The music industry is much more complicated than the last ten years could have ever predicted. In an age where all types of music are available at your fingertips at such a low cost (or even free), it's hard to believe that music once meant a trip to a physical store to spend up to $15 on a record or CD. The younger generation, born in the digital age, may not understand the work that goes into all parties involved in producing an album. How did we get to this point? Some would say it's a matter of convenience and society would support that. Almost every industry has had to go digital in some way. Local businesses now need websites and social media to advertise and drive business. Government has also taken to the Internet, with most cities having access to forms that you once had to go to the city office to fill out. Digital is the way of the future and there is no industry that feels this more than the music industry. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Music's shift from physical to digital began with Apple's release of the iTunes system and the iPod. Before Apple, the device of choice was vinyl, CD player or Walkman. The arrival of the iPod in 2001 completely changed the rules of the game. Many consumers began loading their own CDs into the new devices instead of carrying a CD player or Walkman. iTunes offered consumers a way to legally download music through the Internet instead of going to a store and purchasing a physical copy. It also allowed the purchase of individual songs rather than an entire album. Apple continued to dominate the market with each new version of the iPod and the eventual release of the iPhone, securing its place in the tech world. However there were, and still are, many people who hold on to their vinyl. Today's hipster culture has praised the aesthetic benefits, among other aspects, of owning vinyl. This caused vinyl sales to increase 32% from 2014 to 2015 and increase through 2016 despite declines in other download sources in the streaming era that comes after. From the digital era of downloading has come the era of streaming. Streaming is the most popular way of listening to music today. Between 2014 and 2015, CD sales in the United States fell by 17 percent, album downloads by 5 percent, and single downloads by 13 percent. However, ad-supported on-demand streaming usage increased by 31% and subscription streaming usage increased by 25%. (Source: Recording Industry Association of America) All the heavy hitters of the download era had to adapt or risk being left behind. First on the streaming scene was Rhapsody in 2001, as was Listen.com. The company offered unlimited access to a large music library and charged a monthly fee. They purchased their music from Naxos Records as well as several smaller independent labels. By 2002 they were signed to the five major labels (EMI, BMG, Warner Bros. Records, Sony and Universal Records). Rhapsody has now been surpassed by many others: Google Play, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music and even YouTube. Each of these sources is doing its best to make up for the profit lost with CDs. Google Play costs $9.99 per month for "All Access", $14.99 per month for "All Access" for up to 6 family members, and is free for "Standard". Spotify costs $9.99 a month for the “Premium” version and is currently the most popular streaming site, with 20 million paying subscribers and a total of 75 million active accounts. Tidal,.