In some respects, the pluses and minuses are the same. Recordings make it possible for anyone to have access to the best musicians in the world in every genre. A hundred years ago the only music you could ever hear was what was available live locally. That meant that anyone who was willing to sing or who could play an instrument had opportunity to perform and be appreciated. Now days people are unwilling to sing because they don't sound as good as "the best" who are readily available on recordings. That's a minus, but I agree with Roger, the pluses outweigh the minuses and few, if any, would be willing to go back to the pre-recording days.