Marcus Leung's Blog

It emerged twenty years ago, experienced mass consumerization ten years ago, and today, is one of the hallmarks of the internet’s information-sharing capabilities. What was initially seen as a clever way to transfer information has now become the consumer’s preferred method for accessing live entertainment. In the digital realm, video and music streaming have taken the reins in their respective industries, usurping their traditional counterparts of movie theatres and hard copy music.

After reading the blogs of Jason and Sharon, both of whom delved into the topic of music streaming, I must conclude that there seems to be one overwhelming consensus; even with the huge market potential that online streaming presents, the market’s grossly diverse consumer base makes it difficult for any firm’s value proposition to encompass a sizeable portion of said market. Thus, as Shannon mentions, the possibility of a defined leader emerging within the industry is slight.

However, as Adele’s manager states in Billboard magazine’s article, “streaming is the future,” with internet streaming expected to become ubiquitous in five or so years. If music streaming does indeed become widely adopted by the majorty of internet users, then I think that a firm may be able to grab a sizeable portion of the market purely because of the sheer volume of consumers the internet represents.

Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but for now, the battle for a grasp on the music streaming industry continues.

Image source (1) and source (2)