what to buy for Valentines day?

It's hard to think what to get without repeat oneself. Chocolates are a popular choice but beware! The lady in your life may berate you for adding to her waistline.
Flowers are a good bet but the question is : red roses or not red roses ..mmm could be misconstruied.
Music is a good choice for a romantic present. It needs to be the right kind of course. Not rap or metal but the ballad. How to find one that's just right and not too syrupy? well personal taste of course, but how about Norah Jones, Carla Bruni or newcomer Ruby Paul with brand new album 'Forbidden Fruit' featuring the sultry title track and classics such as 'Close to You' in crisp contemporary style. Perfect gift for him or her.

Is the music CD dying?

Key physical distributers such as pinnacle- who supplied the woolworths group- have collapsed. It looks like the CD as a product is moribund.
We should not despair though because the music contained within it lives on. People are still listening. Music is the soundtrack to their lives, on their phones, ipods, PC's and TV sets. Well known musicians have lifestlyes we all aspire too and still attain celebrity status. The product's value is still intact, little changed since the advent of popular music in the 1900's.
Music is still being consumed in large amounts, but there is a big difference in that most musicians and their representatives cannot now make a profit from CD sales. Downloads are profitable but do not generate the anything like the legal revenue they should. The recent report in Digital Britain has found that only 10% of all downloads are legally paid for.
The sales of physical CD's are declining sharply and their retail value has gone through the floor. Part of the problem is that people are reluctant to pay for something they might get free elsewhere. Imagine that half the country had tapped unhindered into a free source of electricity: wouldn't the other half then be up in arms about paying their bill?
Many people are consuming copyrighted material for free. In other mediums this is called theft. All the people who have worked, sweated and given of themselves to create the music are being robbed.
Why should musicians be expected to work for free? It's the same old story. Many musicians live in hope of 'making it', giving free performances or music in an attempt to get known.
Once they've broken though the glass ceiling, successful performers can earn potentially big money from appearances, but it's not so easy for songwriters or producers or other members in an artist's team to benefit from this income stream.
We should stand up for ourselves and lobby to combat piracy. If technology makes it possible to steal copyrighted material then technology can be developed to protect it.
We know the need for artists and music will never die. But we can't afford to be complacent. We need to put our thinking caps on make sure that the business that supports them survives. Ruby Paul.