50s legacy in the Digital Era Essay

The music industry consists of the companies and individuals that make money by creating and selling music (Wikipedia). The current music industry which emerged around the middle of the 20th century has been undergoing drastic changes for the past two decades. When the Internet, and peer-to-peer file-sharing services such as Napster, Kazaa and Limewire, began their rise at the turn of the millennium, many predicted that the music industry, among other entertainment sectors, was headed for impending doom and catastrophic losses in sales. To some degree, and for the first few years, these predictions seemed to become a reality as record sales fell drastically at least partially due to piracy. However, as technological change continues at a rate never before seen, the impact of the Internet has been expanded well beyond illegal downloading to include fundamentally different ways of distributing, promoting and marketing music.

Despite relevant findings, many individuals are under the impression that digital media services, such as digital downloading and streaming have a positive impact on the Music industry for reasons including music

Ask anyone how they listen to music the answer will likely be through any means of easy access at an affordable cost. A study conducted by news outlet Nielsen 's Music 360 claimed, “Americans streamed 164 billion on-demand tracks across audio and video platforms in 2014”. The rapid increase in popularity music streaming platforms are experiencing leaves people wondering what that means for the music industry. When more consumers utilize the on-demand method of entertainment access, how does that translate to the artist being accessed? Astra Taylor contributes to this discussion in her book, “The People’s Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age”. She lays criticism upon the idea of a more digitized

In 2000 the digital music was the next big thing in how consumers listen to music. The technological shift in music changed how the relationship is between the artists, recording companies, promoters and music stores on how they operate today. In the late 90’s and early 2000’s Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks allowed free exchange of music files with companies like Napster and Kazaa was a big step that allowed consumers to store large libraries of music. With the cost of hard drive space going down; it allowed for pocket-sized computers to store more information in a smaller space that open the door for apple to step in with the unveiling of the iPod and iTunes. These systems made it possible for storage and playback that gave consumers the

Since the iTunes music store was introduced on April 28, 2003, gross music sales have plummeted in the United States - from $11.8 billion in 2003 to $7.1 billion in 2012, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (Covert). Counterintuitively, during that time consumers were buying more music than ever. How is that possible? It 's because iTunes had made digital singles popular and was selling them cheap. This would change the music industry forever. In 2000, Americans bought 943 million CD albums (Covert), and digital sales didn’t even make a dent in comparison. But by 2007, those inexpensive singles overtook CDs by a wide margin, generating 819 million sales compared to just 500 million for the CD.

When wanting to listen to a song today, one no longer has to buy or download a physical copy. In today’s world, streaming has become one of the top ways of retrieving music content. This major change has led to a profound shift for the music industry and its artists. It has developed a continuous conflict that affects the way music is distributed and how artists make a living. Listeners stream music electronically through their computers, phones, cars, and more. Most of these streaming platforms allow for the content to be free, which directs to the question of whether music should be free or not. Streaming is a topic that has presented itself to be a valid issue on whether it ultimately hurts or helps artists and their careers. Streaming has both pros and cons, but in order to aim to figure a possible solution there needs to an examination of the history of the issue, a proper analysis of both sides, and evaluating its importance.

In may of nineteen ninety nine, Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker had had enough of paying for music. So, like any entrepreneur of the late nineties, they took to the internet, and founded Napster. A free website that used file-sharing technology to allow people to get their favorite songs by sharing files over the internet. The website was so successful, record companies began to take notice of their dwindling sales. By December of the same year, Napster was sued by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and basically anyone else who produced music for copyright infringement. Although the site got shut down, Fanning and Parker started what would become the music industry's streaming revolution. Music has become more and more vital over time because of the technology we use. Learning more about music can be beneficial to people all over the world. Today we will discuss the ways in which we consume music in the twenty-first century, how it has evolved, and what it means for the music industry going forward. I am going to discuss the way we listen to music because I have done Research about this topic and this is something I am passionate about. First, I will talk about the different technology that was so big decades ago. Then, I will talk about the different ways we consume music today and what that mean for the future. The changes in music development had in incredible impact on the music industry.

The music industry has undergone radical changes since the end of the 1990’s, largely a function of the internet and its effects on sales and copyright. Besides placing artists and their music on the world stage, the internet also permitted the downloading of music from free-file- exchange networks. A parallel and equally worrisome, phenomenon is record pirating, a practice made easier by the proliferation of CD burners and access to high speed internet. Unauthorized downloading and pirating circumvent intellectual property laws and result in reduced sales. “In Atlantic Canada, average annual household expenditures on CDs and audio cassettes dropped by 27 percent between 1996 and 2001, from $96.00 to $70.00.”

In recent years, the music industry has immensely changed from buying physical copies of an album to streaming songs online from services such as Apple Music and Spotify. The landscape of the music industry is slowly transforming due to listeners' transition from buying music to streaming music. Many think that these services are giving artists a run for their money, as less and less physical copies of their work are being sold. Due to this, artists are leaning to consider licensing out their music and corporate sponsorship. Yet many think that artists are "selling out" if they take this action. Yet, in the midst of the large upheaval, artists should be allowed to use their music for advertisement.

The way consumers have shaped recorded music has always had an impact on the record industry. In the history of recorded music, we have witnessed a great deal of technological change. Although opinions may vary, we can reasonably assume that the way we consume music has consistently increased and evolved since the invention of the first phonograph. While previous generations focused on format and standards, in the early 21st century we saw a great upset in not how we consume music, but how we gained access to new music digitally. As a technological greedy society we began to witness the rise of music piracy in the record industry. “Piracy is the use of another person’s idea, product or invention without their permission,

Musical artists across the globe have used a multitude of methods to earn money including CDs, vinyls, and cassette sales. Overtime, new forms of profit and exposure have come into the mix. Artists have lost money due to the changes in the music business. New forms of music distribution includes streaming, downloading, merchandise, and touring. Yet, financial needs also play a role within the music business. Financial methods include endorsement deals, sponsorships, and advertising. Each of these methods may benefit the corporations and the artists. Yet, they do not have a positive impact upon the amount artists earn. Therefore, advertisements, endorsement deals, and corporate sponsorships can bring forth inimical results.

Though it doesn 't receive as much attention in terms of media attention and public discourse as it earlier in the 2000s, the issue of copyrighted music and its illegal consumption over the internet still continues to be a major issue. With the advent of the internet, digital music, and mp3 players, one of the drawbacks for many of those in the music industry was the subsequent increase in pirated music that occurred. As illegal torrent sites appeared, such as Napster and Limewire, people were discovering that they could now download for free what they once paid for. Of course, as a direct result, music companies and artists both saw a significant decrease in sales in terms of the physical medium, with CD sales beginning to show sharp declines. In fact, this had a carryover effects of also closing down many of the mom and pop record stores that existed, since they did not have the financial means to withstand a restructuring process. Major chain stores were also not immune to the decline sales, as some once-prominent stores, such as the Virgin Megastore and the Wall, had to close down. Once Apple Inc. released its iPod and created the iTunes Store, the music industry was finally beginning to adapt itself to the digital realm, as Apple began signing agreements with most of the major music labels to release their songs on a digital platform as well. With songs being available individually for just $0.99 cents and whole albums able to be purchased, people now had a legal

This article restates the American Recording Industry’s report that music streaming services are their primary source of income. CD, digital download, and vinyl sales have decreased dramatically over the last decade. Furthermore, this article discusses the pros and cons of popular streaming services such as Apple Music, Pandora, Prime Music, Slacker, Spotify, and Tidal. When the article compared the six services, the author focused on the costs, uses, benefits, and drawbacks.

The "business side of music is struggling to generate enough revenue because of the new technology" ("How the Internet Changed Music."). "Most of the people who are part of making a record are paid in royalties, and anytime music changes hands without money being involved, those royalties can’t be paid—which is why so much has been done in recent years to try and reduce music piracy"("How The Internet Changed Music."). iTunes and Amazon has helped by offering cheap downloads for single songs, which allows the customer to only purchase songs they like rather than the entire album ("How the Internet Changed Music."). Spotify and Pandora, who offer either ad-based or paid subscription streaming of their music libraries, are Internet radio stations which have also helped with the piracy problem ("How The Internet Changed

Introduction: Setting the trend for the future, the distribution and consumption of recorded music transformed dramatically with the launching of Apple’s iTunes in 2001. The proliferation of online music subscription services and other music sharing services exerted a great pressure on the conventional music distribution business model. Combined with this transformation, piracy of digital music had a profound impact on the whole industry. These worsening conditions in the market place for recorded music forced both established and upcoming new artists to experiment with new ways of selling their music.