We are undergoing a transformation in how we locate, acquire, and consume music. To some, new technologies such as file sharing networks, music blogs, and podcasts are the end of music as we know it. I am going to suggest, however, that our current period of disruptive technological change is not without precedent. For example, through an examination of the rhetoric used to describe both the arrival of radio broadcasts in the 20s, and of bitTorrent in current times, I hope to show that this paradigm shift is not as unique as one might think. The history of music distribution is a story of one disruptive technology superceding the next.

After framing current music technologies in their historical contexts, I will look closer at "filters," such as pitchfork; recommendation services like last.fm and Pandora; and new distribution mechanisms like podcasts and bitTorrent. These tools are part of the overall transformation of music, just as the advent of the phonograph or the CD were part of the transformative events of the past.

In closing, I will look ahead at some of the future trends in music technology examining concepts such as copyright and ownership. I’ll also look at what kind of effect music blogs, iTunes culture, and long-tail economics might have on the types of music being produced.