Music can now be created anywhere at any time. It is born in living rooms, basements and dorms. With artists now recording and producing with similar ease, this is the beginning of a new revolution in music, in which the artist has sole control over their music.

Anyone can get a hold of inexpensive recording equipment and produce a CD or post their songs on MySpace.com, said Anne Hoag, College of Communications associate dean of undergraduate studies.

Therefore, a greater number of qualified musicians are now capable of releasing their music to the public with less outside help than before, Paul Barsom, associate professor of music, said.

Matt Whittle (junior-secondary education) and his band Matthew and the Judes are living this new reality.

"Our drummer is also our producer, and we were able to record in his living room," he said.

Whittle said it was very easy to record their EP, and it was equally simple to mass-produce their CD.

"We sent our stuff to Disk Makers, and they will produce about 300 CDs for $100," he added.

Though it has been fairly easy to produce their EP, Whittle noted that there has been an over-saturation of online music via Web sites like MySpace.com.

All of this exposure for new bands has allowed musicians, from world-famous bands like Radiohead to upstart indie acts, to forgo the aid of record labels.

"Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are a big success, and they work independently from record labels," Whittle said.

Independent music facilitated by new media technology has put record labels in a difficult predicament, said C. Michael Elavsky, associate professor of media studies.

The changes in the format and distribution of music over the years have altered the functions of the recording industry, Barsom said.

Furthermore, Elavsky added that it is the denial of these new technologies by executives that prevents recording industries from taking advantage of the money-making potential they offer.

"They need to embrace the idea that peer-to-peer networks are here," Elavsky said.

As record labels are fumbling to pick up decreasing sales, many have decided to lay off higher-salary employees for a quick fix.

EMI has just announced that it plans to lay off 2,000 of its employees over a period of six months.

"The record industry is in its seventh straight year of decline and has lost two-thirds of its business since 2000," Elavsky said.

Emerging technology has made the present business models of record companies dated and obsolete, Hoag said.

This new wave of music technology has spurred another problem.

The huge hit sensations that record labels have depended on in the past are nonexistent today, Barsom said.

Variety in music prevents artists from emerging as superstars, he added.

While it's good in the sense that more musicians with potential can be heard, it assures that one band will not be deemed the band of the century, Barsom said.

"We live in an iPod shuffle culture, where people have 2,000 songs ranging from Mozart to Motorhead," he said.

However, it is unfair to say that recording labels are now completely useless to musicians.

"Promoting would definitely be easier with a record label," Whittle said.

In order for the record industry -- which Elavsky describes as "quite shady" -- to survive, it needs to completely restructure their business models, Elavsky said.

"They need to rethink music as a product," he said.

In addition, Elavsky said there needs to be a focus on the quality of the music, rather than the profit the companies stand to make from their product.

"People who are investing are in it because they love the music," he said.

In addition to adjusting their business models, record labels also have to adjust the ways in which they approach consumers, Elavsky said.

Students interested in joining the record industry should not be too worried, he said, because many labels want smart young people who can connect with what consumers want.

"The record industry needs young people with bright ideas," Elavsky said.

Hoag agreed that the music industry will face massive struggles in restructuring their business.

"The music industry will have the hardest time making a profit," she said.

However, music historically has been through many issues and has always resurfaced in decent shape, Elavsky said.

"The music industry has always been faced with problems, but they have always reconstructed themselves," he said. "I'm confident they'll be able to overcome this."