Well then, it has sure been a minute since I purchased a CD. Before this week, the last time would have to have been around 2010, after seeing Forest City Lovers (RIP) and Loon Choir play at Raw Sugar (RIP), I picked up copies of Carriage and Expansion Forces from the merch table on the way out.
Thanks to eMusic a few years earlier (as well as a few of the less-ethical sources), I had got myself out of the habit of purchasing music on physical media. It was nice to have everything available on my computer through Winamp (or XMMS) and since I had a CD burner, I liked being able to make mix CDs.
There was something to be said about getting a little relief from costs too: I had been saving my pennies to purchase Belle & Sebastian CDs while in university at HMV's "Import" pricing (read: $28-$35+tax per disc) and began to feel a little put out.
Things could be changing. A little.
Recently, I was looking for a copy of The Geraldine Fibbers' 1997 album Butch. I listened to the heck out of that album while in high school and wanted to take a little stroll down memory lane.
I normally purchase my music through Bandcamp and use the iTunes Store (not Apple Music) as a backup. I also have some no-go sources, like Amazon and Spotify, and I don't like to stream music due to the payment practices.
With these limitations, I opened an eBay tab and, wouldn't you know it? I located a nice copy of the CD from a seller in BC for $5!
What luck!
After a few days in the mail, I received the CD, inspected it (perfect! as I remember it!), and promptly ripped it with Sound Juicer as FLAC, where it found a new home with the rest of my music files.
I don't think I would re-buy the albums I have already purchased digitally on physical media, but I do think that, going forward, I just may.
Fortunately, we've never been a music hoarders, so we won't be trying to shoehorn one of those massive CD shelves into the apartment any time soon!
...that job is for the bookshelves...
January 17, 2026