Having abandoned satellite radio and requiring a new form of audio entertainment for my automobile, I decided to finally invest in a sizeable MP3 player. While I had owned a number of 2 gigabyte and smaller devices over the years, I knew that in order to match the depth and breadth of music that XM used to provide me with I would require something with a high capacity hard drive.

Several years ago, I found myself in the position of owning an automobile that hailed from an era where tape decks were luxury items and most drivers were lucky if their in-car entertainment consisted of both AM and FM bands instead of just the hum of the tires against the asphalt.

Naturally, given the low-rent characteristics of the vehicle – it had been purchased as cheap winter transportation, although it was later converted into a fire-breathing sleeper-mobile – I was reluctant to invest too much money into a stereo system.

As someone who manages a record label – one which has shifted entirely to digital online releases after initially pursuing a semi-traditional vinyl-release format – I am deluged with email messages from musicians, groups and individual artists intent…