Some of the comments above brought back memories (I'm dating myself now). When TV's first came out with remote controls, I recall hearing comments like, "What, you too lazy to get up and change the channel?" Remotes changed the way we watched television. We could jump to another channel each time a commercial came on the air. I doubt you could sell a TV today without a remote.
Jump ahead to DVR's. Now we can just skip the commercials. I find that I can no longer stand watching live TV.
CD's were an improvement over vinyl in that, as Paul notes above, you can listen to an hour of music without moving. But having music on a server opens up a world of additional possibilities. I find I prefer listening to one song from one CD, then a song from another and then another. Add the power of playlists created for different moods, played in order or in a random fashion, and it compounds the value.
In short, technological advances usually have a more dramatic impact on the way we interact with media than first might be apparent.
I think I can say this for certain: Putting your music on a server will dramatically change your listening habits. And once you make the move, there is no going back.
- Jim