As a musician, and music LOVER, with the addition of iTunes and other downloadable media, CD sales have and continue to drastically decline. BUT, I as well as many other people, don't want the physical CD to go away! I love the rush of waiting for the CD to be released to stores, and then running out to buy it, unwrapping it, and looking through the special booklet and all the artwork that went into the special packaging. The artwork is what sets one band apart from another;something that clearly identifies one music artist from another. There is absolutely no artistic merit in digital downloads, and it seems that people just want what they want RIGHT NOW. How do you feel about this topic? Do you think the physical CD will disappear completely? Do you prefer to have your songs conveniently available to you, even though they are much more compressed versions, and no tangible artwork is included?

Artwork is what makes music stand out upon first impression, because most of the time when you read about a new artist you have no idea what the music sounds like. An image and visuals always accompany that artist as an identity. There is no physical or emotional connection with downloaded sound files, compared to that of the very artwork/packaging you can hold with your own hands. Not to mention that through the physical representation of the artwork/packaging, you can really gain insight into all the hard work that went into the production of the album;not only the musicians themselves, but the songwriters, producers, engineers, mixers, sound designers, and the artist's thankyou's as well...

Art=Musical Identity.

~Klaryssa