Dynamic shifts in music piracy: a review of the music industry and underlying technology innovations

The music industry has been subjected to the effects of piracy for the past several decades. Historical piracy trends can be attributed to the convergence of three technology paradigms: digital media, the Internet, and growth in digital broadband. The perfect storm of these technologies has made music reproducible without quality loss, transferable over a global network, and convenient for file sharing. This technology convergence, however, has also made possible a recent evolution in music delivery through digital streaming services. The introduction of digital music streaming has encouraged music enthusiasts who once pirated music to now consume music over legitimate channels, making for measurable declines in music piracy and growth in industry revenue. This chapter outlines recent and projected changes in the music industry and how they are transforming music piracy, consumer behavior, and the music supply chain.