My current stance on pay-per-download is "screw that". I'm not going to be paying money for something I can't hold. I want a physical copy of the product with artwork and whatever else the artist chose to include.
My major beef with pay-per-download services (aside from no physical product) is: What happens when you accidentally lose your collection in 15+ years and would like to download again? You'll likely have to pay again. Especially if the service you used no longer exists or if the records of your past purchases have been archived. If I buy a physical copy of a recording, I have it for as long as I want. I can format shift any way I like and still have a copy years from now if something happens to my electronic copy (or copies). As long as physical copies of media are sold, that's what I'll be paying for.
Just my opinion. Yours may differ :P
