> I feel that that the article often mixes cause and effect. That was also my impression. I certainly agree with your observation that it is the ease of distri

> I feel that that the article often mixes cause and effect. That was also my impression. I certainly agree with your observation that it is the ease of distribution which influenced the development first and foremost. It doesn't really take a prophet to point out that stuff which is predestined to become "tap water" will be tap water one day. Mass markets (and thus the pop music industry) have always wanted to sell stuff in huge quantities. From a business point of view, I see rock and roll more as a starting point of an iteration that aims at perfecting the generation of pop stars than a revolution. Shows like American Idol demonstrate that we have arrived. However, meanwhile people slowly get sick of casting shows. So by borrowing some marketing vocabulary you could say that a star became a cash cow and now turned into a poor dog I am not sure how things will pan out in the world of physical goods, though. While it is true that we will increasingly be able to manufacture stuff ourselves there is also this need for exclusivity. People enjoy owning iPhones and Beats headphones because they are portioned out by some sort of authorities.