The reading in Pavlik touched on many points of how we use the internet today for distribution of alternative media. Due to sites like Youtube, Flickr and social media sites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter which give alternative media a platform to grow and expand.  Pavlik discussed that before we had content available online there was only a small number of privately owned companies who we had to rely on for our information.  Before the World Wide Web everything existed in either print publications or local TV news.  Now, however, we are able to have more diversity in our sources for media. Today even the lay citizen, who was previously the audience, can have an active role in the distribution of media. How many times have we watched news coverage of an event that happened in another part of the world? Often times they use video footage or pictures provided by the individuals that were there as it was happening. Without that raw footage we wouldn’t be able to grasp the intensity of the situation in the same way if we were just shown the reporters aftermath coverage.
Independent artist also now have more opportunities available to them to distribute their media. Many independent musicians use Myspace to upload home recordings of their songs to reach a fan base and get discovered. Then use Facebook and Twitter to stay more connected to that fan base so it’s more personal, which fans love. Many bands have found success that way since they are able to have their content released much more quickly and it’s easier and more cost effective than trying to find a major record label that will be willing to produce and manufacture their album. In the past few years there has been a big surge of independent artist as more and more are opting to forego record labels and self-release their music. They feel they have more creative freedom to produce the music the way want to rather than what the label feels will sell more. In 2007 Radiohead decided to self-release their album “In Rainbows” as a free download and let people pay what they wanted to pay. They ended up making more money than they did on their previous album that was released through the label and making it their highest chart success in the U.S. So what does the future look like for the recording industry?  Serona Elton feels that record companies are still vital since they take care of the distribution of the albums, booking live shows and marketing for the artists. I do agree with Elton on this because like she mentioned with all of these hopeful “DIY” musicians on Myspace wanting to get discovered, many are going under the radar. Radiohead’s success of self-releasing might have been by the fact that they were already well known and have been in the music industry for awhile but it will be much harder for a band that is just starting out to do the same and reach that level of success.
