Twenty years ago, some of the world's greatest musicians joined the Irish band U2 in a historic concert called Live Aid to raise money for famine victims in Ethiopia. Pumped by the human heart's compassion, the greatest show on earth gathered over 90,000 people in one stadium and an overwhelming 1.5 billion viewers in 100 countries watched the live broadcast.

Two decades later, the global jukebox reassembled as LIVE 8, this time with the aid of science and technology: 150 musicians performed in different concerts in 10 cities beamed on the Internet by America Online. From 1.5 billion, the figure doubled as an estimated three billion people watched to support the campaign for the cancellation of world debt, education for every child, AIDS relief, and African aid. For 12 weeks, webcasts were made available, and the powerful raspy voice of Bono, U2's front man, reached as far as the Red Square in Moscow to Makuhari Messe in Tokyo as it rode the digital highway. Aside from being the virtual venue of the concert, the Internet also played a major role in ticket sales, promotions, circulating an online petition, and coordinating a program of street gatherings - all thanks to the limitless possibilities of science and the human heart.

With the newest technologies on digital audio and video riding the Internet, almost anything is possible in music. Music and the Internet are now almost as inextricable as the tightly woven notes in Bach's symphony. More and more musicians are taking advantage of the technology to help create and market their digital wares.

Digital note
With the advent of streaming digital audio and video, MP3s, podcasts, webcasts, satellite radio, digital audio broadcasting, and streaming mobile wireless, the world is now marching to a different beat. Through digital audio and the World Wide Web, even the next door schmoe can be a webcast DJ or an international musician. He doesn't need a million-dollar recording contract; all he needs is heart for the art and technology at his fingertips.

People are listening to the call of the digital trend. Reports on the digital radio world alone are overwhelming. In the US, over 52 million people listen to Internet radio. All over the world, music sales through the Internet grew threefold last year and recording companies racked up a fortune on these sales according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's Digital Music Report 2006.

The boom of the digital beat can be mostly credited to the fact that online music is inexpensive and easy to access. Buying music online is relatively cheaper than buying CDs. It also makes more sense to choose specific songs compared to buying the whole album. With the introduction of MP3 players and the portability this technology presents, people now prefer to download music from the Internet or via mobile phones. No one understands this better than the big names in the industry like Apple and U2. In 2004, the band cut a deal with Apple Computer to sell custom iPods promoting their album "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." "It's (Apple) one of the coolest products around?they have almost single-handedly saved the music industry, because the industry was going around suing Napster, scratching their heads, while Apple was busy figuring out a way of downloading music where people could pay for it," marveled U2's drummer, Larry Mullen.

World as a stadium
Not only is cyberspace a portal to the greatest shows on earth, it is also a doorway for little-known bands limited to dingy basements for concert venues. Underground musicians and independent artists can now sing to audiences across the globe without leaving the four walls of their dens. File-sharing services help artists promote and distribute their music to a broader audience even with little resources. All they need to do is plug in their guitars and computers and it's show time. If they can't afford world tours, cyberspace is a bigger concert venue than any stadium on earth.

From the greatest rock 'n roll band in the world to has-beens who had their heydays in the '60s to techno musicians known only in the local club scenes, cyberspace presents a great boost to their beat. The Internet connects the musicians to their fans at a level that was unimaginable before. "The Internet has been absolutely wonderful for our band," shared Rose Marshack, bass player for the Poster Children, an Illinois-based band that pioneered the enhanced music CD. "It allows us to relate to fans on a very personal level," continued Marshack in a Wired news interview. Many who do not have the support of music establishments like MTV and the Billboards charts rely on the Internet to connect to their fans through fan sites and electronic newsletters. Other artists claim that technology as simple as the email has made it possible for them to recruit investors to support their new projects.

U2, not a stranger to innovation, is also taking the digital path to reach their fans. The band is known to webcast its concerts and live interviews. Live webcasts are available to fans all over the world for free. Concert webcasts offer state-of-the-art viewing with several cameras following each member of the band. Each 'concert goer' becomes a director in his own personal online viewing. Similarly, U2's official sites are known to be highly innovative and interactive with up-to-the minute news, multimedia games, tour maps, 360-degree tour cam shots, web radio, audio and video clips, and the works. "With each new tour we break ground - this time it's cyberspace, by far the biggest stage we could ever play," said the band's manager Paul McGuinness in an interview for Microsoft News. "There's no better way to go 'POP' than by playing to the millions of fans on the Internet."

Marketing the musician
Whether struggling or successful, musicians are enjoying the sound of marketing through the Internet. "We found that (artists and musicians) overwhelmingly feel that the Internet has had a positive effect on their creative lives and careers," reported Mary Madden, primary author of a study on "Artists, Musicians and the Internet" commissioned by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Cyberspace is slowly becoming an inspiration - enhancing virtual workspace where musicians create, communicate, collaborate, and promote. Many agree that the web can offer tremendous promotional value at nearly no cost compared to the pricey traditional media campaign.

Sometimes tunes get around even without the artist knowing it. Fans of the aging Bent Fabricius-Bjerre of Denmark for instance tracked down his single, "Jukebox," through the Internet. The song was originally used for Cingular's television commercial. What was once a telly jingle eventually found its way in the Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart thanks to the Internet.

Proving that cyberspace knows no boundaries, soon "Jukebox" reached Asia. In Japan, the album sold over 100,000 copies and has been downloaded from online music sites at least 150,000 times. With the limitless possibilities of the digital age (even for the unknown artist), the beat of the drum pounds as fast as the passionate heart and the songs are climbing the charts at the same pace.

The bane of the beat
Unfortunately, not all hearts march to the same beat. While music companies, musicians, and music lovers benefit from the opportunities technology provides, others are out of tune. The allure of the Internet's melody has influenced illegal downloads, unauthorized sharing of music files, and unauthorized copies for selling. Once it's out there, there's no taking it back. Intellectual property becomes freeware and artists are offered little protection against Internet piracy. For some, piracy translates to millions of dollars lost; for others, it's simply heart-wrenching.

U2, who once suffered an online snafu on ticket sales, is also not immune to the imperfections of the Internet. U2's recent multi-Grammy album, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," was almost released earlier than planned because of a possible Internet leak. During a photo session in Nice, France, a CD of some of their new songs was stolen. The band decided on an early release rather than deal with an online leak four months before release. "If it is on the Internet this week, we will release it immediately as a legal download on iTunes, and get hard copies into the shops by the end of the month," Bono shared during an interview after the incident. "It would be a real pity. It would screw up years of work and months of planning... But once it's out, it's out."