Music is defined by Merriam-Webster Online as "(a) the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity; (b): vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony." However, anyone will tell you music is much more than what is written in a dictionary.
Music has been around for thousands of years, according to artifacts found throughout the world. As the sound of music has evolved over centuries, so has the methods used to both perform and replay music. Early instruments such as the mandora and zuma have been replaced by the electric guitar and FM Synthesizer. Vinyl records, 8-tracks, and cassette tapes are out, and compact discs (CDs) and MP3s are the latest ways to listen to music at home or on the go.
In fact, digital music has revolutionized the music industry in ways both legal (iTunes, the current version of Napster, Rhapsody) and illegal (peer-to-peer file sharing networks, the former version of Napster), allowing fans to stream or download music onto a computer or portable digital music player. The industry was initially surprised at the scope of the downloading craze, and it took some time before the RIAA stepped in and began to sue people of all ages for what they perceived to be rampant copyright violation.
What is next in the evolution of music? Only time will tell, but you can be sure that somewhere someone will be tapping their foot to the latest song they hear and enjoy.
created by Ray Salloom
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