CD or MP3??

On his London Free Press blog, Dan Brown has raised the issue of the future of the CD, with the growing popularity of mp3s. I have over 1,200 CDs. I might be able to fit their contents onto an Ipod Classic (120 GB or the no longer sold 160 GB) but why would I want to? Imagine the amount of time and work involved. Portable devices are great, if you're on the road all the time, but I work from home so it's a mute point for me. I'd like to address the bigger issue of the popularity of the mp3 file.
IMO, much of that popularity has been driven off file sharing webistes like Limewire, etc. I'll cut to the chase; if you're getting your music through file sharing, you're a thief and should be treated accordingly. if you like mp3s for their portability, fine. Pay Itunes or some other legal site. Pay for what you are listening to. We all get upset when we read about AIG employees getting bonuses while their employers got $US bailouts but they at least had a contract which entitled them to it. You steal music via file sharing because you can and because you're unlikely to get caught.
The other thing about mp3s is that they are computer files. I hope all of you are making backups of the stuff you have because if your Ipod and/or computer dies, you've lost it all. I sincerely doubt Itunes will just let you re-download it all with no charge.
Beyond the file sharing issue though, I have yet to hear an mp3 file sound as good as a CD track. That's the basic nature of mp3s; you can fit a whole bunch of them on an Ipod, etc. because the PC files are smaller. They're made smaller by reducing the sound quality. If I'm going to listen to music, I want the full range of sound but maybe that's just me.
Now, in fairness, I own a 6GB mp3 player (not an Ipod). I copy the music I really like onto it and use it only if I'm travelling to Toronto on the train, etc. I only copy from CDs that I've paid for (so the artist got their fair cut) and I never make them available for file sharing.
If you are OK with crappy sound and can rationalize stealing from the artists you pruport to love, or if you pay for it, that's your choice. CDs to me will become a "niche" market, like LP's still are. BTW, what's up with the popularity of LP's? Those things scratch so easily.
The CD is by no means perfect. The text in the booklets is too smalll and the plastic cases crack but you can replace the cases and you can get good deals on used CDs at places like The Beat Goes On ; a personal favourite of mine (more on them in another post). Until they stop making CDs, I'll keep buying them, but that's me.
Tell me what you think. Thanks for reading.