Technology and the Future of Music

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that the future of music and technology is a market and legal issue. The writer points out that in an ideal world, the critical voices in this discussion would be fans and the musicians, but that has become something of a secondary issue. The interesting point in this situation is that a wide range of music is still available, though niche market exposure. The writer notes that big business and new technologies push mainstream acts into the aural limelight as copyright legalities continue to be debated. The writer concludes that a lot of noise will continue to be generated around this issue, but that ultimately the record companies will have to stop complaining and find a way to adapt to their business environment.

From the Paper:

"It does not follow that corporate oligarchies can actually limit what we hear; they can only limit their list of recommendations. Regarding the Sony pundits, their statement asks listeners to put more faith in the future of technologies, so that eventually, we can listen to something new. But innovative acts such as Charlie Parker, the Sex Pistols, and Karlheinz Stockhausen did not come from big business. They just used whatever technology was available. That is not the same thing as making new music.
"It would be fairer to admit straight out that music technology will probably continue to surprise us."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Machover, Tod. "Technology and the Future of Music." New Music Box. October 1, 1999. http://www.newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=318
• Dixon, Douglas. "The Future of Music: Dave Kusek." Manifest Technology. August, 2005. http://www.manifest-tech.com/society/future-music.htm
• Toomey, Jenny. "Empire of the Air." The Nation. January 13, 2003. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20030113/toomey
• Leonhard, Gerd. "The future of music--Opportunities and visions."
• Berklee Summer Session. 2004. http://www.berklee.edu/pdf/summer/LeonardTheFutureOfMusic.pdf

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