Monday, December 20, 2010

How Music Libraries Were Transformed By The Internet

By Eric James


As the world progresses forward in technology every section of society is influenced. The evolution of music libraries from physical libraries to virtual libraries is indeed due in great part to the endless internet. Those who publish music have seen and adapted to use the internet as a prime source for continued profit. As with any new, widely accessible invention, the internet was feared for its easy and quick distribution of items and ideas. Many music labels and artists set forth an endeavor to prevent the use of the web as a means to spread their creations illegally. However, the progressive internet and those who inhabit it could not be stopped.

In the beginning, only a few producers viewed the web with such hope and promise, so much so that they invested in making online stores to sell and distribute their merchandise. Soon these small sites grew as more and more bands signed deals with them to sell their works on their sites. With the ability for many small bands to post their creations on these sites, the development of sub-genres grew to form their own recognized groupings.

With internet acting as a proliferation zone for both standard genres and subgenres, personal audio libraries are becoming extremely diverse. Although illegal downloading is still prevalent within society, producers have taken notice of the possible marketing techniques through free song downloads. Many companies are now offering free song samples and limited time specials to customers as an incentive for further purchase.

Apple's iTunes Store has developed along side the web to better serve their clients. The iTunes Store is an online, one stop shopping center for all of a person's musical needs. Everything from entire CD albums to individually priced songs are available to the public. Not only has iTunes expanded their music library by allowing small bands to upload their creations to their database, but they have also recently added the ability to rent and buy movies and shows.

Online access has allowed the music library itself to change in not only what is contained with the library, but how we search the library for specific songs stored within it. Search engines installed in music programs grant the customer the ability to quickly browse their entire selection for a particular song based on a number of criteria. Apple has even created a program that grows as the customer purchases more songs from their music library to eventually give you suggestions to other songs that the customer may enjoy.

The music industry has never been the same since the first online music library; it has changed for the better. From the physical to the virtual, musical stores and music libraries have come a long way since the emergence of online power. It can be assumed that as the internet grows at an exponential rate, the music libraries themselves will also continue to evolve to suit the needs and desires of the people.




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