I still buy compact disks.
"Actual" CDs I bought in the last month are:
Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine 2010 Remaster
Alice in Chains - Nothing Safe
The Beatles - Abby Road
Cranberries - Everybody else is doing it & No need to Argue
Social Distortion - Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes
Rant: I don't see how people can really do with out a hard copy. I mean, its a hard copy - plus it comes in a case made for it, made by the artist or commissioned by them. can be gloss or matte paper, elements that match the mood of the music. Or simple on the outside and crazy on the inside - conveying some ironic idea, wit. the CD could be covered with an image, or just text, or an image that uses the reflective surface as negative or positive space. It makes buying music more of an event, I mean the artist just spent at least 2 months of their lives making it, thousands of dollars spent! Downloading just seems haphazard, really easy, only do it if you want to try out a band, give them a chance ~ it might or might not work out ~ type of relationship. That is easy tho, easy for the consumer, but so much fucking harder for EVERYBODY ELSE! So for the most part, the only thing you find in iTunes is "whats hot now", in all the warehouse stores [Best Buy, Target, Wallmart] you ONLY find a limited selection of whats hot now for this quarter (3-month period). If your lucky to find a independent store, or even a Virging Mega Store or HMV, they seem like independent music stores compared to Wallmart and Targets; only then will you be lucky to find some obscure cd or limited release, and get to browse for at least an half hour!
Anyway - NIN are always a good example of album art and the tangible experience of the music purchasing, package design, how its opened and presented to the fan. One of my favourite cds is AFI's Black Sails in Sunset. Everything about it, the cover, inside cover, booklet, the print on the disk - all fucking awesome -
AFI - Black Sails in Sunset
The Big Gripe - Review NIN Pretty Hate Machine 2010