Music Matters: Music CDs are making a comeback
See the latest news from Your World at https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/your-world
The compact disc is back in fashion - and it is not a moment too soon.
Sales of CDs have been in decline over the last two decades as music fans decided they preferred space-saving MP3 files or the vast choice available from streaming services.
Vinyl records continue to enjoy a revival with both today’s teenagers and ageing hipsters filling up record shops at the weekend to purchase classic albums for the first time or to revisit their musical past.
Fabulous record shops such at Straikes Vinyl Records in Bognor Regis, Harbour Records in Emsworth, Southsea’s Pie & Vinyl and my neighbourhood favourites – Time Machine Records and Helter Skelter Records in Chichester – continue to satisfy the lust of vinyl junkies across the coast.
But the CD is now back in vogue after a wilderness period of littering car boot sales or cluttering up the shelves of charity shops.
Retailer John Lewis reveals that searches for CD players are up 96% since July, while another report on trends in music found that CD sales are up by 16%.
For crusty middle-aged men like me, the CD never really went out of fashion simply because the music quality of a CD trumps the compressed music files found on streaming services and the format is certainly more robust than a vinyl record.
Much to the annoyance of the current Mrs Barkes, I have several hundred CDs and feel vindicated that my decision to hold onto them was the right one.
With Christmas looming large, perhaps the music lover in your life would appreciate a CD player and a handful of discs? As well as stocking vinyl, the record shops I mentioned above also stock CDs, so rebuilding a new music collection from scratch – without the scratches - has never be easier.
My musical gem: Top band Mike and The Mechanics are on the road next year with their ‘Back On Track’ tour and play the Portsmouth Guildhall on Tuesday 8 June – it will definitely be a gig worth getting tickets for.
Listen to Duncan Barkes on Nation Easy Radio, Monday to Friday nights from 10pm. Nation Easy Radio can be heard on DAB digital radio, via the Nation Player app and on your smart speaker – just say “Play Nation Easy Radio.”