The audio CD surpassed sales of vinyl records and cassettes. CDs arguably offer better sound (subjective I know) over vinyl and cassettes.
CDs are smaller than vinyl records, so that brings down shipping costs. From a consumer's perspective vinyl records require a lot of maintenance: needles need to be changed, records should be kept free from dust.
Cassettes are small, but complicated. I wouldn't be surprised if cassettes are more expensive to produce than compact discs. It is interesting that while CDs overtook cassette tapes in the 90's (aside from mixed tapes shared between friends), Laser Discs didn't become more popular than VHS until DVDs. Maybe the difference in visual quality wasn't worth the effort to switch media until televisions became larger larger and sharper.
There's pressing a flat circle in a factory somewhere, and there's
- printing album art, making sleeves, etc.
- storage
- distribution
- retail space
- "shrinkage" (ok, stealing a CD is easier)
- ... ?
https://qz.com/2111339/vinyl-outsold-cds-in-the-us-for-the-f...
The pits that represent data in factory manufactured discs are laser etched, so if the polycarbonate layer doesn't decay in 50 years it should be OK. Betting they would as long as kept from moisture. Even if the reflective layer is compromised I think it would somehow be possible to reapply it to the polycarbonate layer which has the pits.
Below is an excerpt from https://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub121/sec4/#:~:text=Among....:
CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs are similar in that they are replicated discs-that is, the data are physically pressed into the disc when it is manufactured. ROMs are generally mass-produced and contain music, video, computer applications, or interactive games.
ROM disc longevity is determined by the extent to which its aluminum layer is exposed to oxygen. Oxygen, including pollutants, can migrate through the polycarbonate layer or the hard lacquer layer (CD label side and edge), carried in by moisture. Oxygen or moisture can more easily penetrate through scratches, cracks, or delaminated areas in the label. Oxygen can also be trapped inside the disc during manufacturing, although manufacturing improvements have reduced the likelihood of this.
If left in a very humid environment, moisture-and oxygen-will eventually reach the aluminum, causing it to lose its reflectivity. The normally shiny aluminum, which resembles silver, becomes oxide-dull and much less reflective, like the color of a typical aluminum ladder. The combination of high humidity and increased temperatures will accelerate the oxidation rate.
The life expectancy of a ROM disc therefore depends on the environmental conditions to which it is exposed over time. Generally, it is best to keep ROM discs in a dry, cool environment. If the disc is removed from a humid, hot environment to an ideal condition before damage has been done, it will “dry out” and should be as playable as if it had been kept in ideal conditions all along. Other contaminates, however, such as inks, solvents, and pollutants, have the potential to irreversibly penetrate and to deform, discolor, or corrode the disc, causing permanent reading problems for the laser.
(Now I suspect vinyl's main purpose in life is as a marker of being a discriminating consumer who doesn't want to be a victim of the loudness war, since you can't overdrive a vinyl record in the same way for physical reasons. It is unfortunate that one must go to such measures to opt out of "music that sounds like crap because you ruined it, you stupid music companies".)
A record player is mechanically and electrically much simpler. And vinyl disks are just pressed vinyl. You can buy a toy kit to build a record player, a CD player is just too complicated.
you don't need a toy kit, to get sound of a vinyl. but yes it's basically impossible to build a laser and tech to read cd-da and than get audio from it...
well there is https://www.theaudioeagle.com/columns/column07.html but you need a dac and a cdm device, vinyl only needs paper and pencil (fun fact a guy from r&d of dts showed that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaqmdcaF87w)