Sorry, you're missing the point. Artists don't give a crap about limited space or how much space. Artists 1) want to be heard 2) want to be paid. If a distribution method exists to expedite 1 and 2, then why the hell not? If it doubles their profit I think they will go for it. I think you are arguing something else.

The point here, is if I as a consumer can buy and listen to music (a.k.a instant gratification) and this music does not expire, ever, and the medium is painless and given to me for free, doesn't require download, with no compromise in quality.... and the cost to me is CHEAPER because I don't have to pay for packaging then that is completely brilliant. It's even better if I don't have to pay for the crap that comes on a CD for the 2 songs that I really wanted!

If to the record company/distributer it circumvents the packaging and production costs, such that all costs are spent towards advertising and sales then that's pretty brilliant as well. In fact no need to produce a CD each time. Just maintain a database of songs. In fact if alternative pricing schemes, such as stepped pricing for popular songs, and sales prices for the b tracks -- or whatever, if it's possible to raise prices on the top 100 and sell off everything else at a penny, so much the better -- more sales, more profit! the consumer is happy because they no longer pay for the crap!

The artist will also be getting a bigger payoff as well.

There is nothing technically minded here, except that if a leap of technology like this occured, it certainly has the potential to upset the current methods of distribution. The current method of distribution is CD product sales verging on internet distribution. If technology keeps going as its going, it may well be internet distribution. (by the way, according to your stated argument NO artist will ever want to distribute on the internet because their egos state that they need packaging.) However if a alternative medium exists to circumvent the bandwidth limitations of the net, then I think it'd better swing that way.

Does that make sense?

Calvin