There was a time when we needed to listen to the radio in order for us to find out what new songs artists had, or what new artists were out there. We would often have to buy an entire album even if we just liked one song. With the magic of computer networking, those days seem to be coming to a halt.
Computer networking and the Internet
Connecting computers or devices to a computer is a discipline called computer networking. For the longest time, computer engineers have been looking for new and innovative ways to create vast networks to for the exchange of data. Soon enough, the world’s largest network was created and this is what we have come to call the Internet. The Net has become so influential, that it has become a part of our daily lives. We can get the news, get the latest tips on fashion, shop, chat, email, and even get a college degree through this vast network of computers. It has also changed the way we get our music.
Getting music online
Ever since the creation of the MP3, it has become easier to transfer a song from one computer to another. We now can get millions of songs from the Net from downloading them from particular websites. This has changed the face of the music industry, and the purveyors of music have been trying to come up with new business models to keep up with the technology.
Digital distribution
It seems as if digital distribution is slowly becoming the way artists and labels spread their music to the public. You can now download a single song and pay for it, instead of having to purchase the entire album.
Free MP3 Downloads
Artists and labels seem to have come up with a good marketing strategy by giving out free songs. This way, the consumer gets an idea of what an album may sound like, and might be interested in buying the entire album in the process. For example, the American Industrial Metal group called the “Nine Inch Nails” released their album “The Slip” exclusively on the Internet absolutely free. All fans had to do was visit their website and download the album. This was actually a marketing strategy and soon enough, they released a limited edition CD.
Peer to peer
Another example of music being distributed through computer networking is by peer-to-peer services or file sharing. This enables users of a particular network to share files with each other. This has gone through a lot of legal battles, because record labels have accused file sharing to be in violation of copyright laws. It has become illegal to engage in file sharing in a lot of countries, and others have different laws regarding it.
So thanks to computer networking, music is now more plentiful than ever. It is all around us, and all we have to do is use a mouse and click away to get new songs. We all may not know what the future of the music industry could be, but one thing’s for sure; computer networking will help steer the way of the distribution of music.