Week 4 Topic 3:A to D (Music sharing online)

a) How do filesharing, online downloading and the ‘networking’ of new material change the way music is consumed?



At one point in time there was no internet and no way of paying or getting msuic without going to the local record store. Nowadays as music technology has developed (from vinyl to tape, tape to CD ,CD to mp3) so has the consumerism of music. Music stores have come out and gone into fashion and so has the mp3 player craze. There is still an element of tradition with CDS and mp3 download vouchers available at any supermarket ot highstreet store such as HMV.



b) How and why could any band ‘make it’ through social networking/content sharing sites?



Social networking websites allow you not only to have personal account but one that can be dedicated to businesses and up and coming bands for example. This then allows to free advertising, emails for promotion, uploads of pictures and videos,joining social networking 'groups' and the chance to hear feedback and gaps in the markets.



Social networking allows the popularity of bands for instance to be heard this can be seen through the amount of friends made in the social networking page and how many people sign up upto the various 'groups'.

It would be a mistake for bands trying to 'make it' not to join such popluar sites



c) Has/will this change popular music?



I think this will change popular music in terms of individual and rare types of bands will be heard and struggling artists wont have to chnage and become mainstream just to try and have a career.



d) Will we still need media companies in future if people can produce and distribute cultural products directly?



I think there will always be a place for media companies as they bring with them a higher status of knowing what will be a succesful product and if so how to get it promoted and distributed as a succesful product without nay problems that smaller companies might occur.