Townsville-based record-store owner James Olmaté is thrilled that the compact-disc format is enjoying a revival among his customers.
Speaking from his Aitkenvale premises, Olmaté told SPA Confidential that he wasn’t surprised the format had endured the digital file and vinyl revival booms.
“It’s like the reliable middle child of the music-format world,” Olmaté said. “See, vinyl is the older, worldly sibling that thinks it knows better as a base function of its age, and MP3s are the hip, younger kid, all flash and bling and shallowness.
“But CDs – they’re hard-working; they keep on keeping on with little glory or notice these days. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of them yet.”
As for the pesky scratches and skips of CD? “We have cleaning kits, mate,” Olmaté said, pointing to a dusty stack of spray bottles and cloths nearby. “Besides, give me one example of a song that isn’t made better by unpredictable, random jumps. It keeps you on your toes.”
Olmaté says that CDs’ ongoing popularity boils down to the benefits they possess that cannot be replicated by other formats.
“It’s the utility, mate,” he said. “You show me another audio format that can be used for as many things other than playing music as a CD, and I’ll show you a very surprised CD-store owner.
“Coasters, decorations, shitty Frisbees – the possibilities are endless.”
