Happy Birthday iPod!

23 October 2008, 10:40

The device that changed the music world as we know it turns 7 today…

It’s hard to really get a grip on the affect that rather large (compared with today) device had on not just our ability to listen to music on the go, but also change the face of releasing music to the World.

Of course, this site itself would look very different with out it! Our monthly mixtapes would have to be something physical, and probably wouldn’t exist truth be told, but the fact that most of the artists you read about on this site can give you a taster of what their new material sounds like without having to trawl MTV or Radio 1, is an amazing experience.

Though, as with most “revolutions”, there’s always a negative side… In this case, well, the BPI suddenly found themselves with a lot more to do. Through mp3′s sheer ease of use, coupled with the cheap broadband packages now available to everyone, the ability to “leak” an album and give everyone the chance to hear new releases prior to it being properly sold int he shops, is now, pretty much, common place. No matter how many artists “stream” an album to let people hear it legally, people still want something they can carry around with them, listen to on the bus and not worry about it having access to the internet.

So, whilst Apple may well toast the success of a device which has seen universal take up, there must still be Record Label Executives quietly whispering that they wished, in October 2001, Apple just released a new operating system or laptop instead…