Should Sound Quality of Computer Audio be improved

Not looking for benefit from greater selection in High Resolution Music Downloads, Hfisher3380. Looking for the
SAME selection available that we have become accustomed to
from other Formats. It is a simple common sense requirement
that Music Downloads do provide adequate Music Selection as
a prerequisite to "Soon All New Music Will Be Only Be Available As Music Downloads". You can't accomplish that
stated goal without adequate selection. Prematurely killing
CD selection (Without Music Download Replacement) will not get you there any faster, and in fact mind end up strangling Music Download Format. If you can't find your favorite Artists on ANY Format, you can't avoid the discouragement. Especially when multiple Titles of your
favorite Artist were easily available on previous Format.
Your presumption is that there is no consequence from
discouragement from lack of selection in Computer Audio Music Download Format switch over. Every action (Even lack
of action) has an opposite and equal reaction (Consequence). It is not crazy to point that out! Going out on a limb is dangerous and un-necessary, and can only hurt Music Download Format. My only suggestion is that someone here do the exact opposite to aid Music Download Format.
Time for Music Downloads to finally take their medicine prior to becoming Alpha Dog Audio Format. Audio Market, and necessity, demands it. A selection vacuum is simply a drawback for any New Audio Format.

The main reason CDs are still around and similar or better higher res downloads not common yet is that large files and data volumes are involved and most are not equipped with the technology yet to handle these data volumes on the scale of a large "music library". That's the biggest reason CDs will not go away for quite a while yet, though eventually they will be mostly replaced by downloads. The CD format has proven to be a winner over the years and holds up better than ever these days in regards to sound quality, so I doubt any new physical format will make a major impact in the interim. CDs/downloads are where its at for music and the trend will be towards more downloads. Of course some new records and other one off formats might persist to some extent as well as a niche product, and we will continue to have access to all those records and CDs already out there on teh used market. Lifespan of CDs in particular is quite long, so the ones around today will continue to work just as well for many years into the future until the day when most of our entertainment media sources become virtualized. Older guys like myself and even Petty I imagine will probably not be around to see that.

Mapman,

Well said and ditto.

I'm older,too, and I'll be using downloads and ripped cds until something better comes along. Another benefit of computer audio is the ability to record not only your own cds, but your friends' and acquantances' cds and files ,too, without cost.

Thanks,
Tim

EXACTLY. CDs and downloads are basically the SAME format. The only difference is downloads are not limited to 16/44.

The trend in everything digital is AWAY from physical media - and with good reason. No matter how much Petty kicks and screams.

My apologies to everyone. I am just unsure as to what everyone considers as "Musical Archive". Back in the day I
seem to remember a lot of Musical Archive stored on Master Analog Tape. CD happened, then New Music was recorded on DAT
Tape. The last that I heard Sony was transferring their entire Master Analog Tape Musical Archive onto SACD DSD Disks. At some point all New Music was being recorded ( Or
Transferred onto Music Files ). I have no idea of the Source
for Musical Archive ( Old and New Music ). Is everything currently stored as Music Files, or is it just recent New Music? How is some of our older Music being stored? If all of it is currently stored as Music Files then Downloading would make sense. If all of it is not stored as Music Files then how do we eventually Download it? I have many CDs, but
I don't have every CD made during the 80's or 90's from every Artist. I don't have everything available to rip, and now many CDs are no longer in print- therefore unavailable for Ripping. A lot of Music becomes unaccessable unless it is eventually available as Download. It is this lack of access that is my main issue. It doesn't seem to be anyone else's issue. It seems like a "Catch-22" with no way out- and it is very frustrating to deal with. My apologies for any aggravation.