The popularity of file sharing demonstrates the popularity of media on demand, with which a subscription model would be the best fit for monetising this market. However, the DRM restrictions on current subscription models such as Napster prevent both CD burning and even syncing with various mp3 players making them less attractive to consumers.

Most effects processors are fairly simple to use; plug in an equaliser (for example), twiddle the controls, and listen to the output, and you pretty much know what you're doing, and all you need is some experience behind you. Compressors don't fall into this category. Plug them in and listen. What's it doing? Unless someone has told you, then you probably won't know. Play with the controls. What do they do? Don't know either. What do the indicators mean? Difficult to tell. It's all a bit frustrating really...

The following is a discussion that started between me and a friend in a pub in January 2000. It follows on from some very pertinent discussion on the Internet about how "Digital Level Meters" tend to take responsibility away from peoples ears - with disastrous results, and how in the early days of Digital Audio, many of us embraced the early technology because we were "told" it was better. But deep in the back of our minds, we had our suspicions...