The Political Economy of the Music Industry: Technological Change, Consumer Disorientation and Market Disorganisation in Popular Music

Revision with unchanged content. Major firms currently control over 80% of global sound carrier and publishing revenue in the popular music industry. The aim is to explain the disorganising effects currently being experienced. The central question guiding this investigation asks: what will be the effect of new technologies on the future organisation of the music industry? Focus is broadly on recent universally accessible digital technologies which have raised questions about the future of the industry’s current organisational structure and processes both in terms of input (creation of music products in their commodified form) and output (access and consumption of music products). The industry’s processes are complex because they centre around sophisticated management, and aggressive appropriation of intellectual property (namely copyright) for re­pea­ted exploitation for decades after its initial acquisition. The purpose of this book, therefore, is to examine not only the tangible aspects of the manner in which the industry organises its products, but also the intangible dimension. Sig­nificant recent changes experienced by the industry are identified. The litera­ture is not conclusive in terms of explaining these developments. This book remedies this deficiency by proposing four separate but interconnected fac­tors are affecting the highly concentrated status quo.