This book explores the impact of the technological development of the Cloud on the music industry and how the first two decades of the 21st century shifted the center of the industry from the physical to the virtual. It draws on interviews with professionals from the US, UK, Australia, China, Norway, and Sweden to argue that the increasingly Cloud-based industry is characterized by high connectivity and little control, music provided as a service, and increased amateur creativity. It discusses the music industry as a "copyright industry" and the characteristics and features that differentiate it from other industries; the inner workings of the industry in terms of recorded music, music publishing, and live music; the relationship between recorded music, media, and audiences and how increased connectivity in the audience-music firm network impacts the digital music economy; changes in the music production system in terms of the roles and careers of songwriters, artists, and producers; and the changing role of music fans. This edition has expanded sections on the changing structure of the industry, the impact of digitization on music licensing, and the evolution of music streaming platforms. It shows how the recording industry in the early 2020s is dominated by access-based music platforms and considers new ways for promotion and music discovery through these platforms. Distributed by Wiley. Annotation ©2020 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
Since the first edition was published in 2009, Patrik Wikström's The Music Industry has become a go-to text for students and scholars. This thoroughly updated third edition provides an international overview of the music industry and its future prospects in the world of global entertainment.
The music industry has experienced two turbulent decades of immense change brought about in part by the digital revolution. How has the industry been transformed by these economic and technological upheavals, and how is it likely to change in the future? What is the role of music in this digital age? Wikström illuminates the workings of the industry, deftly capturing the dynamics at work in the production of musical culture between the transnational media conglomerates, the independent music companies and the public. New to this third edition are expanded sections on the changing structure of the music industry, the impact of digitization on music listening practices, and the evolution of music streaming platforms.
Engaging and comprehensive, The Music Industry is a must-read for students and scholars of media and communication studies, cultural studies, popular music, sociology and economics.
