Due to peer-to-peer file-sharing platforms like Napster and Limewire, US recorded-music revenues lost more than half their value in the early years of the 21st century, falling precipitously from an all-time high of US$14.6bil in 1999 to US$6.7bil in 2014 and 2015 as songs transitioned from being sold on a physical object like a CD or vinyl to becoming a sound file that could be easily – and illegally – distributed for free.
For a US$9.99 monthly fee , the site is an open archive, easily searchable and replete with more music than anyone could play in a lifetime. The company’s US launch in July 2011 opened the floodgates, and Apple Music’s streaming service debuted four years later. In a UK study by market researcher YouGov, music piracy fell from 18% in 2013 to 10% in 2018 – and 22% of those surveyed who illegally downloaded music said they expected to stop within five years. Indeed, a 2019 study of all online piracy by thestates: “Our main conclusion is that online piracy is declining. The key driver for this decline is the increasing availability of affordable legal content, rather than enforcement measures.
but it was still the first audio-only streaming service to implement public credits in February 2018.
Video Killed the Radio Star. Now... Internet killed the Video Star (?)