The rise of the Internet over the course of the past two decades, along with the technology of digital downloading, has had immense effects on the very nature of the contemporary music industry. The purpose of the present sample essay provided by Ultius is to explore some of the most important of these effects in greater depth. The essay will begin by considering the phenomenon of illegal downloading of music from the Internet and the effects this has had on the music industry. Then, the essay will proceed to discuss the effects of the rise of music streaming services on the Internet over the course of the past several years. After this, the essay will shift into a description of the effects that the Internet has had on the musicians themselves, or the actual producers within the music industry. Finally, the essay will reflect on considerations for the future of the music industry on the basis of the main effects discussed over the course of the paper.