Poll Vault: What were the first and last CDs you bought?

Can you remember the last time you bought a physical music CD as opposed to a download?

I’m having trouble recalling that purchase myself. But I can remember exactly where and when I bought my first CD. And my last digital music purchase was in November, so that’s pretty fresh.

Citing figures from Nielsen SoundScan, a Reuters story this week reported that physical CD sales dropped 6 percent in the U.S. last year, but digital album downloads soared 20 percent.

Sales of vinyl albums — remember those? — reached 3.9 million copies, up from 2.8 million in 2010, according to the report. That increase apparently is driven by nostalgia among older buyers and cover art appreciation among the younger set.

Do you still buy CDs in a store, or are you an iTunes devotee? What was your first CD purchase? And if you can remember that far back, let’s hear about those cassettes, LPs and 8-tracks.

*A shout-out goes to Daily Herald copy editor and pop culture expert Sean Stangland for suggesting this poll.