Living in the advanced technological society that we are in today, many things of the past that people depended on are now obsolete. For instance, 8-track tapes, cassettes, video tapes and the VCR have come and gone. Since the introduction of Napster, YouTube, Pandora and MP3s, the CD’s 26 years of relevance seem to be nearing an end. One of the most popular advantages of MP3s is that people who don’t buy music can just download it for free. Also, carrying around an iPod is much more convenient than a CD player. However, people who shun CDs do not respect their staying power.

Album art is the life blood of a CD. For example, The Black Keys’ past three albums are excellent albums in their own right, but what really draws people in is the album art itself. Sometimes the album art comes with in-depth notes from the artists, song lyrics and an amazing poster, like The Black Keys’ album, “Brothers.”

Money is another reason CDs are still alive and kicking. According to Nielsen SoundScan, album sales went up 1.3% in 2011 and climbed for the first time since 2004, selling 330.6 million copies, compared with 326.2 million in 2010. CDs are still making a profit which means that people still want them.

Also, CDs often come with bonus tracks and even bonus discs. For real music fans, bonus tracks are great additions to a collection.

Most importantly, digital music can’t ever replace the sentimental value of physically having a CD. Many of us grew up buying and listening to CDs. Picking up that album years later might recall the first time we heard our favorite song or that song that played during our first school dance.

CDs may not reach the popularity they once had but they’re not dead yet.