Originally Posted by LudwigVonDrake:
“Thing is, I don't see the removal of the albums a soley Apple problem. They could easily be removed from Amazon Music, Spotify or Deezer. If you do have the physical CD then you've still got it even if the aforementioned fall out with whichever record label it may be.
Which is why there are some aspects of this move forward in technology that are actually a step backwards.”
Physical media whether it be music or film has always presented problems for labels and studios. The cost of producing DVD/Blu-Ray/cd's involves manufacturing, distribution centres, transport, and retail stores or in the case of online, warehouses. There is the question of how many to produce, how many will be sold or stockpiled and returned or sold in bargain basement bins. Digital downloads will ultimately win out because it costs less to produce and distribute and there is less risk. It can also meet supply and demand instantly.
Almost everyone who has a cd collection can protect that by ripping their cd's to a hard drive/storage. By ripping a cd with good software, it produces a better sound in any case. Future buying is not a problem because there are more options other than major labels who may only give major artists a chance or a pop genre whereas even an unknown artist can release their music on their own or through avenuse such as soundcloud, bandcamp and others.
From everything I have read from your posts, you doubt the technology, you have doubts about availability, you have doubts of whether streaming your music is a good thing and most of all you doubt different and better software and music management systems that are better than itunes which has limitations such as file format which for a start is going to restrict what you can buy in the future. I have tried to advise you that you can try out a number of things for free by using your laptop, using free trials but most of all reading various forums or review magazines that can guide you without bias.
I always believed ripping my collection and streaming was a great option, especially for me as someone who has around 5,000 cd's. It took me two years to be really convinced not because it was the right way to go but because I was lazy and kept putting it off. I have never looked back, I listen to more new music and indeed many, many more older albums in my collection than I ever would have if they were sitting on my shelves in plastic cases. The reason is because once you use a streaming service there is so much played so many avenues to explore sufddenly something will be plaayed that reminds you what you already have in your collection. I said earlier that I hadn't listened to Elton John in goodness knows how many years, had given up on what he was producing over the last twenty years but then throuh Tidal, I heard an old song followed by another from earlier albums and was reminded of how good his early albums were so I revisited them. I listen to my favourite artists playlists, they obviously are going to introduce me to their kind of music, what influences them and which are most likely going to appeal to me. It is an other avenue of discovery.
It will cost you nothing to experiment but it will cost you an awful lot of wasted opportunities to discover new music and rediscover your old music.