Web Marketing for the Music Business

Preface

 

 

The introduction of the compact disc in 1983 revived the recorded music industry, which had been in a slump since 1979. This revolutionary new format for disseminating recorded music proved to be a boon for companies and consumers alike. Certain factors contributed to the overwhelming financial success of the format. The CD format is standardized, so there are no compatibility issues, and the advantages to the consumer were obvious. CDs were initiated by the record labels and partnering hardware companies rather than outside businesses. Most important for the record labels, the music that consumers currently owned was not transferable—consumers needed to pay to replace their vinyl and cassette collections.

The industry experienced ...