Project 3 Proposal

I am choosing to do my research paper on the effects of the Internet on the Music Industry. I can recall my experiences with recorded music from cassettes to CDs to iTunes to LimeWire and other illegal methods to download music. I am curious as to the overall affect the Internet has had and where the music industry is going to continue to make money.

I hope to answer questions such as “When did the Internet first start affecting the way music was obtained?” and “Was it a disruptive or progressive technology?” or even “Is the film/television industry next?” I am also curious as to the role of programs I have used before such as Napster, LimeWire, and even Steve Jobs’ iTunes. However, it may be difficult to research such a broad topic and determine the effects of one individual technology on an entire industry. I may have to focus solely on the distribution of music to consumers and possibly only a few companies such as Apple, YouTube, or possibly another.

It is clear that the Internet has helped advance the circulation of music and made consumers happier, but it is unclear whether or not the record labels, like Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, have been as welcoming of such freedom to share music. I look forward to being able to understand more of how these record labels are making profits when consumers, myself included, are downloading and sharing their media without paying them a single penny.

Alderman, John. Sonic Boom: Napster, MP3, and the New Pioneers of Music. New York: Basic, 2001. Print.

Alderman tells the story of the online music revolution that first started in the 1990s. He describes the geeks who pioneered the technologies of mp3 and peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing and the record labels who have fought against it. This will help with the history aspect of the Internet’s effect on the music industry.

Cassidy, Liam. "ITunes: Rebranding History: Apple News, Tips and Reviews «." GigaOM – Technology News, Analysis and Trends. 15 Mar. 2009. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. <http://gigaom.com/apple/itunes-rebranding-history/>.

This article describes the affect iTunes has had on the downloading of music from the consumer’s perspective. For my paper this will help with where the music industry currently is and its potential future.

Fink, Michael. Inside the Music Industry: Creativity, Process, and Business. New York: Schirmer, 1996. Print.

Fink examines every aspect of the music industry, exploring the ways the business has changed, from electronic media and digital recording technology, to changes in copyright law. This allows me to see how the Internet has affected the music industry from the perspective of the major record labels.

"The Influence of Internet on the Music Industry." Tabblo. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. <http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/250056/>.

This is the blog of a consumer and he recounts his personal experiences with music before the Internet and now after it. This blog will allow me to determine how the general public is responding to the Internet’s ease of access to music.

Tyson, Jeff. "HowStuffWorks "How the Old Napster Worked"" Howstuffworks "Computer" Discovery. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. <http://computer.howstuffworks.com/napster.htm>.

This article describes what Napster did for the entire music industry. Through my research so far, I have seen that Napster was the program that started the online music revolution. This article will allow me to better grasp what occurred and what aspects of Napster are still being used today.

The Way the Music Died. Dir. Michael Kirk. Prod. Michael Kirk and Jim Gilmore. PBS Home Video, 2004. DVD.

This Frontline documentary describes the path of the recording industry from post-Woodstock to the Internet dilemmas of today. This film will also help with my understanding of the history of the music industry and what happened when the Internet took over control of distributing music.