The Changing Landscape of the Music Business
The music industry is in the process of a great change. In the past decades, artists made money through physical sales of records, CDs, and cassettes. While in recent years, downloading songs from services such as Amazon or iTunes has become the most common way for people to purchase music, and the whole idea of buying music to own may be falling. To take its place are Internet apps that stream music directly to listeners on their smartphones, tablets, or computers. 1 ． While this is great for fans, who now have access to millions of songs at the flick of a touchscreen, it has shattered the traditional model of how an artist manages his or her career.
With music lovers increasingly moving away from making one-time purchases towards an all-you-can-listen-to service, what is a hard-working artist to do? The main problem facing many musicians is that payments-per-stream of a song are much lower than what an artist would receive from a download. 2 ． In November of 2014, award-winning musician Taylor Swift pulled her entire music catalog from Spotify, a popular streaming app, claiming that their business model suggests that music does not hold much worth.
3 ． They claim that it offers smaller artists a chance for their music to get heard by a wider audience. Brian Message, manager of the band Radiohead, has come out in support of streaming services. He sees them as a way for musicians and fans to interact.
Regardless of what artists may think about this change in the music industry, there’s no arguing that they need to adapt in order to make money. 4 ．
Corporate sponsorship can be a risky option for musicians. A band can make much money by agreeing to promote a product or license its music for use in advertisements, but there are many ways that this can backfire. When bands work with businesses, they may lose the image they have worked to create. 5 ． Artists must develop an image that appeals to their fans in order to remain unique and authentic, or they risk striking .the wrong chord, which could leave them struggling to sustain careers in this new business landscape.
A ． Others have welcomed the idea of streaming music.
B ． However, those forms of media are quickly fading away.
C ． Some big-name artists have called attention to the issue.
D ． The rules could be different for smaller bands just starting out.
E.Maintaining a fine image while working on a career is certainly tricky.
F.One major shift is the growth in partnership between artists and businesses.
G.These apps are available either as free versions or as monthly subscription services.
1 ． G
2 ． C
3 ． A
4 ． F
5 ． E
【分析】
本文是一篇议论文。文章描写了流媒体的发展对于现如今音乐人的影响。
1. 根据后文 “While this is great for fans, who now have access to millions of songs at the flick of a touchscreen, it has shattered the traditional model of how an artist manages his or her career. （虽然这对歌迷来说是件好事，他们现在只需轻触触摸屏就可以访问数百万首歌曲，但它打破了艺术家管理自己职业生涯的传统模式。） ” 可猜测，划线句可描写这些应用程序的功能特点是如何打破艺术家管理自己职业生涯的传统模式的。 G 选项 “These apps are available either as free versions or as monthly subscription services.” （这些应用程序要么提供免费版本，要么提供月度订阅服务。）符合题意，且选项中的 these apps 呼应上文的 Internet apps 。故选 G 项。
2. 根据前文 “The main problem facing many musicians is that payments-per-stream of a song are much lower than what an artist would receive from a download. （许多音乐家面临的主要问题是，每流歌曲的付费远远低于艺术家从下载中获得的费用。） ” 以及下文 “In November of 2014, award-winning musician Taylor Swift pulled her entire music catalog from Spotify, a popular streaming app, claiming that their business model suggests that music does not hold much worth.” （ 2014 年 11 月，获奖音乐家泰勒 · 斯威夫特 (Taylor Swift) 从流行流媒体应用 Spotify 下架了她的全部音乐目录，声称 Spotify 的商业模式表明音乐没有多少价值。）可猜测，有些音乐家已经针对这个问题采取行动。 C 选项 “Some big-name artists have called attention to the issue.” （一些大牌艺术家已经引起了人们对这个问题的关注。）符合题意，下文提到的 Taylor Swift 就是 big-name artists 中的一个。故选 C 项。
3. 根据下文 “They claim that it offers smaller artists a chance for their music to get heard by a wider audience. （他们声称这为小艺术家提供了一个机会，让他们的音乐被更广泛的观众听到。） ” 可知，也有其他人赞同流媒体的发展。 A 选项 “Others have welcomed the idea of streaming music.” （其他人则对流媒体音乐的想法表示欢迎。）符合题意，故选 A 项。
4. 根据上文 “Regardless of what artists may think about this change in the music industry, there’s no arguing that they need to adapt in order to make money. （不管艺术家们对音乐行业的这种变化有什么看法，毫无疑问，为了赚钱，他们需要适应。） ” 以及下文 “Corporate sponsorship can be a risky option for musicians. （对音乐家来说，企业赞助可能是一个冒险的选择。） ” 可知，这个变化与音乐家和企业赞助有关系。 F 选项 “One major shift is the growth in partnership between artists and businesses.” （一个主要的变化是艺术家和企业之间的合作关系的增长。）符合题意，故选 F 项。
5. 根据下文 “Artists must develop an image that appeals to their fans in order to remain unique and authentic, or they risk striking the wrong chord, which could leave them struggling to sustain careers in this new business landscape. （为了保持独特和真实，艺术家们必须塑造出能吸引粉丝的形象，否则他们就有可能引起错误的共鸣，这可能会让他们在新的商业环境下难以维持职业生涯。） ” 可知，保持良好形象很重要也很困难。 E 选项 “Maintaining a fine image while working on a career is certainly tricky.” （在事业上保持良好的形象当然是很棘手的。）符合题意，故选 E 项。
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