Bridget's thoughts

I’ll never forget where and when I watched the first episode of One Tree Hill. I was a senior in high school and living with my oldest sister. We only had one TV and she really didn’t want to watch a show about “high school kids,” so we fought. I never really watched TV because I was more into music and hanging out with friends, but something about the pilot promo intrigued me. I won the TV remote battle by sitting on it and not letting her have it, forcing her to watch it with me. My interest turned into spite; I won a battle, so of course I had to keep watching it each week. But I think I was meant to win that battle, because my spite turned into love for the show. My sister actually liked it too. We both were hooked, and it was the first show that we could agree upon.

Season one will always be my favorite because it’s where it all began. My sister liked the show because it was great entertainment, but I loved it for a deeper meaning. At first it was the music choice from the pilot that sucked me in. But as I watched week after week I realized the music wasn’t the only thing great about the show. I felt like each main character shared a part of my soul; Peyton’s broody mood and great taste in music, Lucas’ hate for a father that abandoned him (I never met mine), Nathan’s hidden anger and competiveness, Brooke’s feisty attitude and vulnerability, and Haley’s witty sarcasm and friendship loyalty. I shared a lot of the same memories as the characters, and they helped shape me to who I am today. The underlying emotions this show had were breathtaking, and I’ll never forget every moment. Personally, I’d like to thank every single person who took part in making this show happen; the writers, cast, crew, production, and even the people who brought the food!

I know there has to be an ending to every great story, but I wish this one didn’t have to end. Tears are going to roll when I watch the series finale while eating a pint of chocolate ice cream. I almost don’t want to watch the finale because I know it’s the end, but I can’t help but want to see it. I wish everyone the best of luck. Again, thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

My English Comp II peer review partner flaked out, yet again. So, if anyone reads this then let me know what you think (good or bad). Its an evaluational essay about online music streaming, and I had to keep it under 1,200 words. I used 16 sources, but I need add the in-text citations. Other than that, happy reading! :)

Let the Battle Begin

     I will never forget when my parents purchased our first computer in the end of 2001. I was so excited, and the first thing I wanted to do was listen to an internet radio. There weren’t many radio station options where I lived, so the idea of being able to pick a station based on my favorite genre of music was thrilling! I quickly became familiar with the various internet radio station sites such as Spinner, RealAudio, and LAUNCHcast. New internet radio sites weren’t the only thing I discovered; I also found programs that would allow me to download music for free. It was amazing how thousands of albums were available at my fingertips. In my mind it wasn’t considered stealing if it was available through a program specifically created for sharing music. Unfortunately, this is how many people felt at that time.  

     Programs that allowed users to share and download MP3 music files for free were known as peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing applications. Napster was released June 1999 as the first P2P application, and gained 2 million users by December that year. Because of its popularity, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sued Napster for copyright infringement. The headlines revolving around the battle caused the number of Napster users to skyrocket. By February 2001 there were 26.4 million people using Napster. After a two year battle with the RIAA, Napster was forced to shut down. Even though the RIAA won the battle against Napster, the doors were opened to new P2P program developments. KaZaA, Limewire, and iMesh were created to follow in Napster’s footsteps. Dial-up internet service was used by most consumers, so MP3 Downloads would often take at least 8-10 minutes per song. Consumers didn’t mind the wait if that meant they didn’t have to pay around $15 for an album. 

     MP3 files were becoming more popular than CD’s, and there was a demand for a portable music player that would play such files. Like the first portable CD player, the new MP3 portable devices were bulky and unattractive. Apple, a major manufacturer of computers and consumer electronics, created the first iPod in October 2001 with a storage that held up to 1,000 MP3s. The 2^nd generation iPod was compatible with Windows software, and held up to 4,000 songs. The iPod was increasing in popularity. Illegal downloads of MP3 music was still causing a major loss in revenue for the music industry. Free music was the main attraction to use P2P applications, but Apple noticed that consumers also liked the idea of downloading the individual song instead of a full album. This sparked the idea to create the iTunes Music Store. The store was available to Mac users only, and sold one million downloads within one week of its launch in April of 2003. Each song cost 99 cents, and the download sales continued to grow. Apple released a Windows compatible version of the store, and topped off the year in December with 25 million downloads. It was a huge success, and was providing revenue to the music industry.

     Apple doesn’t own the music they sell; they keep 30% of the revenue, and the rest is paid to the music industry. It was the turning point for consumers starting to pay for digital music. More digital download music stores were created, such as Amazon and eMusic. The sale of digital downloads continued to grow, but not all new music artists wanted to sell their music right away. Major record labels were trying to keep more money from the artists to make up for the loss in revenue, which caused more independent (indie) labels to be created. Indie artists cared more about spreading their music and creating a large fan base, and knew that they could do so by offering their music for free.

     Purevolume, a free website that allows artists to upload and share their music, was launched in 2003. It allowed unsigned artists to provide “basic info, updates, photos, shows and music for streaming.” Fans were able to stream the uploaded songs as many times as they wanted to at any time. It was a promotional tool that not only generated new fans, but also became useful for record labels to find new artists. Music was constantly evolving, and new genres created were also easily promoted. Bands such as Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, and Taking Back Sunday used Purevolume before they were signed to a major record label. Myspace, a social network, also created a music section on their site for new artists. Similar to Purevolume, it also offered free artist pages with sections for band bio, upcoming shows, and music for streaming. Artists Lilly Allen and Sean Kingston were discovered through Myspace Music. The interest to play music on-demand was growing, and new internet radios were generated.

     Pandora radio was launched in 2005. It uses the Music Genome Project to allow consumers to personalize their station. Consumers choose an artist that they like, and similar artists and songs are played. The option to like or dislike a song helps the Music Genome Project recognize what music genres the consumer wants to hear. Imitation sites Slacker Radio and Spotify soon followed the personalized internet radio trend. Digital download sales continued to increase, and most P2P applications were eventually shut down. The music industry was slowly starting to make money again, but wanted to find another way to speed up the revenue gain. SoundExchange, a non-profit performance rights organization that collects royalties on the behalf of sound recording copyright owner, wanted to make Webcaster sites like Pandora pay more in music royalties. SoundExchange reached an agreement in 2009 with such Webcaster sites, causing royalty payments to be paid at either a per-stream rate or 25% of the Webcaster’s yearly revenue.

     Monthly subscription services, such as Rhapsody and Zune Music Pass, were the next step in online music streaming. The subscriber pays around $10 a month to have unlimited access to stream music on-demand. Pandora radio subscribers have grown to reach over 125 million users as of January this year. Apple devices also evolved with the rapid change in technology, and created generations of iPod touch and iPhone. These devices use apps to connect with sites such as Pandora and Rhapsody. Android, Apple’s software competitor, has also help create cell phones that adopted the use of such apps. Together, these devices help increase the amount of online music streaming.

     It has often been misconceived that online music streaming creates a revenue loss for the music industry. In reality, streaming services allow users to discover new artists due to the application’s ability to recognize similar artists already liked by the user. Streaming services also helped digital download sales, which made up over 50% of 2011’s revenue. Users also attend more concerts to support their new favorite artists. Online music streaming services are helping the music industry bounce back from the downfall caused by Napster. In one way or another, music is meant to be shared. These services not only meet the user’s need for music on-demand, but they also help the artists and the music industry get paid for their work. Music is at our fingertips and the thrill is back, but this time we all win.            

So I finally decided to join the world of tumblr. I kept seeing all these blogs from here pop up in stuff I was searching, so I figured I would give it a shot :)