Saturday, June 4, 2011

The Internet's Influence On Music Libraries Evolution

By Eric James


As the world progresses forward in technology every section of society is influenced. The evolution of music libraries from physical libraries to virtual libraries is indeed due in great part to the endless internet. Those who publish music have seen and adapted to use the internet as a prime source for continued profit.

At first the internet was seen mainly as a threat to the livelihood of music artists and recording studios. Producers were concerned for their financial books, since they believed internet sharing would kill their businesses by leaving them with no means to make profit from the music. The rush could not be stopped, however, and music has flooded the web through both legal, and currently illegal, means.

Music companies began to see that stopping the technology was a futile task and switched over to using it to their advantage. Even small music labels and indie bands sought refuge online as their source of distribution. It provided a quick and inexpensive way to spread the word of one's band or record company.

People's libraries are now full of the most diverse, unique, and avant-garde music in history, combining cultures and styles that no business analysis would have predicted people would like. Although most of western civilization takes part in illegal downloading or streaming of music, it has exposed them to bands that would never have seen success otherwise. Businesses now show profits from these internet discoveries, when thousands of fans from the internet show loyalty by buying merchandise, concert tickets, MP3s of the band's music and videos, and supporting traffic on the music label's website.

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.

Online access has allowed the music library itself to change in not only what is contained with the Internet upgrades, as well as the libraries themselves, have allowed the customer to listen to music he or she is interested in before purchasing it. The libraries have now become much more than a mere location holding a vast amount of songs, now they come with options for the customer to personalize the store to his or her desires. This ability to personalize also allowed for the advent of Genius, an Apple program that makes suggestions for the customer based on past purchases and personalization changes.

Music libraries have expanded, and continue to expand, thanks to the internet and the people who make use of such a remarkable space. Though it may be virtual, the enjoyment people get from the entertainment they receive online relays directly into real life audio and future conversations about favorite bands. While the web promotes diversity, it has also opened the door for musical artists of all kinds, and truly diversified the industry.




About the Author:



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...