The cost of LP's and CD's - an observation

@rtorchia"
"To me the LP popularity is based on pure nostalgia because messing with a Thorens TT, an SME arm, and a fine cartridge is very pleasurable."
Careful there with that broom you're using for the sweeping generalization. I'm not sure what you find very pleasurable, but for me it's the sound of vinyl, not messing with the components.

"But digital rules, no question."
For you. Not for everyone.

@orpheus10 Idk - I believe the convenience of a cd - being able to skip and select tracks at a whim - was a big factor in people moving over to that medium. Add to that their portability (who here once had a Discman of any iteration?) and it's no surprise they became so popular.

I imagine most were not playing them on systems with any real fidelity, either.

I distinctly remember new CD's, at their height in the mid-2000s, regularly costing $18.99 or so

@orpheus10 "All the people I knew were impressed..."   Possibly because you hung with other people who cared about the sound? Most of the people I knew during the cd-days of the 90's didn't care. I liked them because they were easier than tapes AND because they didn't have that tape hiss and muffle, but that was a baseline preference.

I don't know what generation you are, but most of my Gen X'ers who came of age with cd's liked them for their mechanical benefits, like convenience and that they wouldn't get eaten or tangled. Yes, there was some acknowledgment of their superior sound quality, but as most of us didn't have amazing systems, that was secondary.

But the truth is that most people, no matter their generation, simply don't care enough about fidelity to go further than a good sound bar. The idea of sitting down for a listening session without talking is the purview of what we do on this site, not the masses.

It's like a neighbor I once had who was completely into the video aspect of home theater and who was gushing about a new projector he had installed and interfaced with some complex software. I mean, i enjoyed watching movies and appreciated the picture at his place, but was just as content watching blue-ray on my home system.
Also, there are many, many millennials who have gotten into vinyl; however, even though many intro rigs sound decent, they're going to show their limits. And choosing between Spotify and a sub-$200 vinyl set-up thus becomes a no-brainer.

Speaking of which, how many people under 30 still buy cd's?