Digitization And Music Distribution

Abstract

Technology and music have always enjoyed a symbiotic relationship. At first it was
centred on instrument building, which evolved from the earliest use of bone and wood
through metal to an advanced state of mechanisation. This evolution also encompassed the
development of notation and the advent of electricity and recording technology. By the
second half of the twentieth century the invention of the microchip had transformed the
music technology landscape still further into a digital universe, that now uses sampling,
physical modelling, computer-generated music, and new modes of information access and
distribution.

South African Music Studies Vol. 26-27 2006/7: pp. 71-85