The Consumption of Music From 90s to Now
Music consumption has changed drastically over the years. The last few decades, in particular, have truly been a game changer for the music industry. Ready to get some insight on music and technology? We’ve got you covered. Let’s take a look back at the history of music consumption from the 90s to now.
The MP3
The MP3 file revolutionized the way that we consume music. An engineer named Karlheinz Bradenburg started developing the MP3 in 1982. However, it wasn’t popularized until July 1995 when the MP3 extension was set in stone.
It had a huge impact on the music industry. In years prior to this, people were listening to music on walkmans and compact discs. This was the first time that music went digital. The MP3 had more impact than anticipated, and what came next solidified that.
iPods
Six years later in October 2001, Apple released the iPod. While there were other portable MP3 players on the market before this, the iPod was a smashing success. The first iPod had five gigabytes of storage, and kept songs organized, making it ideal for consumers. Around this time, iTunes also launched with more than 200,000 songs available. In its first week, more than 1 million songs were sold. At this point, the shift from physical to digital music sales began.
Streaming Services
A few short years later, streaming services started gaining popularity. It’s difficult to pinpoint the first streaming service. However, what we do know is that Pandora, which launched in 2005 was one of the biggest at the time. Why do users love it? Primarily because of the recommendation feature. This feature allows users to curate their own stations. Music recommendation systems like this can still be seen in many other streaming services today.
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is another platform that made big waves in the 2000s. This was when everyone had a profile on MySpace but Alex Ljung and Eric Wahlforss had another vision. They wanted to create a space meant for musicians. So, in 2007, SoundCloud was born. This was a place for artists to share their music with new audiences and each other. The platform continued to thrive in the age of smartphones by releasing user-friendly apps.
Even More Streaming
Today, listeners can choose from many streaming apps. Some of the most popular include Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Pandora. Most of these services are free or require users to pay a small monthly fee. As a result, music is easier to consume than ever before but the industry has taken a turn. Streaming has surpassed the sales of both digital and physical copies of music. While this is one of the best times for artists to be discovered and to make their own path, getting paid is a struggle. Still, artists, labels, and other professionals need to find a way to cope in the digital world.
What’s Next?
As we look towards the future of the music industry, cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology are both starting to find their way into the business. It’s clear that streaming services won’t be going anywhere any time soon. However, when combined with blockchain and cryptocurrency, these streaming platforms become a win-win for both artists and fans. Listeners can access all their favorite tracks and creators can get paid fairly. So, we say stream on. The way music is consumed will continue to change as technology advances. It’s our job to make the most of it.
