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Muntpunt selling off its entire collection of 25,000 CDs

15:16 20/09/2021

The Muntpunt library in the centre of Brussels is selling off its collection of 25,000 CDs. The Dutch-language library and information centre is convinced that the silver discs are a thing of the past and is selling them all at rock-bottom prices.

The sale started yesterday, on Car-Free Sunday, and will continue until Saturday. Muntpunt holds a sale every years of books, CDs and DVDs, but never have they put the entire collection of CDs on sale. They will not be buying more.

“The number of CDs being borrowed has plummeted over the last few years,” Eva Drees of Muntpunt told Bruzz. “At any given time, 95% of our CDs are sitting here available.”

The most popular CD that was borrowed over the last year was Nick Cave’s Ghosteen; it was checked out eight times. “We didn’t take the decision lightly,” Drees explained. “We carried out a survey among our patrons. There is very little interest in borrowing CDs. People have switched to streaming or are buying vinyl. Many of our patrons don’t even have a CD player anymore.”

‘Drastic’

But not every music enthusiast thinks it’s a good idea to sell off the entire collection. “I get that they want to rid themselves of the CDs,” a music blogger told VRT. “But I do wonder if libraries selling off their collections will limit older people’s access to music. My mother, for instance, is not going to turn to the internet or apps.”

Muntpunt has made “a drastic decision,” said Jasper Wentzel of music label Pias. “You never know, there could be recordings there that are hard to find anywhere else, including on the streaming platforms. It’s somewhat like losing a piece of heritage. Personally, I’ll never stop buying CDs.”

But Muntpunt is standing firm. It is looking to free up space to devote to other priorities such as a creator studio where a variety of skills could be learned and improved.

Photo courtesy Muntpunt/Facebook

 

Written by Lisa Bradshaw

Comments

Frank Lee

What's a CD? Someone working in an embassy?

Sep 20, 2021 15:58