I think there is a difference between simply making a copy to other formats for your own convenience, and "upgrading" from an obsolete format to a better version eg LP or cassette to CD.

I don't think there really is. When you digitalize a vinyl or cassette recording, you get it exactly - complete with scratches on the vinyl, etc. The recording doesn't become "CD-quality" by magic.

Granted, there are all kinds of editing software to remove defects in old recordings, but they can't insert quality that wasn't there in the first place.

I tend to buy CDs of my favorite old vinyl recordings when they become available, not for ethical reasons so much as because you get a better product, more cheaply in the long run (factoring in the value of your own time), by doing so, than by copying to a WAV file and editing the result. Unless you're an expert audio engineer. I ain't.

Peter.

(I do question whether anyone has an ethical leg to stand on, who says "We aren't going to reissue this particular album on CD, but we're going to sue you if you copy your old vinyl to CD." If it isn't available, who's being deprived of a profit?)