i read an article in wired mag the other day, that pretty well sums up why i have been happy about the neccessary shift that is coming in the music industry. while the RIAA and individual labels are freaking out about mp3s being pirated, you can see that the big publishing companies are well aware that they are going to have to change their tune if they want to maintain sales. i have been hoping that this would push the companies putting out cds, tapes, and records to release really quality stuff – to entice the consumer to want to own the physical products. high quality recording on high quality medium, artwork, posters, fancy reusable durable packaging, the kind of things that a person would cherish, display, enjoy owning, beyond the digital signature of the song at 96kbps.
not to mention the whole concept of how much music won’t be purchased once a consumer has had an opportunity to preview the songs for free, and realizes that the song/album/artist sucks, and isn’t worth spending hard earned money on. thereby forcing the whole industry to support artists with talent, rather than a gimmick or nice ass, and putting money into top notch artistry.

So, Music Labels’ Ace in the Hole is quality. The kind you can only get from high res recordings of the original master tapes onto high grade mediums.
The article was written by Eliot Van Buskirk and can be found on Wired.