Yea... nah...
Why stop at the CD, though? What did someone who never left records gain from using a CD?
Better sound quality.
For the same reasons - convenience and portability. I can take my entire music collection with me in my pocket. I don't have to worry about anything being scratched or broken.
Most people listen to music when they are at home and never come close to listening to their entire music collection during the day. That little device you put in your pocket is more likely to be scratched and broken than a CD. Its also easier to steal where by you lose everything you put on that little sacred device. Every CD I have purchased since 1988 still plays like new.
Being able to take your whole music collection with you in your pocket is not very relevant since you are at best only going to listen to a tiny fraction of it while away from home.
I can change albums while driving only by using my voice, without worry of digging through huge CD books that I used to have in my car in the late 90s/early 2000s.
CD books were a bad idea. I had several friends that had their entire collection stolen because they thought it was convenient to take out of the individual cases and put everything into a book.
Your are only going to be driving for a limited time, simply bring the music you want to listen to with you. Plus, you can buy 6 CD disk player for the car if you prefer not to change disk on a trip. More than enough music for the average amount of time someone spends in their car on a typical day.
Everything is backed up in the cloud. If I change phones, or my phone breaks, or my computer crashes? I don't have to worry about repurchasing anything like when I'd wear out or break a CD. I just open the app, log in, and it's there.
I've never had a CD wear out or break, ever. That typically only happens if you are really sloppy and messy. So again, not very relevant at all.
And here's a news flash... Spotify? Apple Music? Google Play? They're not free. They're either a subscription based platform or they're heavily supported by ads, much like radio. This isn't Napster, and it's mind boggling that somebody still thinks that's what streaming is.
Most artist feel differently. Adjusted for inflation, a single back in 1985 cost 6 dollars in 2017 dollars. An album cost $25 to $30 dollars in 2017 dollars.
The artist does not make a single cent until their song has been streamed several hundred times. That amount you pay something like Spotify is a TINY FRACTION of what you would pay in 1985 for the same listening experience. As a result, the artist can't make any real money at all.
Try going for a year on only 1% of your current salary. Hey man, don't complain, your still getting paid.
But hey... You're happy with CDs still. Good for you.
I get the same listening experience you did when you listened to Songs Of Innocence. The difference is that I actually paid the band for their work, while you and others essentially did not.