Music has evolved throughout the times. Initially music was difficult to propose and make available to the world, instruments were expensive, talent was difficult to find at times due to the lack of wealth in society and the nature of the industry at the time, people hadn't been exposed to the variety of genre we have currently nor was it as socially accepted. From the beginning of the proposition and composition of music difficulties were faced; it was expensive, at difficult to find a label who would sign an artist up who wasn't the stereotypical music icon i.e. attractive or who would take a chance with a young local or newly formed group (although there were exceptions). As new genre after new genre was made available to the audience then music slowly became more accepted in society as did the varying genres.
Ten Years ago, CD's were common and in huge demand, radios were used in greater frequency to listen to music and most substantially there was a great bond between artist, producer and distributor. This is because of the difficulty an artist faced in getting their music available for the world to hear, there was a lot of work put into recording, marketing, mixing and distributing the music which involved the artist all the way up to to PR companies, Label and Producer. Back then there was primarily on a pull factor of the artist making music, production marketing and distribution and occurs and people buy their work, now the consumers push back and want certain elements a certain way which has highly impacted the music industry.
Peer to Peer (PTP) networks became more and more prevalent in the early 2000's such as the likes of Napster. This increase along with the advancement of technology and the avaliablity of being able to download or stream music (although not as easily as it is today) caused a massive decline in the consumption of raw media in respect to 'Compact Discs', the music industry faced a huge decline in CD sales ( as opposed to the CD boom in 1984-1995 when profits margined above 30%) in a study as of 2008 it showed that consumers had spent less money on recorded music than the did in the 1990's, in all formats (mP3, cassette, CD, vinyl etc.) and yet even the huge spike in online media consumption that was made available which dominates the music industry distribution and consumption sectors today (such as iTunes and Spotify) could not make up for this loss of revenue at this early stage. There were many problems faced during the early period of digital downloads such as illegal downloading (the shutting down of Napster in 2001 and most recently the attempted closing of the pirate bay).
Today we have much more access to media at our finger tips, our primary source of consumption is via digital downloads as opposed to ten years ago although something that is much more prevalent today is illegal torrenting and sharing. Websites such as piratebay and isohunt attribute to this, as a result the music industry has taken a further hit in respect to paid sales (websites such as YouTube converter while may not be illegal still don't support or fund the artist and producer of the song converted).. To counter act this media distributors such as iTunes emerged in 2003 offering legal downloads which were easy to buy and consume and were also high quality.
CD's, Compact Discs (available since 1982 but only boomed in early 2000's -30 Billion discs sold as of 2004, 200 Billion as of 2007, sales have dropped exceptionally since) an optical disc able to contain a lot more substantial data than the vinyl records (created in 1888 by Emile Berliner, sales spiked in the 1980's and dropped as it left the main stream in the early 1990's - they are still shipped to this day and in 2008 2.0 million units were shipped) and cassette tapes (Compact Cassette- allowed for greater storage of media and offered the consumer the ability to reverse the music, invented 1962 by Philips and released to Europe in 1963) that proceeded it. These devices particularly the CD co-existed along with other devices with means of distribution such as the mp3 (a patented encoding formula format for digital audio files, and as a result many players were released to play these audio files such as: IXI, Eiger MPMan - 1997, Rio PMP300 - September 1998, Apple iPod - First Generation introduced on October 23, 2001 and began to appear on mobile phones by 2001 - the cited reason for the creation of the Apple iPhone) and the later mP4 (MPEG file format based on QuickTime publication on 2001, able to store and display real time images and stills etc. It also had its own range of players some containing a FM (Frequency modulator) transmitter - Lexar LDP-600FB: Anyka, a chip used by many mp4 players, AMV and MTV.).
Websites like: Napster were introduced in - 1999 , iTunes - initially 1998 , Spotify - 2006 , PTP - 1993/2003 , utorrent - 2005 , IsoHunt - 2003 , Amazon - 1994 , thePirateBay - 2003 . These are used for both distribution and consumption, some are legal and paid for, some are not and some are in between (YouTube Converter). Other devices used for the streaming, downloading or playing are the Personal Computer (first released in - 1965), Apple Macintosh - 1990 , PlayStation 3 - 2006.
There are many positive aspects of these changes : media is a lot cheaper and easier to access today, it is higher quality due to the equipment used, easier and quicker to make, easier to distribute and reach the rest of the world, anyone can make a song using just their phone and release it on the internet -iTunes, music genres have become more varied and respectively accepted, the increase in digital consumption has allowed for more jobs to be created in this sector, artists can more easily communicate with their fans throughout the world via Facebook and twitter (Pop singers Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber have currently the largest known number of followers on Twitter, yet recent studies show that a large sum of these may be fake accounts), it is easier to buy tickets for live concerts, more of a variety of storage is available to consume music on, materials are no longer wasted in the production of vinyls (not as much anyways) and so on. Artists themselves have different views on the evolution of the music industry such as Brandon Boyd from Incubus who stated in an interview that the ''internet has changed everything... the evolution is far from over'', he references how his band and rap-rock band Linkin Park have survived the changes in the music industry. He states that after the release of Linkin Parks album Hybrid Theory in 2000 that they would remain within the genre of rap-rock but instead ''broke free'' from its shackles and continued to evolve along with the music industry and adapted with it to become successful. (
http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/linkin-park-incubus-music-biz-changes-0905-2012.aspx)
Although there has been some negative effects of these changes in the music industry over the last ten years: it can be significantly harder to distinguish the talented artists from the masses of average or lower artists publishing and revealing their music online, it can be argues with the avaliablity of things like auto-tune that real raw talent isn't needed which may result in the artists with more access to wealth will be more successful than a talented artist. There is less need for CD's, Vinyls and so on so jobs may be lost in the creation of these and since the respective players are no longer used (phonograph - released 1887 by Thomas Edison) are today viewed as antique items and mainly collect dust in many cases. It can also be argued that due to the avalibility of music on the internet that a fan isn't as communicative of supportive with an artist as they were ten years or more ago i.e buying records and going to concerts as opposed to today's pirating) (In 1966 the Beatles stopped touring because the fans were essentially too supportive, the band could not be overheard over the screaming fans even with state of the art amplifiers, this emphasises the bond the band had with its fans this is a stark contrast with some artists today who don't appear to have the same bond with their fans such as Rihanna who has had numerous instances of this lack of support in her fans such as turning up late for numerous concerts over 2012. (
http://in.omg.yahoo.com/news/50-pc-justin-biebers-twitter-followers-fake-055827023.html)
Production has also been extensively heavily impacted over the years, it can almost be argued that in the current and or the near future that the need for production especially PR and production companies will be made redundant. The new push pull factor developed over the years and the available technology has made society impatient, why wait for an artist to make music when you can do it yourself, easily and fast all on your phone. Instead of writing the song, now today bands have writers for that. While years ago to have a record produced the easiest way was through a record store or hope to get the single broadcaster and in turn be picked up by a label, today we record the song ourselves and upload it to YouTube etc. and on the rare occasion a label recruits the artist.
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Music is a very personal element to many people, it can be used as an emotive stimulant for many of its consumers, including me. Music has the ability to affect or influence a person in many ways regardless of genre. This personal nature makes the concept of music in turn delicate and personal to the individual, in the modern world with the newly introduced ease of access caused due to modern technology the music industry has found it easier to promote and introduce their music to the world via the likes of iTunes and so on. Although there is also a conflictive
effect to this introduction of new technology in that with all of this ease of access to push and acquire this new music, how do we find the talented artists from the fame hungry or less talented artists? These talented artists might never get noticed due to the unreliable and unpredictable nature and distribution of the music industry. Luck and computer skills often prevails more than raw talent unfortunately.
Music itself is very easily obtained in this golden age of technology, while ten or more years ago the only ways of obtaining and exchanging music was buying the album or record in a record or specialist store. Nowadays music can be bought comparatively cheaper and easier, whether this be because we have more wealth to purchase the music or because people have a social obligation to own albums and such etc. Yet this is not often the case, social views on the exchange of music has become blurred over recent years, why purchase an album for £11.99 when you can torrent the album for free using the pirate bay, isohunt and utorrent? Why waste time and energy leaving your house to fund the already full and greedy hands of the music distributors, PR Companies and multi-millionaire fame hungry artists when you can hit a button and stream all the music you want for free? These ideals have become common and accepted in society, there is almost a stigma associated with actually purchasing a hard copy of an album, this is primarily the result of peer-pressure and laziness for the most part. But people often forget that this method of obtaining music is illegal. using these illegal sites while might be easy and free will not support local bands and will not fund independent artists. Sites like P2P and such are often used to disguise a consumers IP address so that the can download all the music they want without fair of being caught. As a result music has almost all but become 'free', as apposed to the hefty cost years ago. Personally I would prefer to order and consume my music through iTunes and Spotify primarily because of their ease of access which has developed over the years and their relative cheapness (especially Spotify which allows almost limitless streaming for a £10 subscription a month), or by ordering an album via Amazon which again is extremely simple to do. I know there is always the option for illegally obtaining this music or even verging legal methods such as YouTube converter but the fear of being caught and the consequences of the actions is enough to make me avoid that element of the obtaining and consumption of music, i'd rather spend my money to support an indie or local band.
Record players, fairly expensive, often difficult to use, heavy in some cases, large in stature and if damaged it would require further money to get the machine repaired, money which people didn't have, then there was the purchasing of a record, an object which contained two singles which in turn was quite expensive. This was just to play a single, once this song/single was finished you could turn it over manually to listen to the second song, there was no shuffle, repeat or song change. Record stores whether local or such as the likes of HMV where the main source of this music. To make music as an artist you would need the equipment, the motivation to push forward, a label, a PR company, money, an audience... essentially you need the methods, skills, talents and materials to make the music, a famed distributor and strong marketing campaign if an artist hoped to succeed and a method to reach as large of an audience as possible, it was all a lot of effort, time and money. Today you need an iPhone and an internet connection. No longer do you need this forceful push form artists towards labels, marketers and distributors as all you simply need to do is record your voice and upload your voice to YouTube or iTunes I have first hand experience in aiding a friend in this aspect of attempting to distribute personal music, and within an hour of deciding to cover a song it was recorded and uploaded to YouTube Within sixty seconds we had done what was near impossible years ago, an action which would have took months of hard work. CD's followed records, Compact discs which could contain multiple songs on one platform. Cheaper and smaller than records and more easily obtained. Even in recent years nearly all relatively big named stores sell CD's such as Tescos and ASDA. But because of technological advancement the concept of buying CD's is dying out, they have become more expensive to purchase and consume especially in comparison to listening or streaming via the internet.
Today music is available on nearly all platforms to download, listen, buy or stream. The range from TV, mp3's, mp4's, iPods, Ps3's, Xbox's, Computers, Radios, supermarkets and public transport to the likes of tooth brushes which play music when you brush your teeth or shoes which play a song when pressure is applied to the heel, music industries are trying for new, fresh and innovative ways of reaching a larger audience with their music. In the past the only ways to listen to music was via radio, TV or in concert, then followed records and CD's. Personally I choose the more modern methods of listening to music primarily via iPhone and computer, its easier and mobile, a pivotal element to the evolution of the music industry over the year. Never again do we have to be in one place to listen to a song, we can be on the move and hold an entire library of music at your finger tips, this has spiked the consumption of music and has made it more socially mainstream. But this does not mean people prefer these methods, many people I know without hesitation state that no matter what nothing beats the experience of hearing a band live in concert, that you may argue that your a fan, buy their music, download their single, stream their album, but you can never fully appreciate the industry and artist until you have shared the experience of sharing your support at a concert, something which has not changed over the years. Napster and Myspace are both prime examples of how the music industry has evolved over the years, these where world renowned companies which millions of users and a loyal fan base but as soon as something 'new and shiny' and innovative is introduced they are more often than not forgot about, iTunes has learned to adept to this social meme and has kept updating and constructing new formats and methods of distributing music in accordance to peoples ideals, it also helps that the mass use of marketing helps fund and reach a larger audience to obtain and keep its well renowned status. The ease at which these industries allow the music to be obtained effects how it is consumed, the likes of iTunes which is relatively easy to use allows for more inexperienced users to consume its content often at home, radio stations allow for the consumption of music on the go especially on public transport and phones and music devices ranging from the early Walkman to the mp3 and now Tablets and iPhone's combined with the advancements in headphone technology has allowed for more mobile consumption of music. This is caused primarily due to the converging of technology over the years, no longer does twenty pieces of equipment need to be used to listen or make music, a simple audio and capturing device such as a phone can be used instead. I own an iPhone and have the ability myself to make a song at anytime i want with no need for anything else but the phone, apps can handle all that for me which shows further how the music industry has evolved to distribute and market new ways to reach its audience.
I remember the many times in which I ventured into my garage and stumbled over the mass collection of my dads old CD's records and tapes, the ground was littered with cases books and film. I could spend hours searching for an album and when I finally find it I discover a sharp crack crawling down the edge of the CD, my heart sank every time this happened, I could never bare to see a disk damaged and need thrown out. Not now a days, all my music is stored either via my computers iTunes library or via Soundcloud which shows just really how the music industry has affected how I obtain and store music, sure I still have the odd album but not nearly in as high a frequency as I did years ago. It is easily stored and organised via this newly developed and reconstructed method.
Artists but a lot of hard work into promoting and constructing their image and music. Although this is not nearly as difficult as it was to do years ago as today instead of just a push from the production side was needed to promote and sell music this is replaced with a push pull factor as in turn the fans, consumers and audience pressures the production side to make more music in a certain appealing way. Similarly the ways of communicating with an artist has evolved further because of the evolution and convergence of technology, in place of writing a note to an artist there is now emails, Facebook twitter and so on. Artists often react towards how their mass audience or fans respond on social networking sites and the like. Likewise the methods of supporting an artist has changed, from simply buying their music to seeing them live to buying merchandise and more recently 'liking statuses' on Facebook these interactions show support but the primary source of support is still buying a bands music and seeing them in concert. Personally I enjoy helping to fund local bands and seeing as many bands live as I can for the experience.
There are always concerns a consumer faces when acquiring music, usually government action such as the disconnection of your internet by your service provider or further legal action. This does deter me from doing certain actions such as illegally torrenting music. Likewise this encourages me to buy music from an artist, similar to how good communication with fans, loyalty and ability to communicate with them in fun and intuitive ways, but on the other hand it is very expensive to pay for music and if there is no loyalty or showmanship towards the audience then the band isn't worth my money But unlike my family I download music on a daily basis, i'm constantly streaming and listening to my favourite bands and new indie artists, this is mainly due to me growing up surrounded by all this technology unlike my family members. With respect to my friends i may not be as passionate as some of them, music appears to be a greater part of their lives, but I am certain that I consume a significantly similar, whether this be for fun and leisure time, for reminiscences or other reasons I am almost always downloading something at any time. My parents pay for the broadband and they are fully aware of how I acquire all my music because I have to spend money and I never stop complaining about it.#
