical copy off Amazon. Aside from the player's interface and SQ of computers which I despise one is also dependent on a screen to navigate which is cumbersome, a CD is so much more elegant in comparison. Then there's that old "I don't own it if I can't hold it" mentality that my generation is used to...

david

[Johnny Vinyl]

and that's the mentality I subscribe to as well. I have absolutely zero interest in streaming or downloads....none, zero, nada.

[dcc]

I wonder what the age group is for the CD buying public in Japan, that might have something to do with it. For myself I mostly use Pandora to find something new and then buy the physical copy off Amazon. Aside from the player's interface and SQ of computers which I despise one is also dependent on a screen to navigate which is cumbersome, a CD is so much more elegant in comparison. Then there's that old "I don't own it if I can't hold it" mentality that my generation is used to...

david

I was in Tokyo with my two teenage kids last month and we went to the 7 story Tower Records on Shibuya. I never saw so many young kids in a record store. I thought that I was brought back in my own youth (except that it was vinyl and not CD).

In Japan, you can effectively end up in jail for illegal downloading. Cash is still the prefered way of payment. According to a fellow countryman who is married to a Japanase women and who has been living in Tokyo for several years, the Japanese administration can be very good at putting hurdles and has been very supportive in defending the disc industry. You add the fact that Japanase people have an appreciation for owning physical objects.

[Rob]

its not just collecting physical objects, hoarding is a national pastime in Japan. My better half's family are nihonjin, in their world ANY horizontal surface is fair game for storing more junk (countertops, tables, etc). I tired to have an intervention with my in-laws, to no avail

[cpp]

I like my CD's and have thousands, but for me it comes down to finding the music that I like regardless of the medium it resides on, be it vinyl, CD, a stream from Tidal or even a download if that's the only way I can find that artist I enjoy. Once I retired I really didn't want to mess with computers, again, I just want it to be fun.

[JCOConnell]

CDs still rule in the USA too. Don't forget, they still far outsell Lps. CDs represent an excellent value, you get a fairly high quality product for $5-$10 brand new. Way less than Lps. which do offer higher sound quality of course.