Despite the reluctance of a large part of the hi-fi community to embrace the CD initially, we are constantly being told by our customers that it still either constitutes their main or at least a significant portion of their musical diet.

While the advent of MP3s and the resurgence of vinyl seamed to sound the death knell for the Compact Disc as a commercial product, it not only made it to it’s 40^th birthday last year but we may see it make it to 50. However, the numbers involved are tiny compared to the market share now enjoyed by internet downloads and music streaming services.

We all have that seminal piece of music that strikes us at a certain age and stays with us forever as part of the epiphany of adulthood. Sure I went through playing Black Sabbath at max volume when I was 14 … but that music never really stuck, it was a glandular experience rather than an education.
For me that piece of music had to wait until 19 years of age in my second year at university … along with a number of other significant life experiences …

So we have for some time been watching that treasure of personal music ownership being removed not only from the hands of the consumer but also from the performer. The industry pundits are convinced that our entertainment future is in the cloud, led by the convenience and accessibility of virtual music and video.

Music is clearly an important thing the whole solar system over. Rosetta's recent comet investigation has revealed that it is actually pulsing magnetically. Speed it up a little and we get an avant garde drum track...

Our own Mr Brett and I tend to be at odds over music and what we play in the store. He gets all high and mighty, like having a degree in music and years as a professional musician means he knows anything...