This blog will examine how advancements in technology affect the music industry, from artists to record executives to listeners. Advancements in technology bring change to virtually all aspects of culture and society. The change that our generation has witnessed is staggering. My introduction to music came christmas '94. I got a cassette player and 2 cassette tapes (Boys 2 Men 'II', and Tag Team 'Whoop there it is'). Thats what I listened to for six months, until I could get my parents to buy a new cassette. And that was the 'high-tech' of the time. Just this morning, I downloaded 3 new mixtapes (which are free albums/EPs released by the artist, for those who did not know) and over 20 songs from various music blogs online (legally, don't worry). That example alone shows the change the medium of music exchange has undergone in only 15 years.
Innovation stemming from the internet, however, has had one of the greatest impacts on changes in music and the industry. Sites such as YouTube and MySpace gave artists a simple option to get their music to the general public, enabling anyone with access to the internet to discover new music, of any genre, whenever they like. Now, social networking sites dedicated to the music community are blossoming, bringing out artists' creativity and genre shattering music. All the changes, brought about by advancements in technology, may not be best for all realms of the world of music. Most, if not all, record companies are struggling to make fractions of sales made just a decade ago.
Throughout the semester, I will explore the advantages and disadvantages of the effect advancements in technology has had on the world of music (music industry, fans, aspiring artists, etc...). I, specifically, hope to learn more about how unknown artists use technology to advertise and create their own image; as well as the affect this is having on transforming genres and the diminishing popularity of 'popular' music.
This my review of your topic.
ReplyDeleteI really like this topic. Music is always a good choice to go with. I think looking at the industry from the perspective of how technology has influenced it would be really interesting to examine. I think you can examine if the industry now is still about the music (the lyrics, the melody, the substance of the songs), or if with all this technology, it's now about the beat, or the digitalization of the voices, etc. Things maybe you can touch on also could be how CDs are becoming more and more obsolete. How iTunes and iPods have changed music and the music industry, with people being able to download songs instead of having to buy entire CDs. This could be both a positive and negative affect on the industry.
Great topic. Good call on Boyz II Men by the way. One of my favorites.