And by disappear I mean disappear as present-day consumers of new music; they will likely hang onto the music of their past, and no longer have much use for new music. Note also that when I am speaking of casual fans, I don't simply mean disinterested or apathetic fans, the kind who in the past could be convinced to buy a CD just from hearing a number-one hit on the radio often enough, though this kind of fan is part of the mix. But more significant to this discussion is the casual fan who likes music and listens to a lot of it--and therefore, in the past, bought a lot of albums--but just isn't especially obsessed about any given act. I consider myself, by and large, a casual fan of just about every band or musician that I like. [return to main essay]