hawke<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>While I can see a group of executives crunching numbers over this idea and getting very excited said:
I would back that prediction. There are a few such services, but $1.10 per disc sounds a bit lower than the other ones I've seen.
Let's see: 500 discs x $1.10 = $550. I can attest to the fact that ripping cds is very time consuming and some might be willing to pay for the service, but I think it's crazy. I do it manually, using Sound Forge, because sometimes you need to do minor editing. These services will just rip each track and you are stuck with the result. Not to mention the fact that if you ever lose those mp3s, you will get to re-rip all the cds again at additional cost (why I save the wavs from the cd).
Example: Styx - Paradise Theater. Track 1 is 'AD 1928'. Track 2 is 'Paradise Theater'. If you rip them as individual tracks, track one will end abruptly on the word 'Para' (the last line goes ...here at the Paradise). Track 2 will start abruptly on 'Dise.'. Those two tracks need to be combined into one song, the way you hear it on the radio - they never start directly at track 2.
Live cds have the songs run together as well. If you don't mind abrupt starting and ending with crowd noise, then those services will be fine for you. I, however, fade in and out to make it smooth. I can give countless other examples, but will spare you.
For casual listeners who value their time over the cash required, it may be useful. For music fans, like me, nothing short of 'as good as possible' will do.