How has the music industry been affected by the internet and digital downloading Institution

How has the music industry been affected by the internet and digital downloading

Introduction

The introduction of computer technology has led to many changes in entertainment as part of life. The music industry accounts for a great percentage of all aspects of human entertainment. The music industry also forms a significant source of income to artists and as source of revenue to the government. Music also plays an important role in enhancing various aspects of culture and heritage. The importance of music has seen the industry become an important icon of world economies especially in the US and other developed countries. The introduction of computer and the internet technologies have seen it possible to promote the music industry in many ways. While these technologies have a positive impact on the industry, some illegal practices have brought negative issues associated with the two major technologies. This paper aims at bringing out the possible effects of the internet and computing technology on the music industry.

The effects associated with the internet technology include positive aspects of the technology such as online sale of music, online shopping, and idea generation via social networks that brings help to both artists and consumers of the services. The internet has evolved greatly with a short period of about a decade with all attempts to capture consumer attention. Music composers and sellers have increased their sale via the internet making it easier to earn huge amounts of money through priced downloads. These downloads are done via a host computer or an internet enabled mobile phone. The internet has contributed much to the industry through online shopping, music preview by consumers, as well as the provision of information about the latest music within the various genres of music (Azenha, 2006). Artists find it easier to make the internet an online shopping tool in which they can sell their ideas and creativity through music. Other than just selling the music online, some organizations may use certain music clips to sell their products and services online.

Research Questions

1. What are the positive effects of internet and computer technology to the music industry?
2. How negatively does computer and internet technology affect the music industry?

Research Objective

1. To establish the positive impact of computer and internet technologies on the music industry
2. To point out how negatively the internet and computer technologies affect the music industry

Background

The industry has evolved greatly to become the one of the greatest markets for the music industry, which has been estimated to account more than 25 percent of the entire music industry market (Azenha, 2006). The internet is also said to contradict to these advantages to musicians since it is one of the major enemies to the industry. The advantages absorbed by music products’ consumers is the increasing provisions of the use of online payment methods including internet banking systems and banks such as PayPal. People are in a position to make use of credit cards to buy music online as long as they have an internet connection, a practice that saves them significant amount of time and money that could be used on transport as one goes on to purchase music from a music shop or store. Sometimes one would lack whatever music file he or she wanted but the internet provides everything as long as the search tool is well utilized. Various websites have propped to aid music consumers get whatever they like from the music industry. Other than downloading, some websites offer services that can ensure a doorstep delivery of music in a hard copy such as tape, DVD, CD, Floppy Disk, or music contained in any computer storage device of choice.

Various websites offer online sale services of music hence promoting the industry’s market. At the same time, some websites offer free music downloads thereby reducing the profitability of the music industry and the net value of music. These free services offered by the internet via some websites make it difficult for any musician to enjoy some monopolistic attribute (Adkins, 2013 ). Sometimes certain kind of music would be downloaded and grow in usage before the artist makes a significant amount of money from his or her creativity. From a consumer’s point of view, hacking of credit cards and business transitions through the internet was common until the introduction of advance operating systems that would ensures safety on consumers as far as their transactions and bank details are concerned. The point of loss by artists persists and the big issue is the best way to prevent free download of music that hurts the profitability capacity of many artists and music companies.

Deviating from the internet, computer technologies, alone are found to create an impact on the music industry both negatively and positively. Music piracy is today a common term that involves illegal copying and sale of music without the consent of the producer. Piracy has been a major issue together with P2P, which is a computer network that distributes storage, computing power and bandwidth between members of the network; especially an Internet network for sharing files stored on different computers’ hard drives. This has been a common aspect making people find it hard to purchase a music file online or from a shop provided, their friends have the same content in their computer hard drives (Azenha, 2006).

Research Design

The research will be base on secondary data and information about the effect of computer and internet technology on music. The research would make use of a methodology that would present the data collection methods, the sampling techniques. The research would look at the music industry in various countries. Data on the music industry in various countries is established for analysis as well as establishing the world’s greatest music market and producer by monetary value. The focus would be on the developed countries and some Second World countries in parts of Asia and Latin America (RIAJ: Yearbook 2012 IFPI 2010 Report , 2012). The data would show how the change in market value is gradual from which analysis, discussions would point out that computer technology, and the internet has reduced music profitability despite the increasing market for the industry.

Methodology

This section involves the various methods used to obtain information and data concerning the music industry. The main method of data collection is secondary data collection methods that involve data and idea gathering from the internet and books about the music industry. The methodology also includes the data and information obtained in the research, awaiting its review and analysis in the analysis section of the research.

Secondary data collection method

This is the only method of data collection used. The data is obtained from online publications including journal entries, online statistics, online surveys, past interviews, and various websites. The method is advantageous as it makes it easier to gather information without having to conduct any field study. Information obtained is not first-hand but include a compilation of various statistical data that was initially obtained by various researchers on the music industry.

Data Gathering  

Data collection is not based on survey or any primary data collection but based on internet sources. The use of internet source has made it possible to gather information from a wider scope that could not have been done otherwise especially through primary data collection methods. The research considers improvement in technology and the way the trend has influenced the music industry and market. Data indicate the changes in both rules and technologies whose lack resulted in many differences among the various participants in the music industry (Krasilovsky, Shemel, Gross, & Feinstein, 2011).

Data Analysis

Data indicates that the once divided lines such as producers of music, the artists, the recording companies, the distributors, retailers, and consumers have redeveloped to an extend of running more than one sectors within the industry. Today, one can be the artist, the producer, as well be in a position of owning a recording company. At the same time, various music companies may have their managements promote their music business by promoting their recordings on their clients’ behalf. This promotion is done online via their company websites or through the use free services in social media networks including YouTube, or other social networks that promote online video and audio playing tools (Krasilovsky, Shemel, Gross, & Feinstein, 2011). The promotion could also be done on consumer computer devices and electronics.

As the raise in technology becomes an issue and a threat to the industry, governments have realized the economic importance of the music industry thereby employing laws that examine the idea of intellectual property right. The intellectual property rights concerns all the parties involved in the music industry thus indicating some clear definitions .............