The CD Vs Download Debate: Do We Need To Make An Effort?

January 8th 2007

Over at Lifehacker they are covering an interesting topic of music CDs versus downloads and I would just like to give my opinion on that issue, and how a particular aspect of music downloading often gets overlooked when it comes to comparing types of musical access.

Downloading is easy, or in theory it should be if you have any understanding of what you are doing. In a lot of ways this is obviously great. We all want a easy life don’t we? You hear a song on the radio or television and within minutes you can have iTunes (or one of the many alternatives) open and be downloading and listening to it. It’s cheap too which is always a bonus.

However the two points that make downloads so appealing - namely how easy it is to get the tracks and how cheap they are - are double edged swords in my opinion. Putting myself out by making the trip into town and then spending time browsing the shop (or shops) to find the purchase I really want makes it all the more worthwhile when I finally get back home and start listening to the tracks and checking out the album inserts. And because they tend to be more expensive I feel inclined to put more effort into listening to the CD and absorbing all the tracks.