The big (ok minor) talking point of the late 2000s was the imminent death of CD singles, and generally physical singles as a whole as the iTunes revolution took hold. Here are two photos I took in two Central London music shops - now both closed down - four years apart, showing the rapid diminishing range of singles on offer. First Zavvi in Piccadilly Circus in March 2008, featuring the entire top 20 and more:

 

http://i.imgur.com/Tehoihh.jpg

 

And HMV Oxford Circus in February 2012, a depressing few consisting of charity/fanbase singles, songs that completely missed the top 40, and unsold Tinchy Stryder/Helping Haiti songs that even then were over two years old:

 

http://i.imgur.com/BqOBtiS.jpg

 

Even the second image is now long a thing of the past and I'm no longer aware of any being made. I wondered a few years back if there'd be some sort of big fanfare for the "last ever" physical CD single, but instead, like the cassette single a decade earlier, it seems to have just completely fizzled out into unloved, disinterested banishment.

 

Are there any songs in the top 40 that have a physical, and if not, does anyone know the last chart to feature one?

One Direction's 'Steal My Girl' has a CD single format, a new entry in the charts last week! I'm not sure whether it's stocked in stores though? If an act has a physical format then it's more than likely that it's available via their online store. Groups such as The Saturdays, The Vamps, 5 Seconds of Summer and Lawson do physical formats.

 

I miss being able to walk into HMV and see an entire wall of shelves packed with singles, the new entries/the Top 40! It's something I pretty much took for granted prior to 2009. I still remember the feeling of excitement of going into HMV/Woolworths (or elsewhere) and deciding what new releases I wanted/could afford - CD1, CD2 or both? :lol: Browsing the bargain bins crammed full of unsold hit/flop singles from a few months before, or looking through the A-Z section of really old singles. All of that was an experience that downloading/streaming just doesn't match. Even receiving a CD in the post doesn't really feel the same.

The big (ok minor) talking point of the late 2000s was the imminent death of CD singles, and generally physical singles as a whole as the iTunes revolution took hold. Here are two photos I took in two Central London music shops - now both closed down - four years apart, showing the rapid diminishing range of singles on offer. First Zavvi in Piccadilly Circus in March 2008, featuring the entire top 20 and more:

 

http://i.imgur.com/Tehoihh.jpg

Who was at the top of the charts during this time if you can remember?

 

I remember going into that store quite frequently when it was called Virgin Megastores.

Edited October 26, 201410 yr by Sheikh Abdul

At least two UK #1s so far this year have had physicals! She Looks So Perfect by 5 Seconds of Summer (which actually had 2) and Problem by Ariana Grande, both of which I own and bought in HMV stores. Mostly though, if a physical is available, it's from the artist's online store and/or Amazon.

The last CD single I bought was "iLL Manors" by Plan B in April 2012, however I have bought lots of physical singles this year, though they've all been on vinyl (7" and 12").

 

Who was at the top of the charts during this time if you can remember?

 

I remember going into that store quite frequently when it was called Virgin Megastores.

 

 

Looking at that picture, in the far right you can see it has the chart and Duffy is sitting at #1. I think this would have been her 5th week at #1 though as Estelle/Kanye West is clearly in the new release section.

The following singles from the top 100 have a physical release:

 

03 Steal My Girl - One Direction (CD)

49 Problem - Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea (CD)

69 Unmissable - Gorgon City featuring Zak Abel (12")

81 Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys (7") - probably long since deleted

 

(information from UKChartsPlus)

'Problem' having a CD sticks out as a bit odd for some reason!

Physical Singles sales:

 

2000: 55.7m

2001: 51.2m

2002: 44.0m

2003: 30.9m

2004: 26.5m

2005: 21.4m

2006: 13.8m

2007: 8.6m

2008: 4.9m

2009: 3.1m

2010: 2.1m

2011: 1.3m

2012: 0.768m

2013: 0.4m

'God Only Knows' is definitely out on CD Single too (I've seen that and LOADS of copies of 'Steal My Girl' in HMV), it definitely isn't completely dead, but a very small format!

 

Recently, I also recall my local HMV stocking all of 5 Seconds of Summer's CDS singles too, as well as a fair few 7"s. I do think (boybands and big charity releases aside) if artists release a physical version these days, they tend to opt for a limited run of 7"s instead.

Edited October 26, 201410 yr by Juranamo

I really miss the days of cd singles,i live in jope that they will return one day.

Thanks everyone! I used to buy a mixture of CD singles and iTunes downloads right up to when iTunes doubled their bitrate in late 2009, when I bought less and less - last one I bought was Cee-Lo Green's Forget You.

 

Who was at the top of the charts during this time if you can remember?

 

I remember going into that store quite frequently when it was called Virgin Megastores.

As mentioned it was just as Estelle/Kanye's American Boy overtook Duffy's Mercy. The "chart" on the wall isn't actually the official one though and I'm not sure whether it's the physical chart or just one created by Zavvi - both 'Something Good 08' by Utah Saints and 'I Thought It Was Over' by The Feeling are top 5, which neither were in the proper chart.

 

The last Central London store (and last store I saw at all) to keep their big CD single section was HMV Oxford Street, which went around August-September 2009. You used to be able to find every track in the top 40 there and tons from the previous few months - you could still buy 'Angels' by Robbie Williams there over a decade after it was released!

I'm hoping that CD singles will stay around like 7" have. Thankfully they still make cardboard radio promos. I've got Lily Allen's 'Air Balloon', 'Our Time' and 'URL Badman' on CD.

The following singles from the top 100 have a physical release:

 

03 Steal My Girl - One Direction (CD)

49 Problem - Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea (CD)

69 Unmissable - Gorgon City featuring Zak Abel (12")

81 Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys (7") - probably long since deleted

 

(information from UKChartsPlus)

 

Also :

 

Vamps - Oh Cecelia

Brian Wilson etc - God Only Knows

5SOS - Amnesia

Edited October 26, 201410 yr by Vidcapper

I remember loving going in to HMV in the late 90s to look at the top 40 singles along the wall. Even more exciting was when I had enough money to purchase one.

It's a good thing this obsolete, junk format is ending. It is a waste of the planet's resources to print a single song and a b-side onto plastic, with plastic packaging, to be spun a few times over a few weeks before the album and then forgotten forever, finally ending up in second hand shops, etc, or in the junkyard.

 

This is progress. We should be glad that 55.1 million single cds are no longer being sold PER YEAR in one country - and imagine how many more were made on top of that? :o

 

And people are surprised we are running out of resources!

Edited October 26, 201410 yr by #IMPACT!!

It's a good thing this obsolete, junk format is ending. It is a waste of the planet's resources to print a single song and a b-side onto plastic, with plastic packaging, to be spun a few times over a few weeks before the album and then forgotten forever, finally ending up in second hand shops, etc, or in the junkyard.

 

This is progress. We should be glad that 55.1 million single cds are no longer being sold PER YEAR in one country - and imagine how many more were made on top of that? :o

 

And people are surprised we are running out of resources!

 

Plastic doesn't exactly run out, does it?

No, but the crude oils responsible for making it - i.e, oil - do!

 

Did you know McDonald's just a few years ago was saying it was sttuggling to get enough plastic for all its lids?

I really miss the days of cd singles,i live in jope that they will return one day.

 

I imagine it'll be like vinyl - going down to record lows, only for people to start getting a tad nostaglic and it'll start rising a bit again.

 

The days of just grabbing a cd single at the store are long long gone.

Plastic doesn't exactly run out, does it?

And where do you imagine most plastic comes from?

In Germany, they still release CD singles for quite a few songs. The following tracks all have a CD single;

 

Kiesza - Hideaway

Sigma - Nobody to love

Calvin Harris - Blame

Calvin Harris - Summer

Michael Jackson - Love never felt so good

Meghan Taylor - All about the bass

 

I sometimes buy German Imports if they include a good remix or bonus track. They are relatively expensive compared to downloading but I still prefer CD singles to downloading.