After said hi res disk is cut it will be subject to the same degradation that ordinary vinyl is. It may sound better longer but it'll be a worn out slug eventually. I tend to agree that we need a new analogue format. A permanently programmed disk read by a magnetic stylus that either floats just above the disk or makes contact very lightly might be an option. Such a permanently programmed disk could be made as robust as a vinyl record and could be made to the same dimensions so as to have the same visual/tactile appeal as grooved records.
