For years we've been subjected to stories that the music industry was dying. Through the 2000s, piracy was killing music and sales plummeted. The sight of local record shops closing their doors for the final time was unfortunately common and didn't get any easier, no matter how prevalent it became.

More recently, though, we've been hearing a new story: that while the music industry has changed immeasurably from the cumbersome and lumbering beast it once was, it has taken on a new and more agile form.

Last year revenues from streaming sites such as Spotify, Mixcloud and Soundcloud rose by 33% to £103m in the UK alone. Over the same period, physical album sales fell by 7.6%. Physical still provides the lion's share of the UK's £1bn music sales industry, but the tide is quickly turning.

Those on board with the digital revolution claim that rather than killing the radio star, the internet has given it a new lease of life.

Related

ITunes