Vinyl is an environmental problem and production shortages make it hard to make enough. CDs could solve this.
The Music Industry Hates CDs and Cassettes… Here's Why!
Ableton co-founder Robert Henke says we need to rethink CDs as an alternative to vinyl, citing vinyl's troubled relationship with current environmental concerns. But is vinyl really that bad? And when it comes to our reasons for buying records and playing them on a fancy turntable, isn't Henke missing the point a little bit?
"I still love physical products. But producing big, heavy sheets of plastic and [having them] shipped all over the world is a huge waste of energy and resources," Henke said in a Facebook post. "In times of global warming and dependence on cheap energy from countries like Russia or Saudi Arabia, I'm considering not releasing on vinyl anymore and fully embracing CDs."
Henke's argument is based on the environmental concerns of vinyl, and he has a point. Vinyl is made from the plastic polyvinyl chloride, also known as PVC, which comes from petrochemicals. The production of vinyl records can create an order of magnitude more emissions than other physical media, such as CDs.
