[Andy L]

Originally Posted by RainDawg

For the record, I think that $0.99 for a lousy mp3 is a crime. I would never, ever, pay money for that.

Here in the UK, we have the privilege of paying 99p for lossy, DRM-infested MP3s which, at current rates, is almost double the price you guys in the US pay. iTunes songs cost 79p and are encoded in AAC format, but that's still more expensive and still has DRM. I would never pay money for that either, as I refuse to be told what I can and can't do with the music I've paid for.

The majority of people don't care about quality or DRM though, which is why these online stores are taking off (that, and their sheer convenience). Given a 5GB hard disc with a choice of 150 lossless songs or 1500 MP3s, most people would go for the 1500 MP3s every time. Hopefully, as bandwidth and hard disc space increases, more people will go for lossless, but I can't see it happening somehow.