By: Nicolas H., Makenna M., Matt R., Xuan Z., Gerti K.
In the last twenty years since the collapse of Napster (one of the first peer-to-peer digital music services), the music industry has continued to change as technology advances further and further. The early days of internet music sharing have passed, and we must now look at the positives and negatives that the industry provides as it heads in a new direction.
With the creation of companies and services like Spotify and Pandora (digital music streaming services), and the ability for independent artists to express themselves on platforms like SoundCloud (an online audio distribution platform), where and how music is created continues to evolve. Using new forms of marketing and advertising, as well as finding new ways to finance their music, musicians are able to reach consumers that they may never have reached before. Because of this, we have seen a shift in power with who decides which music or artists become popular, allowing for independent artists and labels to take the lead and change the industry as they see fit.
By interweaving several different sub categories, we provide a variety of perspectives that highlight the music industry’s key factors. We take a look at online streaming services such as Spotify and Pandora and discuss how these companies have changed since Napster. With the help of innovation, the way music is accessible to the public has changed, and has allowed for larger, more diverse collections of music. This means that listeners are able to personalize the content they receive more than ever. Increasing rates of music consumption has been influenced by technology, such as smartphones and their platforms for providing easy, accessible, and customized applications to streaming music. The trends of millennial’s are leading to big changes in music consumption and the music industry’s consumer culture.
Technology has had a large impact on the music industry, shifting artists focus from pleasing the labels to pleasing consumers and providing artists with a new found independence. Chance the Rapper is an example of someone who’s found tremendous success without the need of labels and contracts, instead using the help of online social networking services such as SoundCloud, Twitter and Instagram. Technology has also changed the way artists advertise themselves while providing greater interaction and instantaneous feedback from their fans regarding albums, singles, live concerts, tours and tickets. Musician’s now make money from tours, movies, YouTube, and TV shows rather than just records or CD’s as a result.
In the case studies linked above, we look to further understand the impact that technology has had on the music industry while applying our knowledge of media organization. Using scholarly and non-scholarly research we attempt to summarize these important changes to the industry and what this means for musicians, companies, and the future of music.
Seeing Behind the Media Curtain 