CD mastering a lost art?

I'd argue that there's nothing at all lost in terms of capability or artistry in
mixing / mastering. Nothing. That said, a great deal of software these
days is mixed for very different priorities than absolute fidelity on an
exacting system. In fact, quite the opposite. There's quite a bit of skill and
artistry behind being able to mix a track so that the vocals pop and it
sounds compelling played from a lossey mp3 over the car stereo with all
the windows down going 75mph. Said same track is going to be damn
near unlistenable on a reasonably accurate system with someone looking
for fidelity in the listening chair, however. It's about choices. Can't say I
like many of the choices behind the mass-market stuff these days -- but I
think it would be a mistake to ignore that they are deliberate choices
grounded in perfectly legitimate economic goals. The lowest common
denominator is a bitch if your preferences trend towards the top of the
curve, but it doesn't change the fact that there are various economic
realities (e.g. most common format(s) and installed equipment platforms
among the consuming public) that are driving this bus, not some arcane
lost art. Agreed, the direction the bus is headed stinks, think we're just
quibbling over who is driving....