To Jeff Fritz,
I enjoyed reading your article addressing Doug’s concern about the future for audio, let alone high-end audio. I have been an audiophile since high school. I have worked at a large university since graduating college. The reason why the future is grim is because the current generation of college kids, for the most part, are not collectors of physical mediums. Remember when you were in college in the ’70s or ’80s and went to a party? Your host would not only have an audio system, but also books and records in his or her living room. This is not the case anymore with college-age students. Everything is online and most listening is personal through earbuds.
However, there is a future for audio in general with those small groups of music lovers that are LP or CD collectors. It will be much smaller than previous generations, but they will ensure the future of audio. Indeed, it is these groups of young people that have embraced the LP once again. Those college-age students who do collect CDs and LPs will be those people who will get into high-end audio. Remember, however, this is a smaller group than previous generations. Companies like Rotel and Pro-Ject, among others, are catering to this market with their very reasonable prices for the quality of sound.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ross Scimeca, Head Librarian
USC Libraries
United States
