Finding New CDs Is Harder Than It Used to Be
Yesterday morning, on a snowy trudge to my local Starbucks, I ran into my former next-door neighbors, an elderly couple who moved into a retirement community a few years ago. After exchanging some holiday pleasantries, they told me love reading my articles, and that they always cut my stories out of the Chicago Tribune. Like a little country music scrapbook. How adorable is that?
Then they said they'd actually cut my Top Five Country Albums list out of the paper, and taken it with them when they went Christmas shopping this year. I was so touched, and so honored, that my story was folded up in this 82-year-old woman's purse like a shopping list. The problem was, though, they had a hard time finding those albums. And it's not like I had obscure music on that list, just Sugarland, Ashton Shepherd, Darius Rucker, Keith Anderson and Lady Antebellum. However, Rucker's Learn to Live was the only CD they could find.
That could mean one of two things. One, so many shoppers are still buying CDs at retail stores that the supply just couldn't keep up with demand. Or, and I'm afraid this is the case, retailers just don't stock like they used to. I read somewhere that, two years ago, stores would maintain a 12-week supply of CDs. Now, they only stock enough inventory to last about three weeks. I know what kind of vicious circle that creates: not enough stock means people stop buying, and when they stop buying, there's less need to stock up, and so on. I can only hope that as the future of retail sales declines, music makers find other ways to get their songs into the hands of everyone. Not just the iTunes-savvy generation, but everyone. That's just one of my holiday wishes, but it's an important one.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
©2008 Country Music Television, Inc., a Viacom company. A division of
CJ says:
What a great story. Such a nice compliment to you Alison. I wish more people would take time with the older generation. They have a lot of good advice.
Ken says:
Why have 10 or 20 of the same CD if they will not sell. Eventually your shelves would fill up with Junk and leave no room for more Cd’s. Also I believe to cut cost you will see more digital downloads only with no CD Releases.
Big AJ fan says:
Some stores will order for you. This (of course) is not the big box discount stores.
There is great music out there. You just have to look in the right places.
hotelmotel says:
Its sad to see that some people are having trouble finding music, but it is very easy to find for anyone who can use amazon or itunes. I realize some people aren’t computer savvy - but brick and mortar CD stores are a thing of the past.
The online stores offer a bigger selection, are extremely convienent, and if you need the music instantaneously, iTunes is great too.
Buying music from a computer has its flaws, but overall its much more pleasant than a trip to the mall or the Walmart.
lindsay says:
This upsets me because i went browsing through my walmart and couldn’t find half of the cd’s that came to my mind. They didn’t even have Carrie Underwood’s 2nd Albuum(Carnival Ride). It’s sad I don’t won’t the cd industry to fade away. I like the fact that cd’s let you have the whole effect. YOu know that artist made that for you. They picked out these songs and these pictures and what not for you to see.
lizisawesome says:
Really, I just think that walmart sucks (sorry if anybody works there). They hardly ever have the things you need in stock, much less something as simple as cds. You know, it gets really annoying to go in just any store looking for some music and the store doesn’t have what you want.
Mark says:
I miss the music stores where the selection was endless. To me, having the whole CD gives you a listening journey and something tangible in your hand. After you played it several times, you could in your mind, start “hearing” the next song before it began playing.
Kristy Lee Cook lost her label because her CD sales were low after only two and a half months: but you had a hard time finding her CD in the stores.
Luvncountry says:
I’m one of those that do not download music or play iTunes. I like the CD experience, just like I liked albums. I like the pics, reading the credits and thanks the artists put on there, the lyrics. It IS hard to find some artists CD’s in stores, but unless I can get it in CD form, I don’t want it that bad. Too bad for the artist, one less sale they make.
Jack says:
Alison: I think you hit the nail on the head. The future of store stocked physical CD sales is dimming fast. I expect that in a few more years the only CDs on store shelves will be at Christmas time and then only for the Top-10 selling albums or so. The future of the “album” format is also in doubt with single digital downloads being the only growth point these days in music sales.
countryiscool says:
I just want to know when we’re going to get some NEW blogs.
Rick says:
I prefer CDs ten to one over downloading and hope that most new country albums continue to be released on CDs even if only online. I also hope that CD music and DVD specialist shops like F.Y.E. continue to stock CDs long after Walmart and Best Buy have abandon them. I don’t like the trend where the albums aren’t even offered on CD which really hurt emerging artists like Jypsi and Carter’s Chord in 2008.
AshLorr says:
i actually had a hard time finding lady a’s cd. i went to get it like a week after they came to our fair so that might be why they didn’t have any but my brother said he was gonna get darius rucker for our other brother and he couldn’t find it.
KAREN K says:
I agree trying to find cd’s in the stores is like trying to find a needle in a haystack! I ventured out to buy cd’s for Christmas and Walmart had one Carrie Underwood re-release with the Christmas songs and 25-30 Taylor Swift so I bought the last Carrie Underwood after searching 15 min utes for it and then I realized why some artists are selling and some are not–If the one you go to buy can not be found 9 times out of 10 you will search until you find something else you like!! I ran into this same problem when I bought the first Carrie “CR” and “Some Hearts” they were hidden behind the Johnny Cash cd’s because other fans go out and hide the cd’s that everyone wants so that their favorite’s cd’s will stand out and sell! Cold hard truth what cd sales has come down too! But after all that I came home upset and then found Little Big Town’s cd in my mailbox! I won it from one of the countdowns! So then I was excited and could hardly get it out of the case to play it! What a day!!
countryiscool says:
Karen, that’s like someone opening the fridge to find something they put there the night before, but because they won’t move everything out of the way to LOOK FOR IT, they whine someone took it, or whatever. I know, my kid and husband don’t find anything unless it’s IN FRONT of their face.
I have gone to music depts and yes I have found the shelves depleted of my choices, but I have also found a few looking behind, and even down the row. I’m not saying you’ll always find what you’re looking for but sometimes you have to look beyond what’s in front or their designated spots.
Keith says:
The sad part is if a music store is always special ordering or you buy from Amazon, the cost of shipping directly effects the price of the cd with none of that money benefiting the artist. I live in a small city of 100,000 and everything seems to not be in stock but,”I can get it over night, for you” is the new catch phrase. I am now a Amazon or CDbaby regular because of selection and I pay $79 dollars a year for FREE shipping. LOL
Kim says:
This is a problem. I like browsing stores much better than downloading, although it is nice sometimes. I miss cd stores because they were always better about stocking local artists that are not always available on download sites. downloading is only as good as the people in control of it. Big stores don’t bother with anything but big names is seems.
Matthew says:
Why not get Keith Urban’s CD? They seem to be everyone..
John says:
The stores need to have someone watch for awhile and see who is rearanging the CD’s–I mean come on do those fans think that is the only way to get someone to but the artist they like. The only CD the stores had PLENTY of was Fearless–they will still have some months from now–as many as they had. But I never download music.
Bonnie says:
I think Luvncountry is right. But at the same time i wonder where this person went to get the cds because i own a few of those and the ones i don’t own i see in the store. But i’m also probably the only 19 year old who actually asked for vinyl albums this christmas, i find it very disappointing that people don’t buy cds because i would much rather hold the cd in my hand and look at all the things included in it. The only way i will ever considering downloading music will be the day that they only allow you to buy the entire album and it comes with liner notes.
hotelmotel says:
One can buy the entire album online and one can also get the liner notes online - at iTunes, for instance. There’s nothing about downloading an album that precludes one from reading the artists thank yous, looking at the album art (which is rather pedestrian on most country cds) or reading the lyrics. You can’t hold this in your hand (just see it on your screen) unless, of course, you print it out on your printer.
Luvncountry says:
I’m sorry, but printing ANYthing from the computer is NOT the same thing, and I much prefer having the “real deal.”
I guess I’m OLD school, I still like to send snail-mail cards, pics, and letters too. As long as CD’s are made, I will buy them. That is not to say I don’t appreciate some of today’s tech or modern conveniences (I am on a computer after all, lol), but some things are better in the original pkg.
hotelmotel says:
Luvncountry - I agree the print-out isn’t the “real deal.” In no way is it.
But it is better than nothing. And for many people - its enough. For instance, if all I want I want is to know the lyrics of a song, who the songwriters were, or who the artist thanks, a PDF file of the album artwork works just as well as the “real” version in a CD case.
Luvncountry says:
Hey, what happened to my last post? I responded to hotelmotel and it was NOTHING mean or derogatory. I said if all people want is information, they can download or google. I prefer having the CD in my hands with all it’s accompanying pics/lyrics, credits, etc. and hope CD’s don’t fall by the way of the dinosaur (8-tracks).
Samantha says:
Great article Alison, I agree with you.
hotelmotel says:
That doesn’t sound derogatory at all, Luvncountry, so I don’t know why it would have been deleted.
Will CDs “fall by the way of the dinosaur (8 tracks)?” I don’t know. I think a lot of people still buy them, so I don’t think they’re going anywhere soon. But in ten years, they may be gone. We’ll have to see.
luvncountry says:
Thanks hm, appreciate your comments too.
Diane says:
After hearing my “Ashton Shepherd” CD, Sounds So Good, many want to buy the CD and can’t find it in any of the stores. Many sales are misssed because of this. Who is it that isn’t doing their job of keeping her CD available where people can actually buy it? They all look for it, but most just give up after looking at the stores they shop at. Wal Mart had even been sold out online. I have searched for this CD in Utah, Colorado, Texas, Florida, and Alabama, her home state. This lack of CD’s to sell is certainly causing sales losses for this artist and others. It’s no wonder sales are up for some artists because there are plenty of their CDs in the stores for people to buy. People are much more likely to buy what they can actually see and pick up right then.
Florent Dufour (FACM) says:
So you can imagine how difficult it is for us, french, to buy country music CDs!! We must order via amazon. But whan you want, you can. YES YOU CAN !
Florent from facm.free.fr