As I write this, I am listening to the Goldberg Variations performed by Murray Perahia from beginning to end and am again mesmerized. One issue is that there will always be music lovers, but most people will not take the time to listen to anything from start to finish these days. Therefore, appreciating music and doing so on a good system will never make any popular list. Another issue is that technology and ipods, as Beheme says above, have placed a distance between average consumers and audiophiles. If you can get excited about putting 3,000 songs of compressed quality on a device that lets you stay on the go and not ever have to sit down and really listen, then you will never know that your missing anything. I'm afraid that it will be more and more quantity over quality, and those that really take time to listen will be more and more the exception... nevertheless, the Goldbergs(and all music) will always have the potential to mesmerize anyone who will really listen.
John
John