Times Are a Changing: Music and Technology
Are you old enough to remember the vinyl 45, 33’s or 8 track tapes? These are all a thing of the past. Now we have CD’s, DVD’s, and MP3’s. Almost every household has these plus personal computers, satellites, a pad or notebook of some sort, gaming systems, Blu-Ray or DVD players... Let face it we live in a technology world. So is should come as no surprise that the way we listen to music has changed.
Today cassettes and vinyl’s make up less than 5% of the music
market combined. Since MP3 players are
the size of your palm or on your phone even the CD is beginning to fade out. MP3 formats allow you to customize what you
want to hear and store them all in a small space; you can listen to your favorite’s
songs one right after the other.
Back in the olden days (20 years ago) it took a long time to
break into the music business. Money was
needed to book a studio, time was needed to get your name out there, and having
a producer was a must. With the computer
age this is no longer the case anyone with a computer and some equipment can
record something put it on YouTube and become an overnight success. Social networking sites such as Facebook,
YouTube, and Twitter can rocket a performer to instant stardom. These sites allow an artist to promote their
music to millions of people all over the world.
The development of downloading sites such as iTunes and
Yahoo Music has made music available at the touch of a button and reasonable
price. You can now purchase your songs
for .99 not wait to go to the store and purchase the whole CD for over $10 and
only listen to one maybe two of the songs.
Music being available digitally also has its
negative points. Sharing sites such as
Napstar, Lime Wire, and Share Bear where you can download music for free
obviously has a negative effect on the artist, producers and the record
companies wallets. These sites also can wreak
havoc on your computer systems. Being
the mother of teenagers believe me every time my kids visit these sites we end
up with a virus or our computer ends up with a bunch of programs we did not
download.
It’s hard to believe how much the music industry has changed
in the last 20 years; I can only image what they will come up with next.
http://www.musiciansnetwork.us/mnet/indie44_sample.html
Cindi Davis, DIG2000
I experienced music when technology was simpler. Growing up in Detroit, I used to listen to The Temptations and other Motown artist on 45’s, 33’s, and even 8 tracks. Back then, things were simpler and artist seemed to be more serious about their craft. Thanks to my kids, I have been swept into the new age and now have access to music on my iPhone however, I still appreciate the sound of a good record and musicians from my age.
ReplyDeleteDawna Philyaw
The changes in music technology certainly made traveling more bearable for me. I lived in the Marshall Islands from 2000 to 2010.They are located half-way between Hawaii and Australia some seventy-five hundred miles from here. It took two full days to get there and three days to come home. That’s two overnight flights and a minimum of two flight changes. The ability to have my own music entertainment certainly made these long trips more bearable. Especially when crossing seven time zones and having your sleep cycle turned on its head. Also, living in an off-the-beaten path location, there was no music store, just some really dated CDs in the general store. The ability to purchase on-line and down-load music enabled me to keep somewhat up-to-date. The fact that you can pick and choose the individual tracks desired helps stretch the entertainment dollar further.
ReplyDeleteMaryellen Bailey
I agree! Music has evolved into something everybody can really be involved with. Music technology can be expensive, but sometimes not too ridiculous, making products more attainable to the common person. So many people make their own music with different programs such as pro tools and even something as simple as garage band. Youtube also enables many people to get noticed and even become famous! I think Youtube among other sites to put self-made music up on are great and I'm curious to see how technology progresses in the music industry in the future! Good post!
ReplyDeleteShannon Pitt, DIG2000