I have to agree with alot of what is said here (and add my own $.02 ) - even when a better/larger read-only storage medium comes along, the artists/record execs will be very slow to embrace it. Why should they? They can get away with charging 10-20$ for a CD that has 10-15 songs on it now - why would they want to give more value to the custumers?

Ah - but this brings up a point i've had before - they don't need to put more songs on it, they just need to be more innovative with the data that they put on it. You're already seeing enhanced CD's that contain visual/computer stuff related to the cd that you're purchasing, I think if the record companies did embrace larger storage mediums, it wouldn't be for audio, but for bonus materials.

On the other hand, you're already seeing devices such as the diamond rio player shipping with a cd full of mp3's.. (10 hours, basically) - this music IS compressed, but there really isn't much of a potential for it - a song just gets lost among that much music. Honestly, I think I've only listened to 5-10 songs on that particular cd...

In order for songs to stick out, they need their own packaging. It doesn't matter how much storage you can throw at the medium, the consumer is still a gullible consumer that'll purchase 5 flashy cd's from his favorite artist before he'll purchase one - 5 has better value then 1 right? I think to Joe Doe's eyes, it does...

Here's another scenerio - you're already seeing subscription services pop up from places such as mp3.com where you pay a monthly fee, and have access to X amount of music. I think what you might see is a ready-only, self-desctructing subscription service which allows you to access X amount of music on the new compact-disc-like-as-common-as-but-much-larger-technology-medium , but which would self-destruct at the end of the month, at which time the subscription vendor would send you a new disk. Come on - bluetooth/wireless music is great and all, but what's joe-mountain climber going to do when he wants to hear his music and is on a trip? I think you'll see this type of medium passed out such as game-demo cd's are now.

-mark

...proud to have owned one of the first Mark I units