The evolution of music distribution

MP3 and the evolution of the evolution of music distribution

Before MP3 players, rock n’ roll, Mozart, Orchestras, and written music, there was the oral tradition -  music was created and passed on orally from generation to generation. It is hard to imagine in today’s day and age when to listen to music all we have to do is turn on or tune in and listen to a recording that can be repeated again and again without any loss in quality. Music has always evolved and over the last century the medium for which music is recorded has also evolved. The vinyl made way for the cassette, then the CD, then the minidisc. Today it is the MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) format that is the forerunner in today’s technology. The music industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and record companies have moved with the times to ensure that they are at the forefront of music distribution in a world where file sharing is common, and music piracy is considered a threat.

Before the birth of the MP3 the average price a new CD album was approximately $17. To entice the consumer, prices of CDs have decreased dramatically to approximately $10. Furthermore, the overall product has been made more attractive, so that the consumer isn’t just paying for the music, but also for the elaborate packaging, the album’s artwork, passwords that allow access to restricted areas of the artist’s website, album booklet containing lyrics and artwork, and CD-Rom functions that are installed on the album. Although sales of CDs dropped by 10% in 2007[1], there has been an increase in downloads.

Introduced in 2001, i-tunes is an online music store where consumers can legally download individual songs and whole albums. Whilst some believe that illegal downloads are detrimental to the music industry, there are others that see it in a positive light and there is claim that illegal downloading is helpful to the record companies. For instance, if a consumer is introduced to an artist through a song that is downloaded illegally then decides to go and buy their albums, this would be beneficial for the music industry. The same consumer may also go to the concerts, buy the merchandise, etc. thus, injecting cash into the record company that wouldn’t be there if not for the illegal download of a song.

Whichever way you look at it, the MP3 format is here, until the next format comes along and takes its place, and the record companies, like the format, like music itself, will surely adapt to the environment and evolve accordingly. 

[1] Blyth, A. (2008, March). Music in the digital age. accountancymagazine.com. Retrieved April 8, 2009, from http://www.accountancymagazine.com