Downloading, its becoming a big deal

Hi all you blog fans out there. I want to talk to you about physical storage media. This is things such as CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray and gaming formats. I draw attention to this as I try to clean my room then realise I have loads of storage media taking up the shelf space. Do I want to get rid of this? It is something of a possibility but not something considering seriously. I, like so many others like to have a physical collection. There is so much emphasis on downloading nowadays. We can download films, music and even books now, is there any point in physical media? Yes there is, as a collection makes you feel like you’ve achieved something. A collection of MP3s on a computer however is a collection but is a different kind of collection.

Plus at least once we’ve had enough of a physical item, we can sell it. You buy a downloaded item and you’re stuck with it for the duration, unless it’s rented from a service. I actually believe the rented films on the internet are a great idea. The idea is you download a film for a certain amount of time, then delete when you are done. This saves the old hassle of fines for late fees at Blockbuster.

As usual with my articles, I want to draw attention to the cost of downloads. I could buy an album for £3 in HMV on a CD. Then I go on itunes and the same album is £7. What makes this happen? It is not as if you are paying for any extra packaging like back in the vinyl days. Those days you had a full vinyl cover with gatefold sleeve, lyric sheet and mostly beautiful artwork. That is worth the money, paying £7 for 12 files isn’t. Films are a different matter. You can rent a film on the PS3 for £3.50; you have to pay a little bit more for a rental at Blockbuster.

So anyway, I want to end this post before it turns into a longwinded discussion. They say one day everything we consume will be available for download. I hope this never comes to pass, as otherwise things could get very complicated. Someone could have their collection wiped from a hard drive which isn’t functioning properly. If we are to one day have everything on download, we need to make sure it is viable and that it functions, meaning it will be a long time before it ever comes to fruition. Please comment if you think physical media is either a waste of time or perhaps something we should hold onto!