I was thinking last night that I haven't really bought many CDs lately. I guess it's partly because (IMHO) the music scene is going through one of those downturns during which it doesn't produce much that I actually like. Or perhaps it's just that I'm finally getting older and my ability to adopt new music has atrophied: in twenty years I'll still be listening to my old Nine Inch Nails CDs, muttering "In my day, music meant something!"

Popular music has about reached the point today as it was in the late 80's: so over-manufactured that it's due to be torn apart and be recycled a decade later as embarrassing retro. Except I can't think what will tear it apart this time: the last two times it was some variant on Punk, and Punk is as much a packaged commodity these days as any other genre.

Then, during my lunch break, I went down to the local record store to pick up the new A Perfect Circle CD. Except I didn't, because the damn thing was copy controlled, and thus no use to me at all.

"Ah", I thought. "Now I remember why I haven't been buying as many CDs lately."