07-14-03: Jeffloistarca - p.s. you have to be tone deaf to think MP3's sound anything like music. No wonder they're free to download at will, no one in their right mind would actually buy a MP3 recording.
This is your opinion (and probably the opinion of many on this forum). But, again, for the majority of consumers MP3's sound just fine (even good!) and they are much more eager to pay for the songs that they actually want vs. paying for songs they don't like (such as on a LP or CD). This is already happening, and will continue to increase!
This really isn't just about convenience. For the majority of consumers (like it or not), CD's & MP3's sound just fine - even good - for all of their listening pleasures (not just "on the go")!
I forgot to mention this earlier...you can see this in all kinds of markets - like HDTV. The only reason we are getting HDTV is that it is being forced on broadcasters and consumers (and everyone in between) by the government (via the FCC). The majority of consumers don't care about the added quality of the picture (and isn't enough to bring about such a change - and isn't enough to sell HDTV products alone).
I don't know if this is still true (wouldn't be surprised if it were), but back in the 90's, I believe it was, the #1 speaker (based on number of units sold) was Radio Shack! Most people don't want "the best", they just want what fits them within their budget (or even less, so that they can spend money on what they really want to - such as their hobbies, etc.). For many (if not most) here on AudiogoN, "audiophile" activities (including vinyl) is at least somewhat of a hobby, thus the difference between those here and the "average consumer".
I find myself somewhere in the middle of the two...I want good quality but have a limited budget (as most here do). But, specifically as it relates to vinyl - most of the "software" (music) that I buy is not on LPs (and is a small niche market), so if I want to be able to purchase what I want to listen to...that means following the mainstream (for the most-part). Sure I can find some old stuff in my genre from time-to-time. But anything new will be on the mainstream distribution platform of the time.
And, again, for the record - I am not a "nay-sayer", I don't believe that vinyl will DIE...just that it will have a limited following (as it does currently). Sure it's numbers will fluctuate from time-to-time, but I don't believe that it will ever be in prominence as it once was.
Wes
