Technology has completely changed how we listen to and obtain music. From downloading and sharing files to purchasing music on iTunes, obtaining music is a lot different than just going to the store and purchasing a CD. Those days are long gone.
In the past, crazed fans have waited until midnight to purchase their favorite band's or artist's new CD at the store on the morning of the release date. The Internet has made things much easier. Attaining music is as easy as paying $ 0.99 for a song and downloading it to a media player on you computer and uploading it to an MP3 player.
An MP3 player is a mobile portable player much like the "Walkman" or portable radio in past lives. Today the most popular MP3 player on the market is the iPod by Apple. Uploading music to your MP3 player is easy by using a media player. The most popular media player used on computers is iTunes, another Apple product. You can download and purchase songs through iTunes, organize and play music, and even upload photos. You can also import or "rip" tracks from CDs into iTunes. iTunes will convert them to MP3s so you can upload them to your MP3 player, or iPod.
The iPod originally launched in October 2001. In the last decade, the iPod has evolved exponentially not only from shape and size, but from being solely an MP3 player to a portable computer. iTunes is the media player that serves as a main hub for purchasing downloading, organizing and playing music. iTunes and iPods both work on Macs and Windows operating systems.
Although all this talk of downloading music sounds great, its had some dark days in the past. Downloading and file sharing music and MP3 files has uprooted some legal concerns. Napster, originally designed by a Northeastern student in 2001, was the first file sharing program available on the Web. A number of artists and bands complained that Napster was illegally distributing copyrighted content. Napster only ran from about 1999 to 2001 until it was shut down. Since then Napster has since regained its power and is now available but with a paid subscription only.
Another way the Internet and technology has changed the way we listen to music is by streaming online media such as YouTube and Internet radio. Services such as Pandora offer free Internet radio. It is free to set up an account and you can choose the type or style of music you want to listen to, your favorite bands, and the more you listen, the more Pandora will play other songs and other bands that resemble your favorites that you have chosen. YouTube will also play music videos or home videos of artists in concert.
The Internet and technology has also helped new bands and artists rise to the surface. Artists no longer have to fight and wait for radio play time when it is easier to upload their demos to YouTube, Facebook, and even iTunes. The Internet gives newer bands a lot of exposure to new audiences that regular radio stations can't do. This has also diversified our musical culture.
Radio stations will most likely die out as well as CDs. Less and less people listen to radio stations and aren't interested in listening to ads, commercials, and talk shows. Listening to and obtaining music has indeed changed and has changed our lives. The future of music has already evolved from records, to eight tracks, to videocassettes, to CDs, and now to MP3s.
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Orignal From: Listening to Music: Then and Now
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