I have long been connecting things together that their manufacturers probably didn't anticipate. Early efforts included an XT computer and a Sony ProFeel monitor so I could play Flight Simulator on a big screen (1985), and cross-connecting my stereo system to various video sources using a dbx switch long before the concept of home theatre caught on.
When music became digital with the relase of CD's, I assumed that there would be a flood of products to allow one to manage extensive music libraries through the connection of computers and music systems.
It never really happened. The manufacturers seemed content to continue to flog stand-alone units that simply duplicated the way things had worked for years, but did not add any real value. If you had a large LP collection, there seemed little incentive to move to CD's - they didn't sound better, and some of the early pressings were terrible.
There was so much potential to capture the Artist name, the Album, the track Titles, information about the performer, even the cover art. As vinyl became scarce, there was little choice but to follow the crowd and convert.
Ironically, it was the release of MP3 compression and rampant music piracy that brought about the most interesting advances. Suddenly, music really was digital. It could be manipulated, compressed, transferred, indexed, managed.
While music publishers continue to howl about lost sales, the explosion of creativity around the management and playing of digital music continues unabated. On the software side, programs like MediaMonkey have allowed even the most unsophisticated newbie to rip and play MP3 files like a pro.
