A.S - Institutional Research, 'We Media'

'We media' is a concept that is based around the idea that the internet is becoming more interactive with the audience. It allows people to post information up on the Internet themselves on websites such as http://www.blogger.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/. It is becoming much more popular in recent times, due to advances in technology and easier access to computers and Internet. Web 2.0 plays a major part in this area, as it refers to web development/design and how it facilitates media sharing and collaboration on the Internet. A Web 2.0 website allows users to interact with other users, or change website content.

Sites such as MySpace is incredibly useful to new bands, as it gives them a chance to upload their music, free of charge, and to give it access to an audience. The site will typically have a media player enabling the visitor to play a choice of up to 5 songs. It will also have information about the band, a small biography, advertisements and information about tour dates. This gives the audience a large amount of information which could boost popularity, and lead to the band getting a professional record deal. MySpace has a particular focus on music and new music, enabling people to specifically search for genres of music they are interested in.

Youtube also makes it available to members to upload videos, and so bands are able to upload music videos, which in turn act as an advertisement essentially. Therefore, as more people will have access to watch it, they may be more inclined to go out and purchase the single from a shop.