Was Beethoven Good or Bad for Music?

Wait...what?  Beethoven bad for music?  Why would you even ask such a question? In a recent New Yorker story Alex Ross explores Beethoven's influence on musical progression in a thought-provoking way. Early CD capacities were fixed at such a length as to enable them to contain Beethoven's 9th Symphony.  Pianos were fortified to withstand the pounding he put them through. Scott Timberg, a culture writer and editor based in Los Angeles took a broader look at cultural influences in his book, CULTURE CRASH: The Killing of the Creative Class.In it, he looks at not just music, but literature and art, to see what happens when record stores close their doors, file-sharing, Pandora, and Spotify allow people to listen to music without buying it, and bookstores disappear. You can read the Alex Ross New Yorker article here.  My next read will be Mr. Timberg's book.  Are we sacrificing creativity for convenience?  Can anything stop the disintegration of culture?  I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts. In the meantime, here's a little musical culture for your Friday.  The first movement of Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto with Krystian Zimerman and the New York Philharmonic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k46fdX_3xDM