The Internet has been the driving force of communication, culture, and dissemination in our society for the past decade. It has enabled us to communicate, co-relate, and connect with each other despite the limitations of distance and time. Internet distribution has also been extremely influential in the music industry. Consumers no longer have to leave their houses to purchase songs at local record stores, but rather can purchase thousands of songs all at the click of their mouse. Websites act as sub-cultural places for interaction online, replacing the conversations and referrals in-store. With the aid of MP3 players, streaming sites, as well as social media, music as a consumer culture has completely evolved in its access, tangibility, and relatability

Today, the music industry is commonly thought of as a dying one. Is that the case, or is this yet another phase in the evolution of music? According to Digital America, “while it’s true that the Internet has dramatically debilitated the traditional institutions that dominated the music industry, the Internet is actually aiding music as a cultural institution by transforming it from its flawed past to a brand new structure” (2013). Moreover, a structure better fit for the 21^st century.

Hip-Hop itself has changed dramatically with the implementation of the Internet. Today’s most successful hip-hop artists “rap about everything from thrift shopping to the sheer excess of their lifestyles”(McNulty-Finn, 2015). In addition, the release of iTunes in 2001 was the beginning of the new dynamic world for the music industry (Digital America, 2013). Selling over 25 billions songs total, and 21 million songs a day, iTunes continues to be a fundamental platform for not just Hip-hop, but every genre in the music industry (Pham, 2015).

The iPod (MP3) changed the world of music and hip-hop in several ways, including portability and accessibility to new music. While the Sony Walkman allowed for mobility, one still needed to carry around cassette tapes, causing hassle and clutter. The iPod mobilizes ones entire music collection in ones pocket (McNulty-Finn, 2015). Furthermore, “the iPod [is] superior in style, storage, and control to any other portable player, and it continues to dominate the market [today]” (McNulty-Finn, 2015).

In addition, the implementation of the MP3 or iPod has led to boom box culture’s obsolescence, a staple in hip hop’s proliferation. “Music has moved inside, [and] between our ears”, from external to internal (Guttenberg, 2014).

The Internet, more specifically social media, has given society a virtual platform to live within and throughout. Shuker states “the study of media audiences is broadly concerned with the who, what, where, how and why of the consumption of individuals and social groups” (Shuker, 2013). Online fandom communities have emerged, wherein fans intertextually project their devotion genres and artists. In regards to Hip-Hop, social media has become an irrefutable reflection of societal development. Websites like Tumblr and Facebook, where users can express themselves by publishing photos or writing blog posts, seem to emphasize a fresh pursuit of individuality and self-expression (McNulty-Finn, 2015). According to Clara McNulty-Finn, “it is a person’s ability to share these updates with “followers” or “friends” [that] suggests a simultaneous desire to achieve a sense of community (2015). According to WAJZ-FM program director J Will, “it is this rising relevance of social media sites that bears responsibility for many of the stylistic developments within the hip-hop genre” (McNulty-Finn, 2015).

Today, we live in a digital age (Castells, 1996). The control has reverted back from the labels to the artists. Even those unfamiliar with the genre can recognize that rap and hip-hop are not what they used to be (McNulty-Finn, 2015). According to Digital American, “the music industry may be headed in a new direction, one in which the performers hold dominance over the industry rather than record companies (Digital America, 2013).

References

Castells, M. (1996). The rise of the network society. Malden, Mass.: Blackwel Publishers.

How the Internet is Helping the Music Industry | Will Johnson (2013). Digital America.   Retrieved 7 April 2015, from http://www.digitalamerica.org/how-the-internet-is-helping-the-music-industry-will-johnson/

Guttenberg, S. (2014). Did the iPod kill the boom box?. CNET. Retrieved 7 April2015, from http://www.cnet.com/news/did-the-ipod-kill-the-boom-box/

McNulty-Finn, C. (2015). The Evolution of Rap – Harvard Political Review. HarvardPolitical Review. Retrieved 7 April 2015, from http://harvardpolitics.com/covers/evolution-rap/

Pham, A. (2015). iTunes Crosses 25 Billion Songs Sold, Now Sells 21 Million Songs aDay. Billboard. Retrieved 7 April 2015, from http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1538108/itunes-crosses-25-billion-songs-sold-now-sells-21-million-songs-a-day

Shuker, R. (2013). Understanding popular music (4th ed.). London: Routledge.