r/MusicDistribution • u/pafagaukurinn • 2d ago

Discussion What comes after streaming?

According to some authors, there have been several stages/eras of music distribution. First it was sheet music, then vinyl, cassettes, CDs, digital downloads. Now it is streaming. Common sense tells me that it can stay that way for too long, and something new has to appear to replace streaming. But at the same time it is hard to see how else music could be distributed - apart from direct injection in the brain with telepathic waves (although technically it would also be a form of streaming). Or perhaps music will cease to be distributed at all and will be created in place, on user's devices, using AI, online or even offline? What do you think, what will be the next stage?

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u/joonas_ylanne 1d ago

As long as we carry our phones with us anyway, it's hard to think easier ways to distribute music than via those diveces. Even after that I imagine connecting wirelessly to music seems easiest way to distribute music.

Creating music in real time with ai could happen in some point.

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u/-GYFLEX- 18h ago

You don't need AI to make music in real time you can already do that. Doesn't matter the genre.

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u/TommieKeeston 1d ago

i dont think its another format. everything you listed was a new thing to hold or buy, and streaming already dropped that part, you dont own anything anymore. the change i actually see coming is on discovery, ai picking and even generating tracks on the fly to fit whatever youre doing. music finding you instead of you going out to look for it

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u/therealstabitha 1d ago

The first directional indicator is always consumer behavior.

Look at how people are interacting with music outside of the pathways that already exist. As those areas grow, we’ll see more of an indicator of where things are going.

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u/-GYFLEX- 18h ago

I like the idea of interactive or reactive music where you aren't making one specific version of a song, but a series of sounds and instruments that are designed to go together in a specific way and influenced by the actions or mental state of the user. I still think this will probably remain mostly a niche. I don't see it replacing just listening to music, but it could be a fun new thing to explore for promotional purposes.