The end of the physical single / Woolworths will stop stocking CD singles in August

What does the death of the single mean for the poptimist?

What it means is that Woolworths will stop stocking CD singles in August.

Normally I would say that I only ever go into Woolies to buy light bulbs but actually I bought the Ting Tings album out of Camden Woolies last week for eight quid.

I get a bit fed up with idiots like Maconie drooling on about oh the charts don't mean anything any more do they really when the fact is that in no small part due to downloads the singles chart is currently in the rudest of health from where I'm standing.

And probably healthier for not having the TOTP monkey on its back any more.

i 100% welcome the death of the physical single

For someone like me, who''s not interested in the charts essentially, but who is interested in the kinds of songs bands I like might put out as b-sides, and who also loves / loved EPs and mini-albums, it makes me sad.

Top 40 singles chart in rude health is exactly what Em said, aye.

Why's that, Jim?

Zavvi are finishing stocking singles as well I think.

I'm looking forward to the end of the physical single, allowing for the peeps who'll keep putting out 7"s. CD singles were always ugly and kinda stupid.

Not to mention overpriced.

Especially once they brought in the 3 track max limit.

basically, they've always been a waste of money in many respects - generally less music for the money vs an album, most b-sides (from the last 15 years at least) mediocre-to-ok at best.. also, i'm pretty bitter about how i let myself be suckered into buying a couple thousand of them over the years which are pretty much going to have to be given or thrown away.

Proper b-sides are OK, live tracks or session versions of already released track = no thanks.

I stopped regularly buying CD singles about 18 months ago, so shan't be mourning their decline - and am in full agreement about the positive effect of downloads on the singles chart.

I'm slowly currently burning my older CD singles to iTunes and stashing the CDs away in boxes, as I've run out of space and never get round to playing them anyway.

If there's an old CD single which I need to access for "research" purposes - which certainly happens quite often - I'll dig it out and burn it to iTunes anyway, so I'm merely rationalising the process. Quite happy to pay 79p for a download.

As for albums, I'm still enough of an audiophile to pay more for the CD - and CDs still form the bulk of my proper listening.

I've also got very lazy about bothering with B-sides. The Suede/Oasis days of quality B-side tracks are long gone.

I've bought two CD singles recently because I couldn't get the remixes I wanted on 12". I hate buying because always forget I've got downloads as my iTunes is a mess and I want to play them on a CD player.

CD Singles bought;
Goldfrapp's A&E (for the Gui Boratto mix)
Battles' Atlas (for the DJ Koze mix)