Music still sounds the same as ever - the strut and jive or hip hop, the rollicking passion of rock, the cool precision of jazz - but everything else is changing in a hurry. Digital technology has revolutionized how we listen, where we listen, how we collect and how we share it. The face of music has changed for good.

{mosgoogle}The revolution is led by an astounding outburst of new technologies and products, from sleek portable digital music players to wireless home networking devices and online stores, like iTunes, that sell music one song at a time.

Look at how this have evolved. In the past we had to buy our music in a fixed format - normally 10 to 14 songs on a CD, LP, cassette, or 8 track (for those who remember what those were). But with the advent of the always connected home computer, services have emerged that allows us to pick and choose, like internet radio. There are so many ways digital technology has changed the way we consume music. Let's look at how this happen and where it's heading.

You Say You Want a Revolution

The changes started in the early 1980's with the arrival of the digital recording and debut of the CD. Now, PCs and home internet access have sparked a second revolution. Music can be stored and transmitted over networks and that changes everything.

Why? Data compression technology made music files smaller. Digital copies made on a PC using "ripping" software sound almost as good as the original, but take up a third or less storage capacity. And new lossless compression system such as FLAC promise perfect copies using about half the data. Now you can store a lifetime of music on a hard drive the size of a pack of playing cards.

The next paradigm shift came from high speed internet access, which led to online music stores such as iTunes.  The convergence of high speed networks and data compression also makes it possible to "stream" digital music from a computer to wireless home network music players or internet radio stations.

Alongside all of this, ongoing advances in miniaturization of storage media and computer electronics create a recipe for profound cultural change. Let's look at what happened in three music listening zones; on the street, in the car and at home.