Do most people finally realised that digital music sound bad?

I can prove that digital sounds GOOD.       

The problem is MP3 at low data rates.  

I use the highest rate available form any source so it has the least-detrimental effect.    

Now with compressed audio, file size is only about 4MB to 5MB for one song.

This allow people to share or distribute the files easily to friends, relatives and among private club members.

And if you are able to find the song in utube, people with know how will be able to record it into compressed audio file too.

Once it is in compressed audio file, distribute and storage become very easy.

You see people pay less but that does not means less people listen to music.

This is one of the reason result in the decline of the revenue in the music industry. 

If the music producer distribute high resolution audio with copy protection then consumer individual will not be able to copy paste the audio file to thumb drive, to upload to sharing web-storage, to burn to disc...etc.

But look at the current situation, compress audio is the format preference by most people, because the needs to share and distribute the files easily to friends, relatives and among private club members.

Well, the consequences is the less revenue received by the music producer.

Look at the 1970s period, and the peak at 1978, when the most popular media were Vinyl Records, and the mastering system used were Reel-to-reel audio tape recording.

And then begining 1979, digital mastering started to replace reel-to-reel tape mastering even when the final product is Vinyls and cassette tapes, then you see the sudden steep drop in the revenue.

Lot of best songs ever written during the 70s

10CC – I am not in love

Air Supply – Greatest Hits

Air Supply – The one that you love

Al Stewart – Year of the cat

Alan O’Day – Under cover angel

Andy Gibbs – Greatest Hits

Andy Gibbs – I just want to be your everything

Andy Williams – The way we were

Anita Ward – Ring my bell

Bee Gees – Don’t forget to remember

Bellamy Brothers – Let your love flow

Blondie – Heart of glass

Bonnie Tyler – It’s a heartache

Bread – If

Bryan Adams – Heaven

Carly Simon – You are so vain

Carole King – It’s too late

Carpenters – Yesterday once more

Chicago - If you leave me now

Chicago – You are the Inspiration

Crystal Gayle – Don ‘t makes it my brown eyes blue

Danny Osmond – Puppy love

David Gates – Goodbye girl

David Soul – Don’t give up on us

David Soul – Don’t give up on us

Debby Boone – You light up my life

Deep Purple – Smoke on the water

Eagles – Greatest Hits, Vol I and Vol II

Eagles – Hotel California

Eagles – Lyin’ eyes

Eagles Best of my love

England Dan & John Ford – I’d really love to see you tonight

Eric Carmen – All by myself

Fleetwood Mac – Dreams, and Gypsy

Gilbert O’Sullivan – Alone again

Gordon Lightfort – If you could read my mind

Helen Reddy – Angie baby

Johnny Nash - I can see clearly now

Kenny Rogers – Lucille

Lynn Anderson – Rose Garden

Manhattans – Kiss and say goodbye, and Hurt

Mary McGregor – Torn between two lovers

Maxine Nightingale – Right back where we started from

Melissa Manchester – Don’t cry out loud

Minnie Riperton – Lovin’ you

Nazareth – Love hurts

Nicolette Larson – Lotta love

Nilsson – without you

Randy Van Warmer – Just when I needed you most

Reo Speedwagon – Can’t fight this feeling

Rita Coolidge – We’re all alone

Roberta Flack – Killing me softly

Rod Stewart – Do Ya Think I’m Sexy

Rod Stewart – I don’t want to talk about it

Samantha Sang – Emotion

Scorpion – Still loving you

Shocking Blue – Venus

Smokie – Living next door to Alice

Terry Jacks – Season in the sun

The Emotions – Best of my love

The Four Seasons – December 1963 (Oh what a night)

The knack – My Sharona

Wings & Paul McCartney – Mull of Kintyre

Yvonne Elliman – If I can’t have you

Yvonne Elliman – Love me

....there are many more I missed........

No. Properly created digital audio has the best quality of any format.

That is nothing to do with digital downloads or streaming in MP3 or other compressed formats.

Those is generally rather poor quality by comparison to CD quality, which is the lowest standard for any serious digital format (but vastly better than anything before it).

Blame the music industry itself - it started trying to dictate the styles of music people "should" like rather than publishing all performers and letting people choose.

They largely turned away from bands with real musicians & tried to create their own "property" acts, performers they had under contract - mostly just vocalists (or actors) singing to backing tracks performed by session musicians.

I believe it was partly a reaction to the many "Supergroups" that existed 20 - 30 years ago, that could dictate their own terms to the music companies.

They did not want to create any more bands that could become independent and powerful, so no (or very few) more "self contained" acts, only their fabricated ones.