I buy CDs, but there are times when I would like to purchase WAV files as well, mainly when I only like one or two tracks out of a release (and usually, this only happens with compilations). It might be different if the market were quicker to adapt to pure digital sales, but no one has really made that step yet. For digital downloading, here are some points which should be considered:
- Songs should be cheaper than the equivalent unit price of a song on a CD
- High resolution cover art and packaging data should come with every full album purchase
- Lossless formats are suspect (this is my personal bias: if I'm paying, I demand WAV format)
- Compressed formats are unacceptable in any instance
Essentially, the desired effect is to convey all of the data present in the physical object (the CD) and put it up for sale online. The data includes not only the audio information, but also the graphics and any other materials. Ideally, with the proper tools, I should be able to manufacture, at home, exactly what I would have bought from the store. That is still a few years away, in all likelihood, but let us not lose sight of the future goal.