The state of the music industry.

The state of the music industry in 2012 has changed immensely in the last decade. The production of making music is something that has changed.
Then: There was limited technology. You had to record in a recording studio, there weren't that many of them. Music was also recorded in analogue.
Now: You have the freedom to record anywhere, even your own house. Recording is also done digitally.

The distribution of music has also changed.
Then: If you wanted to listen to music, you had to get a physical copy of it. For example, CD's and Vinyls. There was a huge profit made by an artist because of the amount of physical copies they sold. the only place you could listen to music was on the radio.
Now: You can still buy physical copies, but there has been a decline in this which means that music stores like HMV have also shut down. You can buy digital copies of music in places like iTunes. Since the development of the internet and YouTube, you can access music anywhere. Social networking sites provide free publicity. Music can also be illegaly downloaded.

Music artists now have to think of new ways to make a profit from their music. Many go on local/world tours with other artists and have concerts with VIP access to create revenue. YouTube is one of the biggest advertising revenues. So the more exposure you have, the better it is for you. Some use their music videos and turn them into a media event bby making it an extended version with a proper storyline. They make a date in which the video will be released exclusively on youtube first at a specific time which creates a buzz around the video before it has even come out. A good example of this is Telephone by Lady Gaga. It has appoximately 121 million views on youtube. The video is nine and a half minutes long and premiered in March 2011.