Introduction
The music business industry makes it possible for the produced work to reach the end users. This is done by selling the compositions recordings and performances of the music. Once an individual has done a piece of music, he signs a contract with a recording company which helps him/her to put the music in a format that can be accessed by the consumers. Once the recording is done, there is need to have the piece of work reach the consumers. The songs are placed in CDs or in MP3 format so that the customers can play them using their computers or any device that they may deem fit. (Tschmuk, 2006)
The music industry has gone a series of changes in the recent past. Some of the changes that have been experienced are in the technological field which involves how the music is recorded, equipments used in recording, the format that the music is availed to the consumers and the machines used by the consumers to play the songs. Other changes are in the marketing field which includes the way the music was sold to the consumers and how it sold to the consumers in the present times. (Tschmuk, 2006)
Future of the Music Industry Business Model
Changes in the Music Industry:
Changes that have occurred have been caused by:
a) Competition from other forms of entertainment such as the internet, movies and video games
b) Unauthorized file sharing (piracy)
The changes include: Technological changes and Marketing changes
a) Technological changes
In the past people could drop a coin into the jukebox and then press a certain combination off numbers and then get the favorite tune you requested for. That has since changed. the jukeboxes are not found anywhere today. The presence of various FM stations has led to the improvement in the quality of music being played both at home in public places. (d'Angelo, 2002)
The emergence of SONY changed the way music was being accessed. It became very popular as it offered a high quality stereo sound quality. The emergence of the audio tapes made the sale of records to diminish. The records are no longer being made. The audio tapes were also overtaken by the emergence of the CDs and they too are no longer being manufactured.
The CDs have improved the quality of music being listened to a great deal. This however has resulted into people burning the CDs and getting their own copies or downloading the songs from the internet. This has posed a great threat to the music industry as some people obtain the music without necessarily paying for them.
Traditional music industry has been completely changed by a new set of new technologies. In the recent past, we have seen a transformation from the use of CDs to the introduction of the MP3. Music is being sold as digital files that can be downloaded and placed in a computer or mobile devices like the iPods. There are also new technologies emerging which enable streaming of music on demand. This enables people to have access to almost all forms of music without incurring much cost. This has led to the physical music retails diminishing day by day and in future they may not be in existent. (d'Angelo, 2006)
Recording of music and uploading a song has increasingly become cheaper and easier. People can simply record an upload a song in their rooms just by using a laptop. In the past the artists were forced to visit professional recording studios to perform the task for them and it used to cost ten of thousands of dollars. In future the professional recording studios may cease to exist as people are shifting to cheaper options to have their works done. (Lebrecht, 1996)
Since most people are switching to obtaining digitalized music which cost less, the sale of the physical goods like the CDs is diminishing. No one wants to buy the CDs anymore. The sale of the digital files cannot compensate the recorders for the work done. In future, the recorded music will cease to be paid for by the end consumers. The compensation can instead be incorporated in the amount you pay for other services like cable TV or internet usage. (Imhorst, 2004)
b) Marketing changes
In the past music was accessed by users through the juke boxes. Live performances was also a way that the artists could use to sell their work. Currently the artists can market their songs over the internet, paid TV, FM stations and live performances. (Lebrecht, 1996)
Work Cited List
d’Angelo, Mario: Does globalisation mean ineluctable concentration? In The Music Industry in
the New Economy, Report of the Asia-Europe Seminar, Lyon, Oct. 25–28, 2001, IEP de
Lyon/Asia-Europe Foundation/Eurical, Editors Roche F., Marcq B., Colomé D., 2002, n
pp. 53–54.
d'Angelo, Mario: Perspectives of the Management of Musical Institutions in Europe, OMF,
Musical Activities and Institutions Sery, ParisIV-Sorbonne University, Ed. Musicales s
Aug. Zurfluh, Bourg-la-Reine, 2006.
Imhorst, Christian: The ‘Lost Generation’ of the Music Industry, published under the terms of
the GNU Free Documentation License 2004
Lebrecht, Norman: When the Music Stops: Managers, Maestros and the Corporate Murder of
Classical Music, Simon & Schuster 1996
Music CD Industry – a mid-2000 overview put together by Duke University undergraduate
students
The Methods Reporter: Music Industry Misses Mark with Wrongful Suits
The supply of recorded music: A report on the supply in the UK of prerecorded compact discs,
vinyl discs and tapes containing music. Competition Commission, 1994.
Tschmuck, Peter: Creativity and Innovation in the Music Industry, Springer 2006
