Week 4 Topic 3

MUSIC SHARING ONLINE

With the younger generation being brought up through all this new technology and availabilty to access material, we have new ways of consuming it. With people like ourselves being associated with the internet and music, there are new ways in which we combine the two together and share our interests. By doing this process if music listening and downloading, it is having a massive change in the way we consume new material. The day of the CD went out of the window a long time ago, but we are already seeing an impact on the world of download such as iTunes. The only reason as people don't won't to pay 79p per track. So with people downloading dozens of tracks a week, they want to save money and share music with their friends.

One of the major advantages these sites and social sites have, is that we are seeing more and more bands starting their days off on them. Such as on Myspace mostly (but also on Facebook now) bands can upload their songs for all to hear at no cost. This sees more music agents signing new bands via this process. One prime example would be the Artic Monkeys. Starting with a number one download single, the band has turned into a huge success.

This change in music consumption has had it's advantages. More and more people are being introduced to new music through this process. It also allows us to gain access and download the content must faster than having to wait for it to be released in the shops.

These changes may be changing a lot of the media industry, but we will still need these companies for the future. It's not also a chase of need but also want. For instance the development of iTunes and the iPod, consumers have the chance to download new music, videos and films to their portable devices such as their iPod's. From this iTunes gives them that opportunity. It may be at a small price, but it ensures a decent quality and risk free.