What we want to know is: do you still buy CDs? Is there something special about physical copies? If not, why not?
I've been buying records for over ten years, and don't see my habits changing anytime soon. I've been saddened by the decline in record stores available on the high street, and struggle to see what the appeal of MP3s outside of the portabil...ity factor! Personally, I don't see why anyone would want their music collection to be entirely digital. For me a big part of the appeal of music is the asthetic, the artistic element, the sleeves and art that makes a record great. Sure - you can have a thumbnail in iTunes, but it's not the same as holding a 12" slab of card which immortalises your favourite record. Saying this I do digitise all of my CDs, vinyls and cassettes, due to the ease of adding things to my MP3 player - but I see this as only the next step from kids in the 80s recording all their fave tracks from LP to cassette. I suppose my main issue is that when I buy a record I feel invested in it, its part of my character and feel a closeness to it that I don't feel when I download an digital file. You buy an MP3 and it's instantly worthless, there's no resale value, you can't leave it as your legacy to your kids, its just a bunch of 1 and 0s that works when played through a computer. I know I wouldn't pay much for someones MP3 collection, but will literally kill to flick through someones physical collection. My record collection is me, and I am my record collection, I couldn't part with any of it. I suppose I see my record collection a bit like sex: digitally it's alright, but it's much better in real life.
