The biggest and most successful music industry, with an estimated annual revenue of $40 billion, is now a multi-platform company, with an online store and a physical shop in London. And it’s not just about the music anymore – with an estimated five million downloads done each day across the world, artists have the chance to sell their merchandise online, too.
And with the music industry increasingly being seen as an important marketing tool, the likes of Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga have been seen visiting the London retail outlets of the music industry, often buying in for millions of pounds. The high street stores are also seeing a surge in sales as well, with a growing number of fans making regular visits to the music industry’s shops. While the industry is no longer solely about selling music, and sales are growing, with every new artist coming onto the scene and new genres coming out, there are still people who are critical of the industry. So what is it that has led to the current’music industry, Spotify’, that is?
The rise of the online streaming music industry has led to many changes in the music industry, and one of these is the shift of the music industry to the digital age. Many music lovers are used to being able to download the latest music from their favourite artist directly to their computer, so that they can listen to it whenever they like, and even download music that has not yet been released. But while music fans can do this, it’s much harder for the major labels and even more difficult for the smaller independent artists, to actually get their music onto the computers.
With the advent of services like YouTube, Apple Music, Amazon Music and other similar sites, it’s become easier to get music on the internet for all music lovers, including the small business people that make up a majority of the music industry, and who may have had to put up with music piracy problems in the past. The big players are now competing with these sites as rivals, so the chances of a particular song appearing on one site is greater than the others. And in a way, this is actually helping the industry, as it encourages people to pay for the music that they want instead of waiting until they find it. In theory, if you can’t get it on iTunes, then it doesn’t matter how many other sites exist – but when you’re talking about the music industry, a few songs will often sell well.
Another change in the music industry is the increase of internet access. With more people being able to access the internet via mobile phones and laptops, music fans are becoming more accustomed to accessing music on the web, meaning they are able to access music from anywhere, which means that they can stay connected even while travelling – something that is increasingly important in today’s environment.
Finally, there’s a perception among fans that the industry has lost sight of its roots and now talks about ‘hip’ and ‘respectable’ music. For those in the music industry, this seems to be the last thing they have in mind when it comes to the kind of music they make and promote. It’s a fair assumption that the new generation of fans won’t listen to the same kinds of music they grew up on and are likely to listen to new artists who make a statement about what music means.