By Jake Lawlis
Fewer people are paying for music these days.
CDs, records and even iTunes are pretty much obsolete.
A lot of bands and producers do not rely on iTunes to bring them to stardom simply because there is hardly any profit margin.
Some of the biggest acts in music right now spawned from the internet and illegal downloading.
For example, Justin Bieber, the biggest teen sensation in the world, was discovered on YouTube.
In the electronic scene, Skrillex, the pioneer for American dubstep (a type of music that is based around heavy bass lines and electronic samples), rose to fame from his free downloads.
As a matter of fact, all of his music is available for free simply by clicking the “free download link” on YouTube video URLs.
“I think it is a good thing because rising to fame is about visibility, not profit,” said Jeremy Nelson, a music enthusiast.
Record sales do not mean as much as they used to. Selling 50,000 copies is a massive amount these days, but 20 years ago it was nothing.
Brick-and-mortar music stores are going out of business.
The music business has gone digital, and nearly everything can be downloaded illegally.
And this is a fact that most musicians have come to terms with.
The profit now is in touring.
“Why pay for a recording when you can listen to it on YouTube for free?,” said Josh Castro, a college student.
“If they like it for free, they’re more likely to pay for in the future or at least go to a show.”