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I stopped buying CDs
Friday, 26 February 2010
The issue of pirated music still is and always has been a very contentious issue. When you have report after report and research documentation that comes with it as proof, that music bought online is better for the environment than walking into music stores and buying a CD, you find it hard not to believe that the western world doesn’t have it in for you.
This naturally places every South African in a tough spot because, unlike some more developed countries on the west, we do not have PayPal infrastructure in place which enables us to purchase music online from abroad.
The irony here: we ultimately become the ones who give way for the pirated music industry to flourish. But that’s a topic for a whole different issue.
As one might imagine, digital downloads consume only a fraction of the carbon, depending on factors such as speed of your Internet connection, the size and quality of the audio file, etc. So that’s that.
It is said that by purchasing a CD you are essentially contributing to carbon emissions. How? Well, think about the energy that is required for that CD to get into your hands. Let’s look at the stages involved in buying that Michael Jackson CD or DVD that you’ve so badly wanted since his untimely death last year. *God rest his soul*.
Energy inefficiency
The traditional cycle involved in acquiring a CD or any other merchandise usually means covering long distances between distribution areas.
Ok, so it looks like there is a lot of energy used in the whole cycle, and that also means millions of metric tonnes of carbon emissions out into the atmosphere.
Don’t get me wrong, digital music also has its own shortcomings. But comparatively speaking, from my perspective it doesn’t look like anyone can do better than an iPod or an MP3 player. Sure, you’re bound to use up energy when downloading and that may even go much higher if you become a more-than-regular buyer online.
The point I’m trying to make is that in your wanting that MJ merchandise means energy on transportation – this includes air freight (let’s face it, we all know his music was not recorded, printed, published, packaged and produced in South Africa). That plane is bound to emit a few million metric tonnes of its own up there in an attempt to get the CD to you.
With digital, there is no driving to the store to buy it, no delivery from the distributor to the store. Because you’ll be doing music digitally (if you don’t burn onto CD after downloading) there is no need for packaging and CD production, because there is less demand for them in stores. This ultimately saves on energy usage and reduces emissions by far.
All that’s left is the implementation of PayPal services in SA to allow legal purchasing of digital music and other products online. There have been countless meetings and disagreements; SARS in the middle, the banks caught up in it too… but there is yet to be a resolution. If nothing’s done soon some efforts (like going digital) to save the planet may be futile.
Related research
The Energy and Climate Change Impacts of Different Music Delivery Methods
Posted in: My Green Journey
admin says:
10 March 2010 at 10:19 am
Hi Renier,
You make a good point. Often people don’t really see the cost saving side of things when it comes to green efforts. Some people may say that going green is expensive. That is true. Organic products, energy efficient appliances and hybrid/electric vehicles are all more expensive than other regular products.
But you will probably find that the initial high investment pays itself off by reducing your expenditure in the long term. I don’t think I would expect to have extra change in my pocket from the get go. If anything, I think I’d anticipate life as a pauper for a while.
T
Renier says:
10 March 2010 at 8:57 am
I agree heart and soul with the Green Movement and all the issues mentioned above, but…
Sometimes I feel that the Green Movement is daylight robbery. If energy and resources are saved and the earth not damaged it ALSO means that the expenditure on the company side is less to some extent. I would expect to see some of this saving in my pocket and not just as a fuzzy warm feeling in my heart.
OK, so some of the tracks MIGHT be cheaper online, but I do not feel that it is nearly aligned with cost. I also know that some green processes are inherently more expensive. But the digital download vs. CD/DVD issue is excluded from this.
admin says:
9 March 2010 at 8:22 am
Hi Andrew,
I do acknowledge that Credit Cards are supported by numerous services online. I do make use of some of those services, but that is only because we basically have no choice in terms of methods of payment. If you don’t have a Credit Card you can’t do anything. Sure, it would be reaching extremes when people resort to piracy, but your argument does not consider those people without Credit Cards who are unable to purchase said music online.
My reason for acquiring a Credit Card was purely for online transactions. Had there been services such as those offered by PayPal available in South Africa I could have simply performed any transaction I wished with my Debit Card. And all I’d have to do is submit the account number. It would be just like when one does some iBanking, where you’re put through at least two stages of secure login where you have to input account numbers and several pins/passwords. And then you’re notified when there is activity on your iBank account. That for me is incredibly secure.
I won’t speak for everyone, but it personally makes me uneasy every time I want to purchase something online and I have to give out my Credit Card details on a website that could be hosted by anyone. While I have no other alternative but to supply my details, I cannot be certain as to the level of security for my ePayments.
The point I was trying to highlight was that it would help the digital music industry and the environment if choices where available in terms of payment methods, and if those choices were of a high level of security.
T
admin says:
9 March 2010 at 8:09 am
I do agree with you. Discs in this case seem best avoided. As for the disposal of CDs and DVDs , I have also not come across any place where they can be recycled. One could possibly classify them under e-waste but that is also not specific enough. CD and DVD cases, however, are classified under plastics as PS (Polystyrene Disposable) and so can be recycled.
T
And your argument re: lack of Paypal and therefore a tendency towards piracy really is hogwash for those who support electronic music: http://www.beatport.com. All major credit cards accepted. One can purchase both albums and singles. It’s not catering towards typically commercial releases but those you can order here online via Musica etc anyway. Not sure what sort of research you’ve actually done. Or maybe I’ve misinterpreted your point.
You don’t mention the disposal of CD / DVD media after their shelf-life… you cannot recycle these items as far as I’m aware, although I’m on the look-out for somewhere in South Africa that possible does. There are only 2 places in the UK that do from my research. Think of the billions of these plastic disks ending up dumped in landfill. To me this is biggest issue. They also give off toxic gases when decomposing. Best avoided. I’m going to purchase a large hard-drive in the future and keep all video on that rather than burning to disk.
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