Music availability
Music is extremely easy to find nowadays, and if the artist is even remotely heard of, chances are his work can be accessed and bought online. There were times when it would be very hard to get a hold of a specific album or artist because they weren’t featured in one’s local music stores. This meant that quite a bit of hassle went into procuring music.
Today, the entire world’s music stores are open and only a click away. No matter what an artist has released or where they are from, it can be found in most cases thanks to the internet. This is definitely a strong side of the internet.
The downside of this is that music has also become a lot easier to pirate. Having such an amazingly vast catalog at one’s disposal, illegally downloading any song or album becomes a piece of cake. A lot of security concerns were raised regarding music piracy and many initiatives are being undergone to prevent music piracy.
However, there is no denying that the numbers are astronomical when it comes to the number of people who steal music off the internet. This has dire ramifications for both record labels and artists.
Music exposure
The internet provides a completely free marketing ramp which anyone can access. Having this complete and potent resource to tap into gives an independent or up and coming artist an amazing opportunity to succeed without the need for a label. Granted, labels are able to provide a faster burst of exposure which puts musicians’ faces out there for a large number of people from the very beginning.
The internet, on the other hand, is a slower tool but it does offer a window to literally the entire world. In the long run, the internet can act as a gateway for a huge following that will support and endorse the artist. While music labels would no doubt prefer to take the classic approach, the internet is paving the way for more independent artists and it looks like more and more aspiring musicians are walking this path.
