The State of the Global Music Industry from a Sociological Perspective

New Media technologies such as the internet have greatly influenced the content and functioning of music and other entertainment industries in recent times. Technologies such as the MPEG-3 (mp3) codec, new digital walkmans such as the very popular iPod and peer-to-peer software programs like Kazaa Media Desktop have revolutionised the way in which we hear, transport, obtain music and ultimately how or "if" we purchase music. It seems however, that bureaucratic institutions such as the court of law and record industry associations have not been able to foresee this impact. …