英语论文网

数字音频光盘（CD）在20世纪80年代初问世以来，就已经存在了。但是，它是20世纪90年代数字与音频相结合的产物，互联网和MP3格式的音乐产业带来了一个新的十字路口。 MP3格式的音质与CD几乎相同，但其较小的文件大小使得它很容易从互联网上下载，存储在计算机硬盘驱动器，并转移到数字音频播放器，它一般简称为MP3播放器。

Digital audio had been around since the advent of the compact disc (CD) in the early 1980s. But, it was the 1990s combination of digital audio, Internet, and MP3 file format that brought the Music industry to a new crossroads. The MP3 format had nearly the same sound quality as CDs; however, its small file size allowed it to be easily downloaded from the Internet, stored on a computer hard drive, and transferred to a digital audio player, generally referred to as an MP3 player.

P2P的文件共享模式最早出现于Napster公司，从20世纪90年代被引入互联网。在这个时代Napster的P2P技术为人们交换资料提供了便利。

Peer-to-peer file sharing Internet services, most notably Napster, were introduced in the late 1990s. First available in mid-1999, Napster facilitated the exchange of music files. The use of Napster’s file-sharing program exploded, and Napster claimed 20 million users by July 2000. Napster’s swift growth did not go unnoticed by the music industry. While the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was eventually successful in using the court system to force Napster to remove copyrighted material, it did not stop peer-to-peer file sharing. New services were quickly developed to replace Napster. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an organization that represents the recording industry worldwide, estimated that almost 20 billion songs were downloaded illegally in 2005.https://www.51lunwen.org/jianadaliuxue/

EMI had an early presence on the Internet in 1993. In 1999, EMI artist David Bowie’s album, hours..., was the first album by a major recording artist to be released for download from the Internet. None of the record labels were prepared, however, for how quickly peer-to-peer file sharing would change the dynamics of the music industry and become a seemingly permanent thorn in the music industry’s side. In the wake of Napster’s demise, music labels, including EMI, attempted different subscription services. But, most services failed for numerous reasons including cost, CD-burning restrictions, and incompatibility with most of the available MP3 players. It was not until spring 2003 when Apple launched its user-friendly Web site, iTunes Music Store, that legitimate digital audio sales really took off in the United States, the world’s largest market for music. iTunes began its global expansion in 2004 and sold its one-billionth download in February 2006. By the beginning of 2007, there were 500 legitimate online music services in over 40 countries, according to the IFPI, with $2 billion in digital music sales in 2006.
Despite the rise of legally downloaded music, the global music market continued to shrink due to the rapid decline in physical sales. Nielsen SoundScan noted total album units sold (excluding digital-track equivalents) declined almost 25% from 2000 to 2006.5 IFPI optimistically predicted that digital sales would compensate for the decrease in physical sales in 2006. Yet, in early 2007, IFPI admitted that “holy grail” had not yet occurred with 2006 overall music sales estimated to have declined by 3%.6 IFPI now hoped digital sales would overtake the decline in physical sales in 2007. Credit Suisse’s Global Music Industry Forecasts incorporated this view with a relatively flat music market in 2007 and minor growth of 1.1% to 1.5% in 2008 and 2009.7 The Credit Sui