Cough it Up, Companies

On the Future of the Music Industry and Illegal Downloading

                It is amazing how much the music industry has changed over the span of its lifetime, especially the past ten years. Studies like the graph that is depicted on page 129 of our media theory textbook prove the rapid, steep buying trends. The most intense shift is the spiral in CD purchases. Sales of CDs shot up in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, once word was out and the price index for the disks dropped to an affordable rate. Because CDs were the latest technology in the music world and were clearer and better quality than anything else as of the moment, their sales reigned supreme. The decline in demand surfaced when digital downloads were born.

                As mp3’s and other digital song formats increased in popularity, species like the mp3 player, iPod, and Bluetooth spawned at a rapid pace and the CD grew less and less popular. Because customers could now download songs from the comfort of their homes (not to mention had the opportunity to buy only one or a handful of tracks instead of having to purchase the entire album), the need to travel to music stores or department stores to purchase CDs began to die. But it is not only the convenience of the download ability and the evolution of technology that has killed the sales of CDs—the ability to pirate copies for free has choked the music industry. So many people are illegally downloading music that record labels are now scouting for musical talent that is already semi-established online. Fewer artists rely on record deals to promote their music, choosing to govern their own sales through online media like Myspace or personal websites. The future of recorded music in America is looking drastically different form a few years ago. Because less and less artists are relying on record deals for a break, sound studios may be used more in the garage or on the home computer than by a major company.

                Music can now be self-made via tinkering programs and recording software. Artists can, with modern technology, mess around with digital switchboards and hook up quality microphones and other such recording devices to their computers to create tacks without the help of official studios. Even more importantly, aspiring musicians can make a name for themselves by posting their music online and doing self-promotion. This cuts out the need for a major label. Record companies are already suffering from this phenomenon and will continue to decline unless strategies are changed. Big music businesses will die off unless they embrace the digital download pattern instead of trying to fight it. Perhaps, companies can offer a significant number of free downloads before they start charging for tracks. People will be less likely to pirate if they are given the chance to download a good amount of free tracks—or at least companies can drastically cut their digital prices to stimulate sales growth. 

Instead of charging a dollar or more per song, businesses should lower their prices to twenty cents or somewhere along those lines. The only way the record company can combat the frequency of illegal downloads, I believe, is to provide a multitude of cheap (and a heap of free) tracks. As for record companies and the issue of labels and signing artists, more companies should create online hosting sites and charge a small fee for artists/bands to post their work for public view and download-ability. No matter what, fans still have to pay ticket costs to go to shows or dish out for merchandise, so the push for such events and memorabilia should be heightened. By a combination of these changes, the music industry may be able to stay afloat.