This spring, I picked up some CDs at yard sales for $1. With singles selling for 99 cents or more on iTunes, all it takes is a couple of good songs per album to make CD resale a deal for buyers. And after uploading the music to my computer, I can even resell the CD at my next garage sale. (Editor’s note: OK, don’t actually do this last part, or the police and the blog commenters will hunt you down.)
But it goes beyond resale. Some people have other motives for buying music — new music — in CD form. Peter Kafka from All Things Digital shares his thoughts on why that might be:
My hunch is that, increasingly, the people who are buying music in physical form are divided into two groups. There are the people buying it as an afterthought along with gum and other impulse buys stacked near the cash register. And there are the people buying it because they really like stuff — physical, tactile stuff — which might be as important as the music itself.
He also notes that half of Lady …
The other day, my wife went to a specialty electronics retailer to get some equipment that I use when I broadcast the show from my home. As she’s checking out, the salesman asks her how long of a term of extended warranty she wanted on the equipment. (Not if she wants one, but what length of term she wants!)
