Media Analysis - 'Free music downloads: How will they affect the future?'

My ipod is a chamillion, changing to suit my every mood. A schizophrenic in its own right, its many ‘personalities’ reflect my own – whether happy or sad, upbeat or pissed off, I have a song to listen to. Lying on my bed in my pyjamas with my trusty ipod, Eva Cassidy and Nina Simone will be my music of choice – the soothing tones of the jazz and blues beats fill my ears, guaranteeing to relax me every time. Whilst getting ready with the girls, my ipod speakers will have blasting the very best in classic garage tunes and hip hop beats – my favourites including DJ Luck and MC Neat and the God of music…Timbaland. Without a doubt, Timbaland has the power to turn every music collaboration he makes into a number one hit; not only is he ‘Bringing Sexy Back’ but he loves us ‘Just The Way We Are’ – what more could you ask for in a man?
Over the years my taste in music has changed – new experiences, new memories, new people – each associating themselves with different types of songs, genres and artists. My summer, for example, can be captured in one album – ‘Clubland 11’; the seventeen tracks each representing my holiday to Magaluf in a different way – the clubs, the people and the fantastic memories. Listening to track three with my eyes closed, ‘Work 2007’, I am back on the podium in ‘BCM’ dancing my heart out. The ipod is the new diary. The new photo album. The new product that captures a memory and can be relived over and over, every time it is heard.
However, is the ipod creating a problem for the music industry? More specifically, are music downloads creating a problem? With the mass popularity of free downloading websites such as Kazaa, Limewire, Morpheus and Gnutella, to name just a few, the music industry is losing out on millions due to the magic invention of ‘peer-to-peer networking’. This allows Internet users to share their music over a web application and within seconds, songs are transferred from the Internet to your computer. The other great advantages of these websites are their ability to generate other songs within a genre. For example, I was recently introduced to a new genre of music – speed garage, more specifically known as ‘Niche’. After hearing a song I loved – ‘Heartbroken’ by JD, I then decided to search ‘niche’ in the toolbar on Limewire and within seconds, it had generated a whole list of songs falling under the category of niche music. Another great website, which has this sole purpose, is Pandora.co.uk. The website asks users to type in the name of a favourite song or artist and continues to generate a list of songs that the user may be interested in based on their preferences.
With the huge modern culture of downloading music straight from the Internet at no cost at all, it is expected that the music industry will see a decline in the future, as musicians; songwriters and even record-store owners will no longer be able to provide themselves with a decent wage. What will happen in the future? Could music only be made by those with the personal ability to do so i.e. the rich? And how would this affect the different music genres? As many hip-hop artists rap about coming from the streets, would this ‘underdog’ genre die out with no money to fund their music?
The Internet however, is a great place for spreading music, as websites such as ‘YouTube’ and ‘MySpace’ offer anyone and everyone to have their music skills heard. New artists, songwriters and DJ’s now have the opportunity to offer their talents to anyone willing to listen, at no cost to themselves. A chance to be spotted by an audience of every taste and preference, can lead to the big break for many young talents.