The whole .mp3 thing is interesting. I mean each successive format has offered higher resolution, but with mp3 we seem to be taking a step backwards. Everyone here seems to care a lot about sound quality and they should. I know I do. But for some reason the lay person has obviously decided that mp3 is good enough for them.
Anyways, hard drives are dirt cheap these days. I store everything in a lossless format. By the way is there any sites that offer lossless or even higher resolution downloads. There is obviously a demand for these types of download, but I heard of any.
No every generation of music was about convenience and access as well CDs made skipping tracks easier than cassette tapes. MP3s mean people can choose exactly which tracks they want and which they don't. So in a sense, mp3s are a step forward in the convenience path.