Digital music streaming in the 21st century: the music industry becomes radio-active

Digital music streaming websites have taken over the musical landscape. While
the digital music market is booming, both data and time have revealed that the current
system as it exists will not provide a sustainable future for creators of content or for
technology companies. Although some consumers are willing to pay for content they can access for free, many are still enjoying content without paying. Both the technology
companies and creators of content have sacrificed to meet consumer demands, but the
technology companies have been too willing to make creators of content be the ones
paying for ‘free.’ Recent legislative efforts have provided a good start to balancing a system that is clearly in distress, but there is still much be done to move the music industry forward. This paper examines the current issues facing the digital music streaming industry and several legislative and industry-prompted efforts in current discussion.