Is Online Distribution of Music destroying the music industry?
Source: http://www.amitbhawani.com/blog/Images/I/Illegal-Download-Mp3-Online.jpg
The affect digital technology has on the music industry is both a positive and a negative one. The ability to illegally download music from the internet can be seen differently depending on your status as a musician or a music producer. Websites such as Myspace and Youtube are making it much simpler for new, unsigned artists to get their music heard by the masses.
Source: http://musformation.com/pics/sharing.jpg
Also the recent development in technology, the Mp3 player, has come from the ability to shrink files so much that they were able to be passed through internet connections.
However this ability to download music at no cost is affecting major record labels in a negative way. This is resulting in record companies losing money. In the past three years the music industry has been cheated out of billions of dollars and thousands of jobs from the increased popularity of online downloading.
So to answer the original question, Is online distribution of music destroying the music industry?, the answer is no! Independent artists find great benefit in the ability to download music online. Depending if you are part of well known record label or an unsigned artist, your views on the potential destruction of the music industry will be different. In conclusion the impact digital technology has on the music industry is neither a positive nor a negative one.
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http://www.myspace.com
http://www.youtube.com
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Music+Publishing
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