Download Killed the CD Star: The rise of the MP3

Scratchy vinyl once played out in teenage bedrooms everywhere, with music fans comparing the latest singles from their favourite musicians and swooning over the portraits on the record sleeve.Buying music used to be about collecting those beautiful covers with all the album artwork and careful designs that graced vinyl packaging. They were stacked neatly in record shops for people to flick through at their leisure. Hours were spent searching for varieties and that elusive first edition copy.The arrival of CDs changed these browsing habits. Music sales went more mainstream as the likes of HMV and Virgin opened megastores with floors of albums. CDs were cheap and made singles available to everyone, spelling the end of vinyl as the easiest and most commercial way to release music.With the arrival of CDs the packaging went smaller but the option for limited edition covers, free posters and plenty of album artwork was still there. Even today artists often release two versions of a single with different designs and a different B-side as an easy way to boost sales, exploiting dedicated fans who want every version available.However, it seems that CDs are now making way for the birth of something new - MP3.

This new way of distributing music is taking over, whether it is bands putting tunes on Myspace for fans to get a first listen of, or singles going up for sale on i-tunes.

In fact, so popular is this method that many artists don't even bother with the humble CD anymore.

Last year Crazy by Gnarls Barkley was the first release to go to number one in the UK on the strength of download sales alone, heading the way for a trend that has no signs of slowing down as the world moves towards an increasingly digital age.

Now it's all about going technological. Websites like i-tunes allow the user to simply download the song directly to their computer for the price of buying a CD in the shops.

Plus, with i-pods, MP3 players and mobile phones you can copy and play music straight onto, it's a quick and easy way of getting your favourite tunes without leaving the comfort of your own home.

So is this the death of all things record-related?

Nu-rave indie kids Hadouken, who exploded onto the British music scene this year, have chosen to release their latest musical offering of 12 songs on a USB that fans can purchase from their website, then insert into their computers to listen to the tracks.

Likewise Radiohead, a band never afraid of doing something different and annoying their record company, chose to release their latest album, In Rainbows, in a digital only format, allowing fans to decide how much they wanted to pay for the music.

CDs are not going to be completely obsolete for a very long time yet. But it seems we will have to give in to the rise of MP3s whether we like it or not.

However, it may be that not all is lost for the humble record.

Many underground musicians and bands put their first releases out on 7" records as they sign to small independent labels. The sales of these records have actually increased in 2007.

It appears there is still a market for people that want to own and appreciate the unique sound quality of a good old fashioned needle scratching against the vinyl.

Plus, they will always be a collector’s item. In 20 years no one is going to be impressed by how many downloads from 2007 you have on your space-age laptop. But a record collection is something to be admired and loved forever.

MP3s are in, CDs are on their way out, but vinyl will live on forever.

Female First - Jacqueline Farrer