Streaming - Not the Threat Music Corporations Make It Out to Be

When we first started talking about streaming's role in copyright infringement in class, I was pretty on the fence about my opinions on whether or not it was a major threat to the future of the music industry. Now, after introducing myself to streaming on CBC Music and browsing such a large streaming site, I have begun to lean towards the idea that streaming music is more helpful than hurtful to music corporations. For one thing, a common factor I've noticed on CBC Music is that no albums released in the last couple months are available for streaming. It's not like every song by every band you like is available to listen for free--if you really like a band and want to listen to its newest album, you cannot stream it. Fans who want to listen to the music immediately have the choice of buying it and supporting the artist or illegally downloading it for free. Flash is also required to stream music, at least from CBC. So even if I was willing to use up my data on my iPhone to stream music on the bus or walking or whenever I listen to music, I wouldn’t be able to stream the music because Flash is not compatible with my iPhone. These factors make streaming inconvenient compared to buying or downloading the .mp3 file, and fans will always pay money for music made by an artist they wish to support. Not only do consumers realize the convenience of owning the music, but streaming is a great opportunity to introduce music to an audience that would never have been introduced to it in the first place. To me, streaming acts more like an advertising tool than a replacement for paid-for music.