Advice From Producer Rob Cavallo

On the subject of piracy -

The movie industry brought out HD and blueray. no one is going to download a 20Gb movie so if they want to make real use of their HD TV and see a movie they like in HD, then they buy the blueray.

In recording studios nowadays, everything is recorded, mixed and mastered in hi def audio, 24 bit 96khz.
Then, it gets squashed down to 16bit, 44.1 khz to go onto a CD because the audio CD format has never changed since it started in the 1980′s.

Why don’t record companies release hi def versions of albums on blueray? People have blueray players, connected to home cinema, hi def, surround sound speakers but the CD’s they play are in format from the 80′s.
The difference in audio quality between mp3 and CD isn’t noticeable enough for a lot of people to bother spending the money. Release albums on blueray which are 24 bit, 96 khz and people will be able to hear the difference plus the size of the album at that quality will be a bit too much to download.

I really have no idea why record companies haven’t done this. Even Sony, who pioneered blueray and have a major record company aren’t doing it. It seems completely bonkers to me.