Where is music going?

Where is music headed?  I feel like a large number of people are constantly whining about how music is so bad these days, how it's all the same and nothing is original anymore.  I know I certainly do feel this way sometimes too, usually when I forget to bring my ipod with me in the car and I am forced to flick on the radio to whatever station comes in the clearest at my current location.  And it's around that time that I make desperate attempts to scan the FM stations for something better than "Under my umbrella -ella -ella" only to find the same song playing on three other stations.  

My boyfriend is a musician - singer, songwriter, and guitarist to be exact - and it is through him that I have learned and seen a lot of what is involved in the music industry and the song writing process.  (For example, the chorus of a song should be heard within the first 40 seconds of a song to maximize its appeal and "catch".)  He writes rock music, but my mind often wanders to the thought of what the next popular genre will be.  So many people have said before that it is scary to imagine telling our grandkids what we listened to "when we were their age".  I don't know many people who would be excited to pull out an old Lil' Jon CD and play it for them.  It's only a little weird, eh?  

Beyond the music itself, what will be the new wave of music distribution?  I personally haven't purchased a physical CD in over a year (though I'd love to start doing so again).  Funny thing is that I actually prefer to possess a physical copy of the music I own.  And there's something cool about having that little square booklet with the lyrics and random stuff about the artist.  I become a little sad when I realize how little people care about that stuff anymore.  It's all about convenience...like everything else.  Why go to the store when I can download off iTunes in five minutes?  But what happens when your computer crashes and you lose all those digital files of your favorite songs huh?  We are still a materialistic culture, I say that without a doubt.  It's hard not to be when money is such an important part of our society.  However I will go out on a limb and say that the materials that we are becoming more and more attracted to are beoming more and more digital - less and less tangible.  Is it worth all we are making it up to be?