The Internet has a huge influence on the music industry right now. Just ask Lars Ulrich.

Since the emergence of Napster, we, the people, have been swimming in a sea of wondrously free music, while record label execs pull their hair out trying to stop the flow of free music.

There is a lot of media attention on how the Internet is rocking the foundation of the industry and how musicians and record labels are shaking in their boots over the threat posed by the big, bad Internet.

But downloading aside, I think people tend to forget how absolutely amazing and beneficial the Internet is for artists and fans alike. Corporate America might take a financially minded stance, but since when have music lovers and liberal college students been concerned with what men in suits have to say?

The Internet, and the technology that comes with it, doesn’t just open a door to an endless source of new music but rather takes a bulldozer to a retaining wall.

The Internet infinitely expands bands’ and artists’ audiences and gives them free publicity and a great way to get their name out. Anyone with a computer can StumbleUpon, Google or MySpace any band he pleases and stream its music legally.

Thousands of music blogs circulate music news and buzz about artists, while YouTube features music videos. Plenty of other resources, including even the outdated MySpace, put bands’ music and names out on the Web.

As lame as it might be, you can’t deny that MySpace’s last surviving function, other than as a great resource for sexual predators, is music. Some bands even use it as their primary band website these days because it’s a great way to introduce fans and potential fans to a band’s music with free streaming, photos and band bios.

One of the best resources for music fans on the prowl is probably popular Internet radio sites, like Pandora and Last.fm.

For the past year, I’ve been involved ina love affair with Pandora. In the hour it took me to write this column, it has given me two bands that I loved at first listen — Stars and Badly Drawn Boys. It just knows me so well! Even my mom discovered the wonders of Pandora in the form of the ABBA station.

But it’s not the lovely Web design or the well-organized layout that make me adore Pandora, though these do give it a leg up over Last.fm in my opinion. It’s the fact that I can type in what I’m in the mood for and receive not only what I ask for, but more — and everything is freely available on any computer with speakers and an Internet connection.

It gives tons of small-name bands free publicity and gives me, the listener, the giddy excitement of finding a new band to gush over for a few weeks.

So yeah, illegal downloading is rough on the music industry, but it’s certainly not the nail in the coffin by any means. There is a lot of good coming from the Internet, and the industry needs to adjust and find more ways to make it work for them.