Mp3 Downloads! Have They Ruined Music?

When people ask me if I think mp3 downloads have ruined music

, I'm always hesitant to answer with confidence. On the one hand, the instant community granted the music loving geek has made an entire world of bands, both major label and self-distributed, available with the click of a mouse. This is undoubtedly a good thing. It's also enabled musicians to get a firmer grasp on their career, since they don't need a major label to propel them anymore.

On the other hand, the quick-serve music community online has challenged independent musicians. They don't need a major label or a tour of large stadiums, but they do need a hook, something to grab the attention of a music community that has become so inundated with rapidly unfolding trends. As thousands of blogs work tirelessly to stay ahead of the curve, the amount of time bands have to make their impression shrinks. Once again, this can be a huge positive for artists, since it's their responsibility to make the most of it. The web might be diminishing the music community's appreciation of the album by emphasizing mp3 downloads and short bursts of content, but the bands have a unique opportunity to capitalize on the web journalist's need for timely, relevant content: they can play shows.

Record sales go down, labels have a harder time supporting their artists, and the window of relevance gets smaller and smaller, but in the end, true music lovers benefit. In the '60s and '70s, people bought 45s and LPs and hoped a band came to their town or was played on the radio. These days, there is never a shortage of touring acts: each and every band must tour to support their records, and this is how they've learned to beat the system the web has the power to cripple them with. Successful independent artists are touring up to six months out of the year, and live shows have superseded album release date hype and major label support. By demonstrating the music in a live setting, the entire experience of a band's art is exposed, their message is felt with manifold intensity, and the money the lose on record sales can be made up for in part by a successful tour with merchandise.

All of this (and more, if I could write a book I would) has created a unique situation for artists recording and touring in this day and age. Many (most notably Radiohead) have even used the web to promote their music while empowering their listeners to reject traditional music production and sales models. They certainly won't lose ticket sales, and neither will smaller acts who choose to go the same route. As this mode of making and sharing music takes its shape in the 21st century, we see an increase in participation in our music community: more people attending live shows, more people buying records and merchandise after seeing a live act, more bloggers and traditional journalists writing about live performances and a smaller divide between the listeners and the artists. Independent music has, with the help of the web, finally made a significant push towards being entirely DIY, and the relevance of the live show has never been more apparent. Go check this out for some more music related info http://www.squidoo.com/freshbeatcreator

by: johnolarola

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