Music Online
The boom of music appearing for download online occurred when Napster launched in 1999. The application made it possible for users to download mp3 files to their home computers for free. (iml.jou.ufl.edu)
Mp3 files are a common form of compressed digital music that is widely available on the Internet. To look up Mp3 files on any given artist on a search engine, thousands of responses can be retrieved. Artists themselves have used Mp3 files to promote their music. Artists can place their music in an mp3 file on sites such as mp3.com where people download the files. This is a promotional tool used by many bands and often is very successful for these bands.
Napster, which was shut down after nasty legal battles with the American recoding industry, was both loved and despised by American artists. (www.wired.com) Artists such as Madonna, Metallica and Dr Dre were all very outspoken when it came to their dislike of the site. Artists such as Courtney Love, Dave Matthews and Limp Bizkit however, all openly supported Napster and appreciated that their music was reaching a wider variety of people this way. (www.wordiq.com)
Many research companies have worked with teenagers, who they say are the largest downloading audience, to find out why they download music off the net. Focus groups, surveys and millions of dollars have been spent to tell this group worldwide, that downloading music is illegal and 'robs artists', however this group continues to use applications like Kazaa and Gnutella where they do not need to pay for the music they download. (www.futureofmusic.com)
Downloadable music is not the only form of music online. Many websites offer subscribers the ability to listen to music online without downloading the songs. These songs can be files that are opened and then played or they can be radio streaming.
Radio streaming over the Internet has no geographical limitation like radio on land. This means that a radio station in London can be listened to in Sydney. The boundary of radio being pure audio is also broken on the net with pictures accompanying the broadcasts.
Radio broadcasters often offer a larger variety of music as they do not try to programme to the largest possible audience in order to make advertising dollars. The cost of being on air online is much cheaper also, allowing a larger amount of broadcasters online as opposed to on air. (www.howstuffworks.com)
Streaming music over the Internet has become increasingly popular with tens of thousands of radio stations listed on the net to listeners. www.radiotower.com
Music online is a topic of great debate at the current time. The reasons are great from both sides of the story with relevant facts and laws in place to help keep both sides safe from having certain liberties taken away from them.
REFERENCES:
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet-radio1.htm [Accessed 20 October 2004]
www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,36961,00.html. [Accessed 18 October 2004]
Louise Connors 12:51, 28 Oct 2004 (EST)
