How far do you think developments in technology have changed the way the music industry operates? Consider how new technologies have changed the relationship between audiences and artists.

I think that the music industry has changed a lot over the past 40 years. The way we listen and get hold of music has changed as well because of the technologies available to us.

   40 years ago, people first heard new music on the radio and a rare few heard it on the TV. When anything happened to an artist, people usually found out about it by reading the newspaper, hearing about it on the radio and in the rare occasion it might make it into the news on the TV.

   When people wanted to listen to music, they either listened to it on the radio, or they went to a shop and brought a record if they had a record player to play it on. If they wanted to play the music to other people, they would have to invite them round, perhaps for dinner or a catch up and play the music in the background.

   Nowadays people hear music through other people talking/playing their music whether it is on their computer or iPod or even on their mobile phones. If they are at home and they have found a new artist/song, they can share links from YouTube on Facebook where everyone can see it. For the more traditional people, you can still buy music in a CD form.

   It is really easy to get hold of music; you can download it for a price straight from your iPod or iPhone. Or you can also illegally download it from loads of websites on the internet. Once you have the song, you can even send it to other people via Bluetooth on your phone.

   For news about music, they can be found in celebrity/music magazines, on the TV on music channels, in the newspaper and if it’s a major crisis it sometimes makes it onto the main news for example Michael Jackson’s death was all over the media for weeks after his death.

   All the different technologies have made it easier for artists to engage with their fans. Social Networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook make it easier for artists to talk to their fans and keep them up to date with all the latest news and what gigs they will be playing at. This also makes the audience feel like they know the artist more and will be more likely to buy their music and attend their concerts.

   To conclude I think that the music industry has changed considerably in 40 years. This is because of the way people think and listen to music and the amount of technology available to us to get hold of music has increased.