

In 1989, German company Fraunhofer-Gesellshaft discovered how to compress digital audio to approximately one-tenth the size of the original audio with almost no discernible loss in quality to the average listener. They were expensive for consumers to purchase, and consumers had to buy a full album even if they were only interested in listening to one or two songs on it because every album came as a complete package.Īt the height of the CD revolution, new digital technology was being developed that would eliminate these disadvantages and revolutionize digital music storage. However, despite a few advantages in quality and convenience, there were several areas in which CDs were lacking. Cassettes, as previously mentioned, were then passed by CD sales. In past decades, records seemed to have an ironclad lock on sales, but they were eventually passed by cassette sales. This boom was a familiar step in the evolution of technology. Cassette tapes were all but obsolete, and record companies were reaping the benefits of sales to consumers who wanted their music collections in the latest technological format. Identify ways in which the Internet has enabled artists to sell music directly to fans.

Identify ways in which digital music sales have influenced the music industry.

