Bit perfect downloads are the future and the future is here. Everyone seems to make the assumption that the decline curve of the cd will mirror that of the LP and settle at some predetermined flat line. I don't believe that assumption will play out and further I believe that the cd is essentially a cassete tape:a medium conducive to sharing or taking on the go for the car.....for now. So many new cars now have iPod/iPad adapters and/or USB inputs for thumb drives etc.
If you believe that the physical player will fade away gracefully you need only to look at the high Rez material becoming widely available....you can even download DSD!!!!
The key issue in my opinion is that the artist will actually be able to bypass the corporate music moguls....and take it straight to the people. All they need to do is male a good recording, build a good website and sell their own music direct to the consumer. Instead of making $1-1.50 per unit they will be able to make 10 times more money and still deliver the music to the people for less than we were paying at a brick and mortar store. No one will ever be out of stock and hard to find recordings will no longer be so. Think of all of the terrific musicians who will finally be able to make a fair living! Touring will also return as that will be a material differentiator and marketing tool for the future. I'll bet really good recording studios will actually begin to sprout up as musicians will no longer require major labels to get their product to market. Check out Blue Coast Records.....I had never heard of them and discovered they offer some pretty cool recordings and sell High Rez downloads all the up to DSD quality. Prices will fall just like always but if the world goes high Rez download can you imagine the bandwidth requirements? Wow!
If you believe that the physical player will fade away gracefully you need only to look at the high Rez material becoming widely available....you can even download DSD!!!!
The key issue in my opinion is that the artist will actually be able to bypass the corporate music moguls....and take it straight to the people. All they need to do is male a good recording, build a good website and sell their own music direct to the consumer. Instead of making $1-1.50 per unit they will be able to make 10 times more money and still deliver the music to the people for less than we were paying at a brick and mortar store. No one will ever be out of stock and hard to find recordings will no longer be so. Think of all of the terrific musicians who will finally be able to make a fair living! Touring will also return as that will be a material differentiator and marketing tool for the future. I'll bet really good recording studios will actually begin to sprout up as musicians will no longer require major labels to get their product to market. Check out Blue Coast Records.....I had never heard of them and discovered they offer some pretty cool recordings and sell High Rez downloads all the up to DSD quality. Prices will fall just like always but if the world goes high Rez download can you imagine the bandwidth requirements? Wow!