Digital formats aside, I still need a physical means of storage for my extensive collection. The living room AV system is still the center of my entertainment universe, not my computer. My IPod is strictly for times when I'm not at home. And what if, like I've already had happen twice (thanks MS), my hard drive takes a dump? There goes all of my music and movie content. A CD or DVD won't self-destruct in that manner.

Secondly, we don't need another physical format, I agree we only need to focus on the present format and make sure it will always and forever be both backwards and forwards compatible.

Actually, iPods already solve both of the issues you listed. While right now you swap CDs in your living room AV system, you could just as easily hook up your iPod through an auxiliary input and have access to your entire music collection. As for the hard drive dying, the iPod is basically a back up hard drive (or flash drive) of your entire music/movie collection. Things purchased through iTunes can automatically be transfered back from the iPod to the computer, and other songs/movies can be transfered back to the computer as well (although, this does require a bit more work).

Don't get me wrong. I still prefer to buy a CD rather than an album from the iTunes store. However, it's more and more rare that I have a legitimate use/need that my computer or iPod can't already meet. The RIAA needs to make sure there are still legitimate uses for CDs, otherwise digital will replace CDs altogether.

What the music industry has lost is NOT THE MUSIC, but the packaging and distribution business. The artists now deal DIRECTLY with the consumer, through downloading, and TWO things have happened. The expensive cost of the physical product, which they made a buck on, has been lost. And the distribution, and retail sale profit, has gone, well, BYE BYE. Artists will offer there product up, through downloads, and for those that still want the CD--that will be an on line product, and new artists will offer that out--direct from THIER website. Artists, and the internet have eliminated the ENTIRE PACKAGING, DISTRIBUTION, and RETAIL SALES of music. Also lost is the TRAFFIC BUILDER of physical CDs to the retail stores. The same will soon happen to the DVD market, as faster high speed internet connections are retro-fitted to the USA. Download there too. Studios will soon be sending A DIGITAL SIGNAL via satelite to movie houses, as they are retro-fitted, and THAT distribution network of the actual prints goes, well, BYE BYE also. So don't look at this as the death of music or movies, but it's the last dying gasp of an antiquated packaging and distribution system. Artists profits go up--consumer cost goes down. A lot of rich executives---retire. The internet has driven a stake through the heart of these middle men and they don't like it.