You must choose a position regarding The Digital Age, has it been a positive or negative influence on the music industry. Please complete research on the subject and site your sources. 

 

The Impact of The Digital Age on The Music Industry

Introduction

The dawn of the digital age ushered in changes in music production, promotion, sale, and distribution that disrupted the music industry (Mulligan, 2015). Before the internet, a few record label companies dominated the music recording and distribution networks, and artists needed to sign with one of these record labels to finance professional studio recording sessions and distribute their works internationally. However, it is now easier than ever for unsigned artists to reach a broad audience with the help of online streaming platforms like iTunes, Spotify, Tidal, MixRadio, Pandora, and Youtube. The digital age has also enhanced interactions between artists and their fans and fans on social media networks (Chaney, 2012). Recently, algorithms have been introduced to connect consumers to new music that matches their tastes and preferences based on their previous selections. This has had the profound effect of making it easier for consumers to discover new music and for artists to acquire new listeners without incurring huge promotion costs. While there have been some downsides occasioned by the rise of the digital age in the music industry, such as loss of jobs and decline in record sales, the digital age has brought about a positive impact on the music industry (Westbrooks, 2015).

The Music Industry Before the Digital Age

            The music industry has traditionally been dominated by huge record labels and smaller labels (Westbrooks, 2015). The record labels signed artists, gave them money for making music, promoted and distributed the music, and then retained a percentage of the royalties. The record labels had developed extensive networks for music distribution and were the only way an artist could reach a global market. Distribution was handled by distribution companies that would link the label with retailers in brick-and-mortar stores. Consumers could then get their favorite music from the store.

While this way of doing things was entrenched in the music industry, it was by no means perfect. Record labels had a lot of power over their artists and often retained the rights to the music in return for the huge cheques they gave the artists (Handke, 2020). The record labels determined the artiste's success, and thus where there was conflict, an artiste could be punished by having their music held by the label. The system also involved many middlemen in the distribution network, and each would have to take their cut, undermining the artiste’s earning potential or increasing the price for consumers. Music lovers also had no way of getting songs, and one would have to buy an entire album.

The traditional model also made it difficult for independent artists to break into international markets. They lacked the wherewithal in terms of promotion, marketing, and distribution to supply their music-to-music lovers around the world (Westbrooks, 2015). Promotions were mostly done through tours and airplay on radio or TV. The independent artists did not have the funds to carry out worldwide tours, and their songs did not receive a lot of airplay. Major labels have long-established ties with commercial radio, which is the leading way for the discovery of new music. Therefore, they can push their artists on these platforms while independent artists lack the contacts and expertise to match this feat.

Independent artists were also unable to get onto various music charts such as the Billboard 100 that would make their music more widely known. Independent artists were therefore restricted to their geographic regions and could never hope to achieve the level of success enjoyed by signed artists. Getting signed was also a difficult proposition for most, and therefore many artists were unable to pursue their dream successfully.

The Impact of The Digital Age on The Music Industry

The digital age has broken the shackles that chained artists to record labels and revolutionized the music industry (Mulligan, 2015). Artists can remain independent and in complete control of their works and reach a broad audience without the need for signing with a record label. They can record music, crowd-fund, sell their music and an assortment of related merchandise, create, and share music videos, and promote their music on the internet.

            A host of present-day stars found to owe their success to the internet. Acclaimed rapper Macklemore and his partner Ryan Lewis met through MySpace. They went on to self-produce and promote their songs, and in 2012 their album Heist won a Grammy award for the best rap album. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis depended on web-based promotions and tours to market their music and proved that the digital age could allow indie artists to reach global audiences and achieve the highest levels of success. By refusing to sign with one of the major record labels, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were able to retain the publishing rights to their songs and forgo the percentage cuts that record labels impose on signed artists. Other artists have gotten their success through online platforms, including Lily Allen, Jessie J, Mike Posner, and Charlie Puth.

            Besides allowing new artists to create, promote, and sell their music, the digital age has disrupted music distribution networks (Westbrooks, 2015). A host of digital distribution companies emerging that can help artists, especially independent ones, distribute their music to global audiences. Distribution is a critical facet of the music industry. It is the link between an artiste's work and the market. Before the digital age, distribution was done through brick-and-mortar stores, huge record labels with a vast network, and sufficient funds for promotion. However, digital distribution has rapidly gained prominence, and since 2015 digital sales have surpassed physical sales (Wikstrom, 2014). Many digital distribution companies have sprung up, including Reverbnation, AWAL, LANDR, Loudr, Mondo Tunes, Ditto Music, CD Baby, and Record Union. The digital distribution offers several benefits to artists, such as the right to retain their royalties wholly, minimizing costs associated with making CDs and vinyl records and transporting them to stores around the world, and recommendation algorithms that suggest songs to consumers based on what they often listen to. Furthermore, digital distributors do not have exclusivity deals like the traditional distributors, and an artiste can therefore retain rights to their music.

            Music production has also been made easier in the digital age. Music production no longer requires big professional studios with mixing boards and soundproofed vocal booths.  Producers are increasingly making use of digital audio workstations (DAWs), which are devices or software that allow for the creation, recording, and manipulation of audio (Deahl, 2018). Popular DAWs such as Logic, Pro Tools, and Ableton can easily be gotten from the internet. While before an artiste had to pay for studio time, the majority of which were owned by record labels, it is now possible to make a song using a laptop or even a phone. One producer, Steve Lacey, confessed that he made Kendrick Lamar's "PRIDE" on his iPhone (Deahl, 2018).

Negative Effects of The Digital Age on The Music Industry

Although the digital age brought a myriad of benefits to music artists and consumers, it had a detrimental effect on revenue generation in the music industry. Approximately more than 71,000 jobs were lost in the music industry, and about $2.7 billion in annual earnings was lost. Moreover, the US lost an estimated $12.5 billion annually in music sales because of pirated music (Mulligan, 2015). The dawn of the digital age made it easier for people to share music. To a large extent, the music industry is dependent on royalties when music is sold or played on air. Whenever music is transferred between individuals without money being involved, the owner of the music does not receive any royalties. The internet-enabled the wide-scale piracy of music through platforms such as Napster, DC++, Limewire, The Pirate Bay, Grokster, and Kazaa. These sites allowed users to download and share music without compensating the owners of the music. Although the record labels aggressively challenged these sites in court and forced them to shut down, new ones would emerge to take their place. Online piracy greatly undercut the profitability of the music industry as artists and labels were not compensated for their work.

There has been some progress, however, concerning the reduction of piracy. Sites like iTunes and Amazon offer easy and cheap downloads and compensate the rights holders. These sites also allow a consumer to download a specific song rather than must get the entire album when they only want one. Streaming services like Spotify and Pandora allow consumers to pay subscription fees or listen to ads that generate revenue to access their music libraries (Lozic, 2020). The money they make is used to compensate the rights holders based on how often their music has been consumed.

Conclusion

The digital age has brought a lot of disruptions to the music industry. Music production, promotion, marketing, distribution, and sales have all been affected by the digital age. Major record labels that traditionally dominated the industry have curtailed some of their wide-reaching powers, and independent artists are experiencing more success. While the major record labels are in no way out of the game, their ability to influence the types of music that were made and consumed has been diminished. The digital age has allowed artists to easily reach a global audience through the internet, making traditional distribution companies obsolete. The cost of distribution has consequently been reduced significantly. It is also now easier to produce music with an array of online software instead of having to purchase studio time, which is costly. However, the downside is that it is now also easier for music to be pirated and revenue lost. Piracy sites are like parasites, and a couple more are coming up when one is shut down. All in all, the disruptions occasioned by the onset of the digital age have been mostly positive for the music industry.