I know this debate is getting long in the tooth now, in fact, it isn't really a debate anymore, and is becoming increasingly more common in both the mainstream culture and the underground DJ scenes. mp3 players of all shapes and sizes are commonplace these days, and those white (and ironically poor quality) earplugs are now seen walking down every highstreet.
At last, people are beginning to come around to the idea of actually paying for music downloads, and I can tell you from first experience, it's highly addictive! I signed up to
Karmadownload a few months back (as an artist), and had a browse around at some of the tracks they have on offer. To be honest, they may not have the biggest library of labels and artists onboard, but they do have quality on their side.
After many false starts, I finally took the plunge. It wasn't until last weekend that I finally bought some credit and downloaded my first paid-for mp3's. I haven't got an mp3 player yet (I wanna see what's round the corner on that front before splashing out a couple of hundred squid), but what I got sounded pretty good! And having a clear conscience is even better.
What with the singles chart in the UK slowly morphing into the download chart (the singles and download charts were combined into one only recently), buying music downloads is set to have a rosy future - as single sales dwindle, downloading is taking up the mantle.
By the end of this year there will also be vending machine-style music download consoles in every shopping centre and many other public places. The tide is turning in music's favour...
