Best Buy Parts with CDs

Best Buy (Richfield, Minn.) has made the long-awaited decision to discontinue the sale of CDs at its stores, it has announced, effectively marking the death knell for the once-popular music format.

The big-box stores, formerly regarded as popular spots to purchase CDs, have been deemphasizing the category in recent years, reports the Minneapolis StarTribune. “Does anybody remember the last time they bought a CD?” asked Best Buy CEO Hubert Holly earlier this year. The company has moved from offering multiple aisles of CDs to relegating them to the $5.99 bargain bin, featuring the tastes of the bygone music format’s aging audience.

The sale of CDs rose through the ’90s and peaked in 2000 with $13.2 billion in U.S. sales at its height. The format has seen a steady decline since 2004, however, when digital music players like Apple’s iPod were popularized. Last year, CD sales grossed $1.1 billion, roughly 12 percent of the music industry’s overall revenue from recorded music.

In contrast, vinyl records have made a nostalgic comeback: Best Buy will continue to carry records, and recently, Target (Minneapolis) began selling them as well. (Target will continue to sell CDs, according to a company spokesperson.)