G'day,
History is littered with examples of people having to adapt to technological change. The discussions about copyright etc. and the impact of mp3 are very interesting, but for better or worse the format is here and will have a huge impact on the recording industry. Together with the internet there is an enormous scope for illegal distribution of copyright material. Of course the fault there lies with the people doing it, not with the technology.On the other hand the format helps to level the playing field. Look at www.mp3.com to see how unknown performers are able to sell their recordings on the world market. I think they will be forced to modify their approach as the quantity of recordings they handle explodes as it's bound to - it's getting to the stage where there are enough free downloads available to keep many "customers" satisfied without the need to buy the "DAM" CD (see the mp3.com for an explanation). The mp3.com concept and the fact that performers can easily set up their own web sites to market their albums in mp3 format is set to change the marketing of recorded music forever.
It will be interesting to see how much life is left in the CD format. I think its days are numbered because:-
1. It's too easy to make an exact copy - the record companies will kill it off.
2. It will have to fight hard to survive the impact of mp3.
3. DVD technology is here, although standards are not set. This will allow 20 or 24 bit recording at 96kHz sampling rate with extra channels for surround sound. It will allow extra information to be added - anything from extended cover notes, lyrics and pictures to video clips. It will give the recording companies the opportunity to investigate new methods of copy protection.
If you remember the pain of changing from LPs to CDs, if your LPs are gathering dust in the garage and you don't want to do that again, I don't think the change to DVD will be the same - a DVD player should be able to play audio & video DVDs and standard audio CDs. If the industry wants, it could also play mp3 files off CD ROM.
Cheers,
Alan