By Toyin Orebiyi.
By living in the year 2016, technology has come a long way. One of the many titles I hold is Uber driver, and while on a trip with a passenger, we had a very enlightening conversation about technology within the music and industry. Upon entering my vehicle, I asked him if he wanted to listen to any music from his cell phone because I travel with an axillary cord that I make accessible to passengers. He told me that he did not have any music on his phone and that anything that I wanted to listen to was alright with him. I played a particular artist who just recently hit mainstream media, and we enjoyed the lyrical and audio sounds of his music.
My passenger was evidently younger than me because as we were partaking in casual conversation, he asked me what type of music applications I used to stream music. I told him Tidal, founded by the musical artist Sean Carter, commonly known as Jay-Z. What made him stand out to me was when we were discussing the evolution of obtaining music within the last ten years. I told him that as a child, I used to record songs using my double cassette recorder and would record music from the radio. I went on to discuss how I used to download music using programs such as Limewire on my computer and burning CDs. He laughed because he had never listened to an actual CD before. I could not believe this is the society that we live in!
Technology has departed from cassette tapes, VHS tapes and in some instances even actual compact discs. Music and movies can now be streamed online or via downloadable applications. According The Verge, a technology website, in 2014 digital music downloads generated $6.85 billion in revenue over $6.82 billion in CD sales. This is the first time in history where digital downloads have generated more revenue that CD purchases thanks to music applications such as Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, and Rhapsody. Downloads have accounted for 52% of digital revenue.
In my opinion, I feel that there is an overall advantage to using downloadable applications. Instead of buying tons of CDs that vary in price, one is paying a small monthly fee, such as $9.99 for the streaming service. Also, there is a convenience factor to consider because one does not have to have CD cases taking up mass amounts of space. All someone has to do is open up the application on a phone, tablet, computer or any other device to listen to tons and tons of music. Needless to say, my Uber customer and I agreed that downloadable applications are the way to go. http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/15/8419567/digital-physical-music-sales-overtake-globally
Article Source: Compact Discs Vs Downloadable Applications
