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SO WHERE’S THE FUTURE TAKING US? |
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Note: This brief article was published, citation information below. |
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Ang, M. (2003).“So where’s the Future taking us?” Jaring Internet Magazine. March 2003 issue. (ISSN No.:1511-2608) |
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The trend in computers is towards individualization, fragmentation, and diversification. This is apparent if one traces the history of the development of computing technology – the first computers were huge megaliths, filling entire buildings. As things developed, computers grew smaller and smaller, and more and more powerful. From mainframes to minicomputers, from minicomputers to microcomputers, from desktops to laptops, from laptops to palmtops. From immovable to portable, from portable to mobile, from wired to wireless. This trend in computer technologies has affected every other technology in the world today, including music and audio technologies. Take music for example. In the “olden days” one had to go to where the musicians were in order to listen to music. With the invention of recording technology, it became possible for listeners to enjoy a performance without ever having to be in the same vicinity, let alone the same room, as the musician. But this trend towards decentralization can be likened to fractal images – if we look closely at any particular development, we will see that it repeats itself at every level. Back to our example of the recording industry – we used to have to go to a record store to buy the music recordings we wanted. Everything was centralized, in a manner of speaking. Then along came the Internet, and companies like Amazon.com – we no longer had to visit the store to select and purchase our music – that could be done from the comfort of our own home, through our own personal computer. Then came web audio – we no longer even had to obtain actual physical disks – everything could be played back from our computers. Then came mobile MP3 players – thousands of songs could now fit into a device that could go into our pocket and be listened to on the bus, while jogging… in fact anywhere, at anytime. Now comes WAP music – we can even download new music while on the go, through our mobile phones – we no longer have to visit any centralized location, for anything at all. What all this means is that fads and trends in musical tastes may have become a thing of the past – because today’s listener is less susceptible to being influenced by the mob – after all, he or she listens in private. As an individual. To his or her own favourite type of music, which might not be the same as somebody else’s choice. What this means for the music industry is that to be able to supply what is in demand may mean supplying a whole lot of diversified stuff, so that everyone is happy. Over channels easily accessible to all – particularly the Internet and WAP. It means the independent artists may now have a better chance of being heard, while the big recording companies may be more open to giving a chance to the minnows to get into their acts as the demand for more variety grows. It may mean a growth of more music portals, or gateways, through consumers can access every type of music to find their own personal picks. It certainly means an unquenchable thirst for efficient and vast peer-to-peer networks. Currently WAP technology in Malaysia is in its infancy. The much-hailed wireless broadband G3 technology is not yet widely available here. It is this technology that would make it possible to stream MP3 files into your mobile phone, for example. So what is available to us then? Generally WAP sites, accessible to WAP enabled mobile phones, which carry news and related information from the music industry. For example www.tagtag.com/etm provides all sorts of information for audiophiles, including live show reports. www.dotmusic.com/wap contains news on the stars of the UK music scene. wap.mtvvote.com has information on the MTV music awards. ClassicOL.com claims to be the first WAP site for classical music lovers, containing information on classical music, its musicians, and all related news. www.thewapdomain.com offers hundreds of free ring tones for Nokia and Ericsson mobile phones. The WAP directory, accessible through your web browser here provides an extensive listing of WAP music-related sites, claiming that there are more than 2000 sites online. There are lots of possibilities with WAP actually. An article by Infoworld.com, accessible from their website with this extended URL given here talked about, in year 2000, streaming MP3 through G3 mobile phones, among other things – so where are all these fancy phones now? The switch to the new technology has proved not as easy as initially projected due to many factors, but given time, we can expect such capabilities to become the norm. For those interested in reading more about the future of music into the 21st century, ScreenDigest.com provides an extended research report on possible future trends, accessible through their website with the URL given here |