Side-Line Music Magazine had an article titled "CD-format to be abandoned by major labels by the end of 2012" as of Oct. 23.
While this may be what many people anticipated (except for actual schedule), I was a little surprised. I thought it would be much later.
But, this makes me worry - not about the end of CD itself, but about the future of download/streaming.
I don't worry too much about the audio quality because, when download/streaming becomes the ONLY way to purchase music, the demand for higher quality is inevitable.
Actually, after the failure of SACD/DVD-A,download/streaming will be better way to introduce HD audio to main stream audience than, say, BD-audio.
Rather, I see a possible problem in regional restriction.
For example, HDtracks.com offers many HD music but they are limited to the customers with USA addresses, so I can't purchase them.
Likewise, Japanese website e-onkyo offers HD music only to the customers with Japanese addresses.
Same goes for movie websites, such as Hulu.
Perhaps 1/3 of my music/movie disc collection are imports.
Regional coding of DVD was not a very big problem because there were several ways to get around.
But when download/streaming block customers by their addresses,
I don't see any "legal" way to cope with it.
This means I can no longer import music and movie when physical media is gone, and that's a BIG problem for me.
I want free market.
