Anyone that uses the argument that compressed files are smaller than the original to imply that therefore they must be inferior is on the verge of losing the argument before they start. It's the sort of journalism is expect from the Mail or the Express.
I'm not suggesting hat the overall tone is wrong.

They don't sound as good to my ears. (And they are pretty big ears.)

My formative music experiences were listening to Radio Luxemburg under the bedclothes, lps on a primitive record player, swapping tapes (complete with background noise very often) with friends.
Would never swap then (saving up for a month for an lp) for now - (everything I want to listen to instantly available)
Miss the covers of albums, but that's all

are killing the graphic design industry

iTunes and mp3s are not synonymous. iTunes has the ability to copy CDs in the AIFF format which is, to all intents and purposes, a facsimile of the CD audio track.

Also the comment in the sub-headline about "it's not the way the artist intended you to hear it" is also a bullshit statement. Almost since the day the 33 rpm long player was invented the vast majority of record buyers have never heard their records sound anywhere near as good as their potential. How many of us of a certain age grew up listening to the medium wave on a small portable transistor radio?

I think I speak from experience. I've spent almost my entire adult life in the hi-fi industry.

At this year's CES (Consumer Electronics Show) many exhibitors in the high end audio segment were using computers as the source for their music. My company was one of them. The sound quality of a properly ripped CD through a Mac Mini, an inexpensive USB DAC and a decent amplifier and speakers can easily outperform a similarly priced CD player-based system.

I am reminded of the maxim "ignorance is no excuse."

and you will see a variety of speakers that producers use to check that the music will sound good, including some crappy little ones to make sure it sounds good on a car stereo, or some tinny iPod speakers. I think most bands and artists are happy to be listened to, and a good producer will make sure that the listener doesn't need to spend £1000s on HiFi equipment to enjoy the music.

The notion that 'people just aren't listening' is just rather snobby. Is the writer suggesting only true hi-fi buffs with expensive CD players can appreciate music?! Boo! I see no difference to listening to your music on a good quality mp3 than on a scratchy old 7" on a mono Dansette, on a squelchy old tape in a car stereo, or on plastic AM radio via one of those earplugs Morrissey used to wear.
If you're enjoying the music it doesn't matter really does it?
These things don't 'kill' music, they bring it to life.

the assumption is that everyone was listening on high-end audiophile gear before MP3s came along.

I put it to you that a lot of people had a sound upgrade when they switched to an iPod with the standard white buds from their cheap Pioneer all-in-one in the bedroom.

MP3s may have some bits taken out but the bits they take out are irrelevant (unless your sample rate is stupidly low like 128Kbps). It's all in the D/A chip and codec. On a high-end chip you could rip a CD to a 320kbps MP3 and play it back through a nice amp and speakers and have a real problem identifying it in an A/B test. Not to say that someone with finely tuned ears couldn't figure out which one was which but there would be little in it.

has had the dynamics of the original recording compressed to make it suitable for the microgroove of an LP record.

Remember how 12" singles were invented to give a better frequency response due to the limitations of the 7" single?

Though I must say I agree entirely with Kieron Tyler's views that we're using what should be a portable medium almost exclusively now, I find the comments on the website more illuminating.

I don't think it's for our benefit, but that of the music industry. Although by using digital formats they've cooked the goose that was laying the proverbial golden egg.

Compare this with the games industry which realised it was never going to get rich on secondhand games being sold and has started to introduce downloads. Even with much tighter copy prevention methods it's still suffering from piracy.