Date of Award

Fall 12-15-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (BS)

Department

Management and Decision Sciences

College

College of Business

First Advisor

Stephen Bailey

Abstract/Description

The music industry has undergone significant changes throughout the past few decades. The primary basis of these changes is technology, which has impacted everything from finding artists to distributing music. However, record labels have been slow to adapt to these changes, which has led to serious problems such as illegal music downloading. Illegal downloading, also known as "music piracy," has radically changed the entire business and distribution structures within the music industry. Although lawsuits and other strategies have been undertaken to attempt to combat this particular issue, technology will continue to affect the music industry for the foreseeable future. Advances in technology are having a profound and lasting impact on all aspects of the modern music industry. There are five primary aspects to this impact. First, the Internet and social media has radically changed how new artists enter the music industry. Second, the growth of online distribution is a significant opportunity for both record labels and artists. Third, the music piracy problem has been significantly impacted by technology. Fourth, record labels should embrace online distribution to effectively curb piracy behavior. Finally, the music industry must embrace technology in order to continue to grow and prosper in the future.

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