Talent La Penna Prolifica™

Preview of upcoming article for ANR Magazine

By La Penna Prolifica™ | 2007

DIGITAL SONG CARDS AND RINGLES USHER IN A NEW WAVE IN BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

by

Michael LaPenna

Throughout human history, Mankind has attempted to predict the future. 30 years ago, we were told we'd have flying cars, houses in space, and a reliance on battery power and solar energy to fuel our cars by the turn of the millennium. Yet, actual reality has shown us that some of these predictions were just indicators of what could be, rather than what will be. But where technology has failed to meet the criteria of the Jetsons, It has compensated us with personal computers, ATM’s, cellphones and MP3’s. For music lovers, the new millennium meant easy access to virtually any song imaginable within seconds of thinking of it. Consumers no longer had to buy a full-length album to hear one or two songs they liked. Through the advances of peer-to-peer networks linking thousands of users, and their favorite tunes for free, record stores now had to contend with the fact that their patrons didn't necessarily need to visit the store anymore and moreover, they could access thousands of songs via MP3 players, while compact discs still only offered little more than a dozen tracks at a near $20 price. Hence, CD sales dropped off dramatically, and digital distributors such as Apple thrived in the face of a new untapped market that eventually became its iTunes franchise.