Apple has changed the music landscape...

Jul 31, 2006 01:33 GMT  ·  By

Not that long ago, Napster was actually a big thing and people used it, of course that was back when it was less than legal. One of the biggest and most vocal Napster opponents back then was Metallica. Those days are long gone now, and things have changed.

Past experiences have made the members of Metallica a little reluctant to join the digital music revolution, but that is all behind them now as last week the band announced that their music is available on the iTunes Music Store. It looks like the success of the iTMS has convinced all the naysayers and has also washed away the sins of those that came before it, as the band's music will also be available from one time enemy Napster who has in the meantime turned legal.

With some of the last remaining great holdouts now on board, the day is coming closer when the old model of the recording industry comes to an end and digital distribution becomes king. The digital revolution could change the way music is made forever, by allowing the artist to work directly with the online music service and cutting out the record company altogether, but that day is not here yet as digital downloads is still a nascent market, many people preferring to buy CDs because of the lack of DRM and the higher sound quality.