Pro Music, the website that has been working to make music sources online easier to find, has refreshed its site to highlight the staggering amount of sounds we can listen to and download online.
The site has been in action since 2003. Back then, iTunes was just starting to gain ground in the US and consumers in Europe had around 20 services to choose from.
Today music fans from over 100 countries can choose from 26 million tracks across more than 500 services. Not only is there an increase in possible choices, the services have diversified, so now we are buying on demand, streaming, subscribing or listening with ads and of course a tonne of different digital music players to listen through.
According to the site, digital music now accounts for one-third of recorded music revenues globally and was valued at $5.2 billion in 2011. More than enough reason to give the site a re-jig and make some of these services easier to find.
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The Pro Music site has two main features – a directory of links to licensed music services listed by type and country and an information portal with guidance about copyright law and a guide in nine languages on how to access music legally.
As the field of digital music expands and consumers look for easier ways to find and enjoy songs, it’s not a bad thing to have a guide to what’s available and how they work. It may also go some way to help avoid copyright breaches through the provision of clear information.
The site was created by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) with a coalition of industry partners including major and independent labels, performers, managers, publishers, retailers and musicians’ unions.
Image Credit: dno1967b
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