Tvad wrote:
Consider that you buy a music file, and your storage drive crashes. Consider that your back-up also crashes...
Consider also that Apple maintains control of downloaded music files....
With CDs, once you've purchased the disc, you own it forever, and given proper care and storage...
Lots of red herrings in this.
First, if hard drives are that flawed, then the world as we know it is in imminent danger. Every major institution in the world - banks, governments, hospitals, insurers, manufacturers and so on - store the vast bulk of their critical information on computers. And they count on backups to preserve that info.
And, Apple does not maintain control of your downloads. The current downloads have no DRM and Apple has no way to remove them from your computer or backup drive. Perhaps you are confusing this with the Kindle ebook story from last year.
In my particular case, purchased downloads are less than one-quarter of 1% of the collection on my server.
What happens when you lose CDs due to CD rot? What happens when your collection is stolen? What happens when it is damaged in a house fire or windstorm?
You'll have to buy replacements, assuming they are still available on the market. You don't even have the option of looking to a backup. And, if all backups for a HD user fail, he's now in the same boat you are. He gets to go buy new material.
Nothing is risk free, but hard drives are so cheap that multiple backups are a great option and can certainly give you favorable odds.
I certainly have no problem with anyone who wishes to keep their music collection CD or LP based instead of on a music server. However, I think we could do without the "Chicken Little" horror stories.