I remember buying my very first CD. I remember that it was the Beatles' Abbey Road, and that I bought it at Wal-Mart. I remember that CDs were just beginning to become the prominent source of music; cassette tapes were still quite popular, and I still had most of mine. That was over 15 years ago. I still have the Abbey Road album, but I don't buy many CDs anymore. I, like most college-aged adults, get my music through on-line sources such as iTunes.
It is interesting to consider how the music industry has changed over the past 10 years. While CDs are still a popular way to purchase music, it is apparent that purchasing digital music over the Internet is a growing trend. In the year after iTunes was introduced, over 100 million songs were downloaded by its users, according to CNN.com.
This digital revolution has not been without its controversies, however. The Recording Industry Association of America has sued several individuals for peer-to-peer file sharing, and in 2000 a popular file-sharing client, Napster, was ordered to shut down its free service. The RIAA is now targeting college campuses in search of individuals who illegally obtain music.
There is much debate about the benefits and downfalls of technology's influence upon the music industry. Although we are able to download an entire album in a matter of seconds, this has opened the door for illegal file-sharing. While we can browse through millions of titles by thousands of artists, the quality of these files may actually suffer due to the compression process required to make the digital file. In the future, I hope to explore some of these issues, as well as how the music industry will continue to change as a result of technology.
It is interesting to consider how the music industry has changed over the past 10 years. While CDs are still a popular way to purchase music, it is apparent that purchasing digital music over the Internet is a growing trend. In the year after iTunes was introduced, over 100 million songs were downloaded by its users, according to CNN.com.
This digital revolution has not been without its controversies, however. The Recording Industry Association of America has sued several individuals for peer-to-peer file sharing, and in 2000 a popular file-sharing client, Napster, was ordered to shut down its free service. The RIAA is now targeting college campuses in search of individuals who illegally obtain music.
There is much debate about the benefits and downfalls of technology's influence upon the music industry. Although we are able to download an entire album in a matter of seconds, this has opened the door for illegal file-sharing. While we can browse through millions of titles by thousands of artists, the quality of these files may actually suffer due to the compression process required to make the digital file. In the future, I hope to explore some of these issues, as well as how the music industry will continue to change as a result of technology.
