With the crowning of David Haye as the WBA heavyweight champion of the world this month, the way is now paved for the unification of the heavyweight belts. Haye has his eyes set firmly on the Ukraine and the brothers Klitschko. However, there is another unification bid that has been going on unchecked for some time now. It is the unification of the entertainment world under the banner of ‘www’ and it is a bid that is growing in strength by the day. The Internet is fast becoming the undisputed heavyweight of all things, let alone entertainment, so it is no wonder that it is now a home for music buffs, television freaks, film nuts and the literati to name but a few.
With the introduction of the BBC’s iPlayer and the subsequent launch of various other imitators and late developers, the World Wide Web could be on the verge of replacing the goggle box entirely. Especially, when you see the likes of Apple’s big screen iMacs. This has undoubtedly unleashed debate about the viability and mechanics of enforcing television licenses, but for the majority of people this is clearly another step in the right direction for “the My Space” generation.
Another major breakthrough in recent months has been the swift handshake between the good old chaps at PRS and the behemoth that is YouTube, ensuring both a better deal for performers and safeguarding the huge array of content on offer for the rest of us. Granted, this has resulted in a more advertiser-heavy YouTube news Ukraine than previously has been the case, however, surely this was inevitable anyway and at least it has been done with some thought to the visitors, unlike the moving banner and skyscraper ads that bamboozle you out on Spotify.
The literature world has not been left untouched either with the ready availability of free book libraries online. Surely it’s simply a matter of time before more libraries are introduced to the Internet. However, perhaps the best part is that books, and indeed all entertainment products, can be ordered within seconds online, after reading reviews and checking out star ratings. Within days and sometimes hours, the book is in your hands and your tucked up on your sofa with the lights down low and the sounds of your playlist whispering out of your laptop, which is sat on the coffee table downloading a movie for later.
Inevitably, the Internet can never replace the feeling of opening a favorite album and spinning it on your decks or slipping it into your CD player (and who wants it to?) but when it’s time to buy your next record, you know the internet is one of the first places you’ll turn. Where else can you go to find out whether or not Noel Gallagher’s impending solo project was worth all of the hype, and then search for the cheapest online seller once you’ve come to a conclusion or leave a comment to say how much you miss the good old Oasis days.