Monday, November 21, 2011

The Internet's Influence on Music Libraries Evolution

By Eric James


Illegal downloading and trading of copyrighted music lead to those in the music business to resent the boundless internet. Publishers and artists alike were afraid that their livelihood and only source of income would diminish if their works were so easily obtained through illegal downloading. However, it wasn't long before the music industry adopted the web as a valid opportunity for profit.

Music studios are beginning to see that in actuality a major benefit has arisen from this excited wave of free-sharing. More bands than ever before are turning a profit that may otherwise have been expected to fail, or would never have gathered attention at all. People with a love for genres outside the easily accepted norm have created hundreds of self-categorized sub-genres that make demands for sound that popular radio wouldn't have given a chance.

With internet acting as a proliferation zone for both standard genres and subgenres, personal audio libraries are becoming extremely diverse. Although illegal downloading is still prevalent within society, producers have taken notice of the possible marketing techniques through free song downloads. Many companies are now offering free song samples and limited time specials to customers as an incentive for further purchase.

The success of many small businesses that moved online gave much needed confidence to larger companies to follow suit and make the journey along the virtual highway. Apple has released their iTunes Store, a program that one can download online, allowing customers to make large or small purchases of many different songs and albums. The iTunes Store allows a person to select only the songs he or she wants from a particular album without requiring the person to purchase the whole album.

Connection to the world-wide-web has also made the library itself a variable tool. In years past, there was only the default music player that came equipped in the software of the computer itself, but now many different programs compete for the most popular install online. Some provide the music in stores, connect to a portable device like an iPod, burn disks, shrink file sizes, organize, and find all information for an untitled MP3. These programs have also inspired easier creation of independently made music from home that can be quickly shared with the world with a simple click of the mouse.

The music industry has never been the same since the first online music library; it has changed for the better. From the physical to the virtual, musical stores and music libraries have come a long way since the emergence of online power. It can be assumed that as the internet grows at an exponential rate, the music libraries themselves will also continue to evolve to suit the needs and desires of the people.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...