At the end of the 20th century, file sharing and illegal downloading via Napster were major hits among audiences around the world. Because of this, many people began to believe that the music industry was failing due to declining CD sales. While the statement is valid, the music industry is not failing; instead, it is changing in many ways due to file sharing and illegal downloading. Music is always evolving in new and innovative ways, regardless of the small comeback that vinyl records have made. Today, digital files are the most popular form of obtaining music. When you have a digital music file, you can share it with others without changing the file in terms of quality. What makes this possible is the binary encoding that comes with any digital file. Binary code is the combination of “0” and “1” that make up a file, just like DNA makes people who they are. Because binary code cannot be physically damaged, most people prefer a digital file to a hard copy, such as a CD, which can be physically damaged. Obviously, physical albums cost money. The advantage of file sharing and illegal downloading is that there are no costs involved. People prefer to get music for free instead of spending ten dollars on an album, so file sharing and illegal downloading are more attractive to the listener. The other benefit of file sharing is that it is readily available. People today are used to having instant access to almost anything they want. The fact that someone can get their music with just a few clicks on the Internet, yet for free, instead of taking a trip to the record store, is attractive to the majority of the public because they can get their music with minimal effort and effort. This fits the wishes of the...... middle of paper ......les ." www.katallaxi.se. Np, nd Web. March 29, 2010. .Campbell, Richard, Christopher R. Martin, and Bettina Fabos. Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication. 7th ed. The New York Times 26 March 2007: no. www.nytimes.com. 30 March 2011. Mortimer, Julie Holland and Chris Nosko to digital distribution: recorded music and live performances." Web. March 30, 2011. "Woman Takes On Music, Loses Download Case - CBS News." Breaking News: Business, Entertainment & World News - Np, nd Web. 2011. .