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In a message dated 3/30/04 9:06:11 PM, [log in to unmask] writes: << 1) Most analog source material (possibly excepting magnetic tape) was created by,and can be played back by, a simple mechanical process that is pretty well obvious to anyone observing the medium. >> Agreed, I don't think anyone serious about preservation is advocating destruction of the original artifacts. Just preservation, wider access to, dissemination of, and indexing of the content. << Most analog sources (disc/cylinder) appear so far to have as close as any man-made objects can get to eternal lifespan (assuming they do not meet with abuse or inadvertant misfortune).>> This seems to be overstating the case. Analog discs are pretty fragile and "inadvertant misfortune" can take make many forms over long time spans: fire, water damage, civil unrest and acts of god. If a major archive were to somehow perish, it will be good that digital copies exist elsewhere. <<On the other hand, there is a good chance that CD's, and particularly CD -R's, do have a finite lifespan. >> Yes, but the point of a comprehensive digital storage strategy with updating, migrating and redundant digital copies is that the digits can outlast the storage media without degradation. <<As well, there is often other information available from careful observation of a sound recording as an artifact (something I have learned as a discographer!) >> Absolutely! Agreed. Dave Radlauer