yeah but i love ipod. it's just a tool of convenience in my eyes. in stead of having that huge cd player and having to change the cds every 40 mins, i can just play song after song after song and walk all over the city. so in that way i love digital music. but when you really love an artist, i think having all the goodies makes the experience more interesting.

__________________
"How wrong it is for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself."

"I postpone death by living, by suffering, by error, by risking, by giving, by losing."

"I will not be just a tourist in the world of images, just watching images passing by which I cannot live in, make love to, possess as permanent sources of joy and ecstasy. "

-from the goddess that is Anaïs Nin

digital music is very convenient. i just see it as being supplementary, not primary.

me too

I think a lot of you are yelling FIRE before there's that much smoke.

I can't give much of an answer towards the V2 decision, because, well frankly, I know nothing about it, or them. But if it is anything like a lot of jobs that can be replaced with computer software, systems, etc... then it wouldn't really surprise me. I wouldn't worry about digital music infringing too much on your other favourite music formats just yet.

We're evolving, growing, technology is rapid, and it scares people, but it is the way it is and has been for some time now. 8 Tracks went away cause they, for the most part, sucked. Vinyl and cassette formats held their ground for some time together. What, errr.., CDs came about in the mid to late '80s as a forefront to a better sounding, longer lasting alternative to cassette tapes. Of course there was a big swing to lay way for this to become the "head of music" access. I remember then the buzz and fear that Wax was going to be gone for good. In the mean time records were still produced, cut and stamped, etc..., & still are. Regardless, in this time as CDs took hold "Walkman" tape players became obsolete, while the portable hand held cd players would nestle in and take their place. Also, boomboxes came, stayed, and left while morphing into small-styled/stylish/stylized bookshelf units that could be portable if need be, but were meant to mainly stay in one place. Oh well, not too much ease for jamming and long time shoulder play all day, eh.

So lets just round it off and say that CDs & DVDs (replaced, for the large part, VHS format remember?) have been the main product for all music play for about 20 years now. Something else is bound to come around and raise some eyebrows, right..? Enter the mp3, digital, compressed music, and it's touted as exceptional quality in a convient, space saving format. Of course this is going to become a mainstay within the world of music, but I really don't imagine that CDs and DVDs will be replaced by Apple, iTunes, or anybody, if at all, that quickly.

I also love the tangible, tactile, and visual experience that linear notes, sleeves, cover work, art work, etc... provide. I've just always loved it. So I hear ya. Yes little thumbnail images can be downloaded and incorporated onto mp3 players to give the likeness of a front cover to some unit's screens. But are you really that worried about an new revolutionary method watering down the nitty gritty of things that you hold so near and dear to you?

Someone mentioned the iPod as a "status symbol," well not any more than a computer in every home, or even internet access being touted as the same thing. There are different styles and types of gadgets to sync music onto and take along with you. It is extremely convenient, for the commuter in the inner cities not having to take a ton of cds along with them and still get to listen to their faves. To joggers, not messing up their rhythm with a jumpy CD. More over, traveling never could be better. Now you can virtually have a library of stored music to choose from and listen to while your actual collection stays home, safe and sound. Yeah the option is now there for people to download singles and songs, but nothing is being replaced. It's being expanded upon.

So I don't really see it as a "replacement" to, or even "comodifying" an artist's work. I see it as a great tool to have for any occasion. BTW, the sound quality of a CD over a high end stereo system is still mucho grande better than any mp3 unit attached to the auxiliary taps on the same receiver playing through the very same speakers. Change occurs for better, or for the worse. It can't be denied. Digital will of course have it's spot, but Analog applications are very much here to stay, their much more warm and purer sounding. Just another example, Guitarists have been plagued for the past 20 years to whether Tubes would become obsolete, and digital, or modeling devices would replace what so many have come to love. The option is out there, but there is nothing to "worry" about.

Hell, Alternative just got cool what, 17 or so years ago.., it'll still be around. Fashions, fads, cliques, and misfits will still have a unifying momentum to hold on to. You know, I bet as into technology as Jimi Hendrix was into the late '60s, he'd be one of the first to advocate iPod's in our daily lives if he were around to see it today. With that, if Jack White feels at all compromised with his label's decision, I'm sure he would find another place to go, very easily. I know I touched off on stuff that HG wasn't necessarily talking about, but it's all food for thought.

Speaking of, Thought... This, of course, has nothing to do with the topic and is only meant for perspective, but DNA has only been a part of our day-to-day knowledge since 1944. Think about it.

* The site where I just "picked up" the SexPistols_8 Track cartridge image says 'it sold for over $100.00,' recently. That's 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a 4GB, 8GB, or even 30GB iPod.

Oh well, whatever, nevermind... is that bollocks, or just progression?