Question
 

Do you think the internet has been good or bad for music? And no, you can't seperate it into "it's been good for smaller bands but bad for big bands" cause that's a weak answer and i won't accept it.

Me and my friends were talking about it the other day. I think it's been bad.

I think it's been good overall for the bands. The bands are able to get their music out to a wider audience due to the internet. While it probably has decreased album sales (which I can't say for sure whether it has or has not) I believe that it has helped to increase tour and merch sales. It has also helped them in getting instant feedback from their fans and such. And used to, to get your friend or someone to check out a band you liked you would have to go over to their house or something and have them listen to the album, now you can just be like, "go to myspace and look em up."

I think good, and not just for smaller bands or for the reasons you give.

It`s easier to get tickets for gigs , it`s easier to get hard to find albums from places like Ebay.Places like amazon have a much wider range of music than any record store i`ve been to. Lots of bands websites/myspace have songs posted before they are released so you can hear new stuff.
Plus if you get into a new band that have been around for a while you have a full biography & discography of all their stuff at the touch of a button rather than having to trawl through endless books & magazines to find out.

Since i`ve come online i`ve got into much more music than I ever have done because it`s so easy to find, and from what I gather from reading news stories albums sales are up everywhere to what they were 10 years ago.

Plus you wouldn`t have sites like this one :D

its increased the quantity of bands and fans.. and made it easier to find alternative music... everything that Urban said. its benefited most fans on a personal level.. and has initially benefited bands and labels.

however its decreased the credibility of music and the health of the music scene. there will be a point where the benifit crosses the line and its TOO easy for **** bands to get popular and TOO easy to get hold of music. people need to buy albums or bands cant continue and labels cant either - theres no other way to go about it. tours do **** for small bands... most have to PAY to tour and PAY to have merch. getting your friends into small bands through gigs and the net does NOTHING for the band if they then dont buy the CD.

i may be slightly biased as an owner of a physical-releases-only record label and a CD and Vinyl lover.. but i think it has had a bad effect overall.

It's been bad overall.

Look at anything labeled "extreme" music. 99% of it is copycat artist getting more credit for the work that the true innovators made.

The internet HAS helped me get into alot of the bands I listen to now, however, almost every single one is listed in the thanks part of an album's track listing. This was how people used to hear about bands and it's how it still should be done.

It's gotit's advantages and disadvantages like evrything else I suppose.

Napster for example was bad for bands. And the fact is people still use the net to get albums of bands they like.

The internet is also a good way for people to promote their band and advertise though. Look at this forum. We've got a section for promotion so yeah it does have it's pros.

Getting tickets to see bands has been made easier though because of the net. Won't deny that. . . . .

Choose a side. Like the thread asks you to.

It's been good in helping people get to listen to more music and find music that is similar to the music they like. I know before I got DSL I listened to only the radio but now I download anything like a mad man <3 (right now i'm getting everything that mike patton has ever done)

Good. It's led me to bands that I wouldn't have found on my own not because I wouldn't be able to find out who they are just that I wouldn't be able to listen to them and see if they're any good. I don't have the money to check out every band by buying a record. As long as people are putting forth an effort to support the bands they like I don't see it ever becoming a bad thing.

well i download a lot, but i always make sure to ahve at least one purchased album from the band, unless i can't find one, like say from Burzum. Its been good, for exposure. I coan't really say for i am not yet in a band that sells albums.