The Digital Music Age; Why Artists are Losing Profit

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Recommended: The Digital Music Distribution Revolution

The rapid evolution of music distribution over the past six decades is no doubt nothing short of a phenomenon; from the vinyl record of the 1950’s and the many forms of cassette tapes introduced in the 60’s and 70’s, to the compact disc of the 80’s and the digital media formats of the present day. It is certain that the advancement of technology in these ways has had a dramatic effect on both the way we listen to our favorite artists and the way we interact with music. Furthermore, the rise in the digital music age has also changed the way we value music, or rather, devalue music. Through the evolution of big box retail stores, internet file-sharing and digital music streaming services, today’s music artist is losing profit from music sales. This not only depraves the artist who is struggling to maintain a professional music career but also the end user.
A tried and true source of income for artists both past and present is the retail sale of music. Before the age of computers, music lovers relied on hard media formats such as vinyl records and compact discs (Cds) to listen to their favorite artists. The only way to enjoy music was to go to the local record store to purchase new albums for your music player or attend a concert when your favorite band was performing a show in town. Record stores were a dime a dozen and were often a local hot spot for music fanatics to gather. Unfortunately, this is not the case today.
With the invention of big box chain stores such as Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy, local record stores have watched as their golden days have quickly come to an end. Big box stores are able to sell products at much lower prices by aggressively negotiating discounts from distributors, which is felt to be justified bec...

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Stamp, Cal. "Kids These Days: Spotify, Radiohead, and the Devaluation of Music." Featured Stories. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. .
Taro, Karl. "Meet the Napster." TIME.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. .
"Vinyl Lives." : Record Store Owners and their Stories: FAQ. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. .

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