Good Night

this neat little description is featured on the last page of the booklet for my copy of the Beatles' White Album, which i'm about to sell to a random guy through Craigslist for $10:

The Compact Disc Digital Audio System offers, on a small convenient sound-carrier, state-of-the-art sound reproduction. The Compact Disc's superior performance is the result of laser-optical scanning combined with digital playback, and is independent of the technology used in making the original recording.
For best results, apply the same care in storing and handling Compact Discs as you would with conventional records. No cleaning will be necessary if the Compact Disc is always held by the edges and is replaced in its case immediately after playing. Should the Compact Disc become soiled with fingerprints, dust or dirt, it can be wiped (always in a straight line, from center to edge) with a clean, soft, dry, lint-free cloth. No solvent or abrasive cleaner should ever be used. If you follow these suggestions, your Compact Discs will provide a lifetime of pure listening enjoyment.

i guess i just wanted to officially say goodbye to CDs. though my very first albums were cassette tapes, CDs were definitely my preferred music medium for many years. i didn't build up an absurdly immense collection, but over the years i did eventually gather about 100 of my favorites. i played them on my little aiwa CD player, which i took absolutely everywhere (making sure to turn up skip protection all the way). when i started driving, i always had 5-10 constantly changing CDs in my glove compartment.

eventually though, sometime in high school, i switched exclusively to playing digital files on the computer. still, i always loved and still do love owning a physical copy of my favorite art. but guess what, vinyl packaging is vastly superior to CD packaging. so i started buying used records.

to this day, i militantly encourage everybody to illegally download like fucking crazy and then support the artist by either a) attending shows or b) buying vinyl.

goodbye CDs. you treated me well, but i don't need you anymore.