Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Ba, S., Pavlou, P.A. (2002). Evidence of the Effect of Trust Building Technology in Electronic Markets: Price Premiums and Buyer Behavior. MIS Quarterly, 26(3), 243-268.

This article observes the unsteady trends of trust shown by online shoppers. In addition, the article also examines the role that trust plays in mitigating the risks inherent in transactions that involve very expensive products. The article relates to our topic because of how it examines the comfort that users feel when purchasing online products (such as music).

Bhattacharjee, S., Gopal, R.D., Lertwachara, K., Marsden, J.R. (2006). Impact of Legal Threats on Online Music Sharing Activity: An Analysis of Music Industry Legal Actions. Journal of Law and Economics, 45(7), 91-114.

This article explains how recent legal action against individual file sharers has marked an unprecedented shift in the record industry’s strategy. Well-publicized legal threats towards a relatively small group of individuals is the industry’s plan to discourage overall music file sharing. The article concludes that even after these legal threats and the resulting lowered levels of file sharing, the availability of music files on these networks remains substantial.

Bruno, Anthony. (2009 August 8). BITS & BRIEFS. Billboard, Vol. 121 Issue 31, p8. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=43603922&site=ehost-live

This article is has a few quick references to new developments in music distribution. It describes Tunecore, and how the service enables artists to see their work direct to consumers through social media sites. Also, the finding of an Ipsos study show that free music services are on par with iTunes and Rhapsody, and that without ad-supported service, many consumers would drop out of the online market. We obtained a summary of the study, which is very useful.

Christman, Ed. (2009, October  10). THE BILLBOARD Q&A: MIKE JBARA. Billboard, Vol. 121 Issue 40, p15. Retrieved from         http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=44518177&site=ehost-live

This is an interview with the CEO of WEA Corp, a major sound recording distribution company. Mike Jbara sees the digital and physical aspects of the company as inseparable. He says that product management is becoming more like brand management. We use this article to see how the traditional modes of distribution have shifted. One of the shifts is what it takes to debut a new artist. The company is expecting a long term financial relationship with a band because of the added branding expense. The questions and answers all point toward centralization in the industry.

Gopal, R.D., Bhattacharjee, S., Sanders, G.L. (2006). Do Artists Benefit from Online Music Sharing? The Journal of Business, 79(3), 1503-1533.

This article concludes that attempts to prevent sampling will be counterproductive in the long run. It also theorizes that sharing technologies lessen the tendency for superstars, which are now widely prevalent in the music business. These points are precisely what we intend to explore in our project – the artist’s side of the industry, as well as the legal and consumer aspects.

Haruvy, E., Mahajan, V., Prasad, A. The Effect of Piracy on the Market Penetration of Subscription Software. The Journal of Business, 77(2), S81-S107.

This article explains how software piracy is not necessarily harmful to a software firm seeking to launch a new product. When strategically managed through the use of price and protection measures, piracy establishes the initial adopters of the software, who in turn influence other users to buy the product. Although we are looking at music, not software, in new media, the trends and behavior of pirates are very relevant to our topic.

Ipsos Media CT. (2003, March 14). LEGAL ISSUES DON’T HINDER AMERICAN DOWNLOADERS (Quarterly Digital Music Study, TEMPO: Keeping Pace with Digital Music Behavior). New York: no author.

Ipsos is a French based consumer research company with annual global revenue of $1.3 Billion in 2008. They have been tracking around 1500 respondents since the year 2000 about their digital music preferences and habits. Their information is sold to business, which use the data to be positioned for changes in consumer behavior. This article gives specific figures for downloads, and analyzes users’ beliefs about their actions. It references the broad public education campaign to inform downloaders about copyright infringement.

Ipsos Media CT. (2009, June 29.). Ad-supported Models Capture Important Piece of Digital Music Market (TEMPO Digital Music Discovery & Purchase Process Study). New York: no author.

This is a summary of a study that was released this summer, which suggest strongly that ad-supported free distribution channel do not pose a threat to paid services like iTunes and Rhapsody, but are a necessary component of an online distribution model. One of the conclusions is that 10-30 second ads do not drive people away from an otherwise free digital music service. Also, if given no free alternative to illegal downloads, consumers are likely to drop out of internet distributed music altogether. Ad-supported and fee-based distribution methods have approximately equal appeal. They also point to the “maturity” of the market, and how growth is likely to come from enticing file-sharers to accept legal means.

Ku, R.S.R. (2002). The Creative Destruction of Copyright: Napster and the New Economics of Digital Technology. The University of Chicago Law Review, 69(1), 263-324.

This article makes the point that copyright is no longer needed to encourage distribution because consumers themselves build and fund the distribution channels for digital content. Exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute copies provide little if any incentive for creation, and digital technology makes it possible to compensate artists without control. This is indicative of the major recent changes in the music industry due to technology.

Liebowitz, S.J. (2006). File Sharing: Creative Destruction or Just Plain Destruction? Journal of Law and Economics, 49(1), 1-28.

This paper examines the short history of file sharing, the longer history of record sales, various explanations for the change in record sales, and some analysis of the economics of copying. File sharing appears to reveal a fairly close linkage between changes in file sharing and changes in record sales. In our project, we want to closely observe these changes.

Lohr, Steve. (2009, October 20). Accenture Tries to Turn Ads Into Gold with Adchemy. The New York Times.

This article is about web advertising in general, not confined to the music industry. It is about the efforts to develop “statistical personalization,” and tailor advertising based on individuals’ preferences. It is a powerful tool for helping advertisers pinpoint their targets. Because big companies are anxious to shift more of their ad revenue toward the web, companies that help those adds find their mark are poised to do well.

Zentner, A. (2006). Measuring the Effect of File Sharing on Music Purchases. Journal of Law and Economics, 49(1), 63-90.

This article holds that file sharing may substantially undermine the intellectual property rights of digital goods. The author shows that people who regularly download music online are more likely to buy music. However, he points out that simultaneity between tastes for music and peer-to-peer usage makes it difficult to isolate the causal effect of music downloads on music purchases. The legal aspect of this article is very relevant to our topic.