Archive for April, 2010

The world of online shopping has exploded over the past few years. Indeed, figures indicate that of the 1. 6 billion people online, more than 85 percent have used it to make a purchase. Fundamentally altering the way daily life is conducted, the lure of quick transactions, secure payment options and fast deliveries is attracting increasing numbers. Music is one of the biggest industries to have been affected by the rise of online shopping. Irrevocably changing the way people get hold of it, the industry has been strongly influenced by the advent of the internet. In fact, according to research, annual sales of digital music attract revenues of around $2 billion, whilst 2006 saw 509 million songs bought online. To cater to this consumer demand, there are over 500 companies from across 40 countries operating over the internet. Opening up a new realm of musical possibilities, people now have access to an online library containing millions of songs, artists and albums. Consequently, it is now possible to find, listen to and download a huge range of music at the touch of a button. The main benefit of buying music online is the flexibility it affords. Offering people the opportunity to create playlists, for example, or search through an online catalogue by artist, genre or individual song, music has become much more available. And, because you can listen to tracks or albums before you buy them, it reduces the risk of wasting money on music you don’t want. The other plus is that it is a great way to discover and learn about new musical styles. In fact, because you can often take advantage of pre-prepared playlists, create your own, or receive recommendations based on what you already like, you can really experiment with your taste. Not only that, but after it has downloaded, you can then transfer it to another media player or portable music device, meaning you can take it with you wherever you go. Generally speaking, there are two ways to go about buying music over the internet. The first operates on a pay as you go basis, whereby you can browse a library for free – often you will only get to hear the first 30 seconds of a song this way – and then pay to download individual songs and albums. This option is valuable for those who don’t intend to buy a lot of music. Ideal for regular users, the alternative is to take out a monthly subscription. In addition to gaining access to the library, people will also be able to stream entire songs or albums, for example, or create playlists. In order to download and keep the music, however, you would need to purchase it. There is no denying that the way people interact with, and buy music has significantly changed. Compared to just five years ago, the industry has become a lot more accessible, resulting in a huge number of people logging on to find out more.