I am not challenging the comments about the validity of attending live concerts, but a quick look over my software tells me that more of my favorite artists are dead than alive. Maybe if I am really good, I will have the opportunity to hear them in the afterlife. For now the legacy these musicians have left behind is all there is, and much of it is more valuable to me than any artist performing today. Perhaps just one audiophiles justification for the software and the hardware.
New Music vs. New Equipment
I assume that many people are like me in that we are always looking to optimize our audio systems. Unfortunately, to do so can require spending thousands of dollars. Furthermore, when all is said and done, the system sounds better, but it's never going to sound like real musicians playing real music. At what point is it better to leave the equipment alone and instead purchase more music? As an example, will I be better off spending $2,500 on new bi-wire cables, or should I buy 125 (@ $20 each) new albums? The new cables have the potential to make the 2,500 albums I already own sound marginally better, yet 125 new albums should yeild some great music. Which way should I go?