How Do Napster and Similar Resources Knock Apple out of the Way - Assignment Example

Q1) The structure of the music industry has changed dramatically over the last decade in terms of the technological advancements that have resulted in digitization and a movement towards online selling as well as sharing of music. The rise of websites like Napster threatened to take away the market for music companies like Apple though Napster was eventually shut down which points to the clout of the music companies. However, the impact of technology cannot be underestimated in the exponential growth of Apple in the last decade or so.Q2) The concept underlying the internet i.e. free sharing and downloading found application in the way P2P services functioned.

This raised the popularity of such services where it was possible for users to share their favorite albums free of cost. When compared to subscription services that charged a fee for their services, the P2P services provided the users with flexibility as well as a range of choice.Q3) I feel that P2P services would grow in popularity though companies like Apple can minimize the impact using iTunes by flexible licensing, stricter control over sharing by encoding the iTunes music, etc. My prediction for iTunes is that it is better equipped to deal with the threat of piracy and free downloads because of the way it is marketed as well as the concept itself.