The Digital Age in Music: How Advancements in Technology are Re-shaping the Industry
Michael Martin
Monmouth University

Abstract The ever-changing landscape of music distribution, due to constant advancements in technology, is sometimes hard to keep up with for artist, producer, and consumer alike. New editions of textbooks in Music Business classes are issued each year, and changes are made in the industry before the semester is even over. Because of this, it is vital for the industry to not only not only be aware of what is currently going happening, but also be able to foresee the direction that the music business is heading in. In this aspect, it seems that we are at a turning point where consumers and artists are taking …show more content…

It is found that digital distribution does allow them to spread to a much wider audience, and one thing that it helps with the most is the building of a solid social capital system. The networks allow them to keep in touch with their fans, building and strengthening close bonds with the fanbase they have already established. However, it does not necessarily help them to broaden their fanbase, which is the initial idea. It is stated that it is actually quite difficult to integrate their music into websites and streams that will actually grab the attention of newcomers to listen to them. Another aspect of this article is the fact that an almost equal amount of time, effort, and money is put into advertising over the peer-to-peer sites as would be spent on getting their name out the old-fashioned way.
Another article titled "Music in the Digital Age: Musicians and Fans Around the World “Come Together” on the Net" continues to explore this aspect of digital downloading. This article explains how production, consumption, and distribution has changed wildly in the industry due to the virtual world. Artists now how the ability to control distribution of their material over the internet if they know how to do so, giving them complete freedom from interfering record companies and allowing them to collect full revenue while maintaining all copyrights. Another main aspect of this article is the