Neil Young's new HD music player, PonoPlayer, surpassed its Kickstarter goal of $800,000 just hours after launching. But can people really tell the difference in sound quality, or is it purely psychological? And how will its Toblerone shape fit in our flexible, sleek world?

Young people have always looked to music, filtered through radio DJs, for identity. For generations growing up with every song at their fingertips and algorithms replacing DJs, how is the medium being redefined, and what new roles can it fulfil?

Under pressure from digitisation, music labels are seeking alternative sources of revenue. One Direction has transformed merchandising into a multi-channel branding operation that covers everything from phone covers to fake nails.

Twitter has partnered with American music chart company Billboard to create two real-time music charts based on social media mentions. Though the music industry must adapt to survive, can a social media chart really represent an artist or song's popularity authentically?