In reply toThe other side of it is that digital d/l's come out at such a fast pace that no tune can ever be an anthem or a big big hit anymore. People seem want upfront material quickly so the previous good track will be discarded very soon for the upfront new track that has just come out which is also a very good track.
I agree to an extent but I would say that's more down to the music than the format. Music has definitely become throwaway now but its still possible to have a massive hit, just look at the pop charts - Rihanna manages to stay at #1 for 2 months while most #1 hits are lucky to be in the Top 40 for that long, simply because she releases better pop music than anyone else. Even Avicii - Levels got to #3 in the pop charts even though every DJ on the planet had it for months, cos it was just a good tune in general.
Hard dance in general spends too much time concentrating on genre and appealing to a specific group than it does at just being good music on the whole. Most proper HH stuff out now doesn't have anything there that appeals to non-HH fans. Saying that, there are some tunes from the last year that I reckon could be considered classics in the future because they actually stand out and have that anthem quality to them that gives them wider appeal - Ben Stevens and Robbie Muir's stuff springs to mind.