iPod affects music culture

Apple's iPod has not only revolutionized the way we listen to music, but the way we think about it, according to a column in The Detroit News. The iPod as well as other parts of music culture: "Now, individual songs -- the established currency of iPods and MP3 players -- are coveted more than full-length albums. Bulky stereo systems are no longer necessary: Buy a docking station for your iPod/MP3 player, put it on a tiny shelf in your living room, and you're set. It's also led to a new form of communication: podcasting. Businesses and media outlets have figured out that creating the downloadable, radio show-like audio files is a way to communicate with people via their music players. The iPod's influence on radio has been most dramatic. Because studies show that younger listeners are more likely to tune out radio in favor of their iPods and MP3 players, radio programmers are scrambling to imitate the digital menace."

by MacNN Staff