This master’s thesis examines the transformation of the music industry over the past four decades, beginning with a historical overview of key music recording and distribution formats that have significantly influenced the development of the music ecosystem. The analysis covers the transition from analog media, through digitization to modern streaming platforms, which today represent the primary means of consuming musical content. Particular attention is given to understanding the technological and distributional turning points that have transformed the ways in which music is produced, distributed, and received. The paper then analyzes the characteristics of the contemporary music landscape, dominated by playlists a high degree of personalization of the user experience, the environment that offers users a personalized music experience while simultaneously transforming traditional methods of music discovery and the role of curation and the shift from ownership of physical media to an access model. In the concluding section, the thesis focuses on the impacts of streaming platforms on the broader music ecosystem examining new mechanisms for music promotion, the economic aspects of streaming services’ operations, and their consequences for creators and the industry as a whole. The thesis thus offers a comprehensive analysis of the key technological, economic, and cultural factors that shape the contemporary music industry.
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