Digital Retail – Is Streaming The Future? Access Vs Ownership 14:00 - 15:15

Is ownership relevant anymore?  Do we really care about owning music as long as we can access what we want, when we want?  Instant gratification is significantly aided by digital access, which not only makes a wider breadth of content readily available, but more quickly and less expensive.  No longer do you have to travel any distance to buy a cd or watch a performance or engage in discussion – this can all be achieved remotely from the convenience of your own home via the internet.  Why buy a cd when you can download tracks instantly? And is download and memory capacity even important anymore, now that you can access music directly online? Why travel to attend a conference if you can watch online? Is access overriding the concept and importance of ownership? Is some of the value of the music experience in the tactile interaction with the ‘product’, the art of the product itself. How important is the accompanying sleeve note information? Who was the writer, producer, arranger? Is that still important?