The internet has changed the music industry. Michael Ugwu believes the internet has democratized music distribution meaning that former barriers such as valuable shelf space no longer matter.
Not so long ago, just over a decade or two ago perhaps, as a music listener you'd be lucky to have more than one album (or mixtape) from your favorite artist released in one year. Although during the CD era singles became popular, it was also almost unheard of to have your favorite music artist release individual songs without ever releasing an album and still be able to make a sound living.
Thanks to the internet, and smartphones, the music business model has changed for the benefit of listeners. Not only are listeners enjoying the changes brought by the digital era in music, but independent music labels and artists have welcomed the internet as it has democratized music distribution. For some independent music artists like South Africa's Robin Thirdfloor, the internet has proved a great and inexpensive marketing tool which partly helped him secure a spot to perform at SXSW in 2017.
Furthermore, the internet has enabled music artists to build a more direct relationship with their listeners through various methods including social media.
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