The music industry had enjoyed success that was unrivaled by other industries, each year, growth was guaranteed. Sales of vinyl and CDs were booming, and artists and record labels were reaping the benefits. Then there was a shift in the way people were listening to music, peer-to-peer file sharing. Music was no longer a physical commodity. It was digital and in the “clouds,” and within a very short space of time, the music industry would halve its revenue, from $14.6 billion in earnings in 1999 to $6.7 billion in 2014.
With the growth of sound files flooding the web, it seemed like music was free for everybody. Some artists condoned sites like Napster and Limewire sharing their music for free, but the music industry, on the whole, was not impressed. Something needed to be done to tackle the rampant piracy that was now threatening the music industry. While advances in technology were the primary catalyst in the declining growth, technology would also be the solution to repairing the damage that had already been done.
[#3 SW] 
[#4 FW] 
