Saturday, November 6, 2010

Downloads maybe hot, but CDs still offer value

Why buy a CD?? I will just download what songs I like, or maybe the whole album and be done. It is cheaper, and don't have the clutter of CDs everywhere.

True. Downloads are becoming the way more and more are collecting music. With i-tunes, Rhapsody, Amazon, and even Walmart offering almost every song under the sun for under a buck a pop, why would anyone ever buy a CD again?

There are more pros to owning the CD than you think. Besides the simple fact the sound is better, CDs are a tangable item. You can hold it, download into computer, most have awesome artwork, some are collectible, and a collection of CDs can really look nice displayed. Not to mention they have value.

Value? Yes. Not only can you resell if desired, but they can be covered under most insurance policies. No , happy downloaders, most insurance policies don't cover your downloads.

A carefully acquired digital music collection has no value if a home or apartment is burglarized or damaged according to most home insurance policies. In fact, just a quarter of home insurance policies in the UK even offer to cover digital music downloads, according to USwitch.com. Only 10% of policies cover downloads valued over $3200.00. 
Hyperbot.com

Think about it. One commenter on hypebot.com recommended backing up your downloads. Not a bad idea for all your data. Just make sure the backup in not just floating around in your house as well. A fire could destroy them both. There are many good online backup services now, or you can backup to an external harddrive and store it in a firebox. And no, your i-pod does not count as a 'backup'.

The bottom line is, although downloads are a quick convenient and affordable way to add to your music library, CDs are still a viable solution. And with many artists adding special bonuses such as free downloads and bonus tracks, you are still recieving a good bang for the buck.

Besides .... try to get an artist to autograph a download.

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