It is a small, silver creature, and we must do everything we can to prevent its demise. Its scientific name is the compact disc, but is more affectionately known as the CD.

With services like iTunes offering single song MP3 downloads, the CD format is becoming obsolete. Instead of focusing on albums consisting of 10 or more songs, many artists focus more on recording individual songs to be released digitally. This is sad news for us CD fans.

The CD format allows artists to write a series of songs based on a theme. It gives the musicians the opportunity to make a statement. For example, the Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, focuses on the theme of a fictitious band and their antics.

This creativity fueled the band, and the album has inspired other musicians including the Beach Boys and Jimi Hendrix. In 1996, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band opened me up to a new world of music.

If the songs had been released individually, its impact would have been significantly weaker, and I would still be listening to M.C. Hammer and Milli Vanilli.

Such themes for albums include heartbreak and new love – topics that the BYU–Idaho student body is familiar with. When I feel like celebrating being in love, I need a complete CD—not just an individual song to explore this excitement.

Sure, the $15 price may hurt your wallet more than the $.99 MP3 audio files do, but in addition to the music you get album artwork, lyrics and recording information (valuable for music geeks like myself).

Fortunately I am not alone in my Greenpeace-like preservation rants. Musicians and music lovers all over the world are speaking out in behalf of the CD format.

“I prefer CDs over MP3s because the artwork enhances the music,” said Paul Mesler, a senior from Allentown, Pa. “Not everyone has a computer, but everyone needs music.”

If you enjoy having MP3 files for your computer or iPod, you can buy the CD and import the songs to your computer.

Please do not allow CDs to go the way of the buffalo – or the record, for that matter. They are a valuable part of my emotional ecosystem. I cannot survive without them.