Bob Baker (How to Use the Internet to Become a Celebrity or Expert in Your Field) returns with your comments on Napster, who's really winning the download revolution, and how this all affects indie artists here.

There's nothing sweeter than stirring the pot. And that's exactly what I did with my last Plugged-In column on the fate of CDs and other physical recordings in the Age of Digital Downloads.

In that column, I took the anti-revolutionary stance that CDs and cassettes would be around for a good while -- even though hordes of college kids and tech heads are downloading MP3 files with reckless abandon.

One reader, who unfortunately didn't supply a name, wrote, "The last great sea-change in the recording industry was the shift from single 45s to LP sales. This change was fueled by the exclusive and fussy tech-heads that introduced the world to FM broadcasting. FM technology, with discreet stereo output and high fidelity, moved music from the single song format into the album concept format. In the early years, these FM stations were all located on or near college campuses.

"The sea-change now is the unbelievable explosion of MP3 trades and downloads that occupy the considerable free time of so many college students. With MP3s, listeners are rebelling against a bogus marketing tool: the CD. The CD has become synonymous with bands that have only one song selling entire LPs to dupes for outrageously inflated profits.

"The MP3 is the single of the new millennium. The major labels weren't offering singles in order to protect their album-level profit margins. So kids did it themselves. If the industry had met this need in the first place, Napster may have never happened. Then kids found that they could trade their ripped MP3s for other ripped MP3s and Napster was born."

However, the reader wasn't completely warm and fuzzy about what all these kids are up to. "So where do the labels fit in to this?" he asked. "Well, most industry vets, yourself included, don't seem to realize that there is a big difference in the quality of MP3s. Professionally produced MP3s generally sound magnitudes better than MP3s scrounged off used CDs in college dorms. I would gladly pay for a pro MP3 versus taking a chance on something Junior produced while he was feeding his goldfish."

The nameless reader further eroded my premise that people generally enjoy the experience of going home with a nicely packaged music product.

"The experience of shopping in record stores will be replaced by the experience of shopping online. I buy music every week. I haven't been in a record store in years. The 'community' of the record store experience is being replaced by the community of MP3 sharing and other technocraft obsessions. Bottom line: When you can put 1,000 MP3s on a player the size of a cigarette pack, play 'em for a week and never hear the same tune twice, the anachronism and inconvenience of CDs becomes readily apparent."

He or she then offered these final words...

"The Majors will have to offer MP3s for sale at a rate of about a dollar each or the buying public will simply turn its back on the majors. Don't believe me? How many students bought Frank Sinatra in 1967 vs. Jimi Hendrix?"

Reader Michael Gurry, who did include his name, echoed similar CD quality concerns: "I think you left out the most important part of your article. You didn't mention that MP3 is not at the quality level of a CD. In order for MP3 files to match CD quality, they will have to allow downloads of full CD files (40 megs or more per song). At this point, not many people would spend that much time on downloading, even with DSL or cable connections. Maybe in the future when we have much quicker connections it could happen."

Lena, a Getsigned.com reader who agreed with my position, wrote, "CDs, cassettes and even vinyl are here to stay. One reason is portability. Who wants to take a computer to the beach, the park or in your car? Or have a computer running music at a party or club? Also, there are still a lot of people in the world who don't have computers or can't afford them. Why should they be without music?"

Another unidentified reader had this to say: "At some point, people will no doubt stop buying physical music products and go more for the downloads. I'm 24. I barely remember the feel and smell of vinyl, so I don't miss it. I bought tapes and later CDs like everyone else my age.

"Unlike vinyl, CDs don't have as big an area to display cover art, the writing is smaller and the digital format is definitely not warm like analog. But it's all I've really known, so I don't know any better. Same with young kids today. They have the option of CDs or downloads, and as personal technology picks up -- car stereos that play files rather than only CDs or tapes, personal handheld units that transmit those files to the player, and (especially) when the MP3 is taken over by a better sounding format -- the easier option will be downloading."

The reader adds, "It will only be purists like me who still buy the physical formats. These young punks just won't know any better."

How does your opinion stack up? Throw in your two cents by sending an e-mail HERE. Oh yeah, and include your name along with your comments. Please. I want to give you the recognition you deserve.

What other issues affect you as an indie artist? Speak up! Let me know. Your email may fuel another installment of Plugged-In...

Have your best week ever!

-Bob

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  Website Back	Bob Baker
	Bob Baker is an author, indie musician and former music magazine editor dedicated to showing musicians of all kinds how to get exposure, connect with fans, sell more CDs, and increase their incomes.   Bob Baker is the author of "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook," "Killer Press Kits" and "MySpace Music Marketing" and more. He also publishes TheBuzzFactor.com, a web site and e-zine that deliver marketing tips, self-promotion ideas and other empowering messages to music people of all kinds. Get your FREE subscription to Bob's e-zine by visiting http://TheBuzzFactor.com today.
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