Page 36 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report

36streaming, as its revenues rose by 40% compared to the same period in 2014 and account for more than 80% of the digital market’s pro ts.2015 was likewise the year that the two technology giants, Apple and Google, launched Apple Music and YouTube Music Key, which not only provide a streaming service but also include a radio o ering with new features in GooglePlay Music or Apple’s Beats 1. And Amazon has launched its own streaming service, Prime Music, in the United Kingdom.And herein lies the key to the future of stream- ing: music is increasingly not just listened to but viewed as well.The major players are no longer only the well-established native platforms that spring to mind, like Spotify, Pandora, Napster, Deezer and Apple Music... Today the main player as far as music is concerned, especially for the millennial generation, is YouTube.The music market in digital environments is inarguably one of the leaders and guides of digital transformation and will carry on teaching lessons to many other entertainment sectors and industries, as well as to any other company undergoing transformation. Music is a sector in which people and technology are ahead of the industry, because people’s music consumption goes hand in hand with any technological disruption, as music is part of our lives more than most things. Therefore we will always adapt to whatever allows us to consume, discover and share it e ciently for our own enjoyment and that of our social environment.The technology of the new music industry: virtual reality to bring the digital experience closer to the physical worldThe disruptive metamorphosis of business systems has led major companies to reconsider their modus operandi with the advent of the new century’s consumers. Buying albums or music on the digital markets no longer works; advertising companies and record labels are adapting to a world where the screen has taken over everything and controls the world around us. Music no longer seeks only to be consumed in digital environments; thanks to technology, it aims to be part of people’s real lives and shapea consumption experience in which the digital and real environments coexist. The unstoppable locomotive of technological development and its increasing adaptation to the young generations is spurring commercialisation and, accordingly, an impressive process of adaptation to the established media.The music market in digital environments is inarguably one of the leaders and guides of digital transformation and will carry on teaching lessons to many other entertainment sectors and industries, as well as to any other company undergoing transformation.An important point of reference in our country is the work of the technology centre Eurecat, which leads a team of researchers all over the world. This group of experts is developing the rst professional production tools for creating songs and also live 3D music sessions.But it is impossible to speak of cutting-edge technology today without taking a look at virtual reality technologies. Björk was the rst artistto release a music album in VR. Last week the Icelandic singer presented her latest album, Vulnicura, using this technology as part of the Björk Digital tour.THE MUSIC MARKET GOES DIGITAL · ROBERTO CARRERASSmart culture. Analysis of digital trends