Let's jump to the relative recentness of the last 150 years. We have invented ways to capture actual sounds and reproduce them at will. I'm barely a baby-boomer but have personally played LP's, 8-track tapes, cassettes, and now digital files. I know fortunes have been created and lost because of changes in these technologies. Access to it has dramatically allowed the accumulation of fortunes and vast power. The roads to artistic achievement have witnessed various twists and turns as the music industry has undergone continual growth and change.
BitComet is running as I type this. I have to admit it is just too damned easy to share little computer files containing songs. It is easier than going to the library to rip a copy from a CD. It is simpler than signing into an online music store. It is certainly less of a hassle than actually getting to a music store in the mall. We simply will no longer stick to outdated modes for music distribution, nor should we. The thorny issue involves how to remunerate those who put all the effort into making those tracks. I haven't a clue as to how it should work. Perhaps those who create music will have to earn money by putting on live performances and simply giving away the little digital files. In a way, those gatherings will be a little closer to what music has been for the majority of its existence. For the majority of human existence, music was an oral tradition of individuals and tribes.