Music sharing online

Music and the music industry still remains as one of the most influential industries in our culture. However, the dynamics of it have changed in recent years. Growing up as a kid, I can always remember going to Woolworths and Andy's Records for CD's. And yes, Andy's Records was the bees knees and still remains so in my mind. But music as a whole is no longer consumed in this way. It is now about downloading it, ripping it and sharing it online that has caused a drastic change. This means that the consumer market, even the target audience has changed, as has the way it is financed and enjoyed as a medium. As we are all aware, Woolworths has gone, Zavvi is in debt and even Andy's Records had to go. HMV has ditched its single chart sales, and radio one announced that it would begin to compile weekly chart sales based on download sales as opposed to shop sales.

It has been well documented that The Artic Monkeys, Lily Allen and others were found online and through social networking sites like Myspace. This means that not everyone will become a star, but the door is open for unknown acts to be noticed. Our societies love of the reality tv shows and gameshow competitions has even attracted music, through shows like the Orange unsigned act etc. So music will change as it always has done; into a contemporary medium that suits the era, whether that be 12" LPs, cassette tapes, CDs or itunes.

Yes media companies are always needed. People have the talent, media companies have the financial backing, and this formula producers the music for a consumer market. This will remain the case i'm sure.