> CDs .. were a cheap way to provide music.

Vinyl and cassette were much cheaper. When CDs came out in the mid-80s they sold for $14.99. LPs of the same albums sold for $7.99, sometimes $4.99. We bought CDs if we could afford them (sometimes even if we couldn't) because they sounded SO MUCH BETTER.

The vinyl albums that went all out to give you LP-sized inserts were definitely a treat. CDs cannot compete on that.