International Journal of Music Business Research – April 2018, vol. 7, no. 1

The first article of this issue of the International Journal of Music Business Research (IJMBR), “Exploring bounty and spread: key changes in the Danish music streaming economy” by Rasmus Rex Pedersen examines the structural effects of the transition to the access-based business model of music streaming, at a time when the global music streaming market is growing and developing quickly. The second article is “Blockchain: A new opportunity for record labels” by Opal Gough, which points to the opportunities for the music industry from blockchain technology, especially the chance to develop an international industry database for musical compositions and sound recordings as well as streamline processes, remove inefficiencies and improve cash flow. The concluding article of this issue is “Compulsory licensing in Ecuador’s music industry: A daring strategy within the new intellectual property law in order to regulate music piracy” by Abner Pérez Marín. This paper examines compulsory licensing in relation to the management of music piracy in Ecuador and describes how, in October 2016, Ecuador’s Government replaced its Intellectual Property Code with the Organic Code of the Knowledge’s Social Economy and Innovation, branded as Código Ingenios. Daniel Nordgård’s book review of “Digital Music Distribution: The sociology of online music streams ” by Hendrik Storstein Spilker rounds up the IJMBR’s April 2018 issue.

 

Volume 7, no 1, April 2018

Editorial by Dennis Collopy, pp. 4-5

Rasmus Rex Pedersen: Exploring bounty and spread: key changes in the Danish music streaming economy, pp. 6-25

Opal Gough: Blockchain: A new opportunity for record labels, pp. 26-44

Abner Pérez Marín: Compulsory licensing in Ecuador’s music industry: a daring strategy within the new intellectual property law in order to regulate music piracy, pp. 45-71

Book review by Daniel Nordgård: Digital Music Distribution: The sociology of online music streams by Hendrik Storstein Spilker, pp. 72-74

 

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4th Vienna Music Business Research Days in Retrospective

In the 4^th Vienna Music Business Research Days the “Future of Music Licensing” was highlighted. The conference, therefore, focused on collective rights management and collecting societies respectively as well as the registration of music rights. However, in a broader perspective also the future of copyright in a digital society was discussed.

In the opening panel of the conference on Thursday the concept of creative commons licensing and the set-up of a collection society for CC-licensing by the C3S initiative in Germany was controversially discussed.

The first conference day, however, was devoted the 3^rd Young Scholars’ Workshop. Fourteen young academics from 8 different countries – Australia, Austria, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Palestine and Portugal – presented their papers on a wide range of music business research topics.

For a detailed coverage of the whole conference– including all papers and presentation slides as well as audio files of all talks and discussion – please click here.

EU Copyright Term Extension in Sound Recordings to 70 Years – An Economic Assessment

On September 12, 2011 the EU Council of Ministers passed the copyright term extension in sound recordings from 50 to 70 years, which was proposed by the European Commission in 2008 and voted on by the European Parliament in 2009. The term extension was welcomed by the music industry bodies and several musicians. The newly appointed IFPI chairman Plácido Domingo called the extension great news for performing artists which “(…) reflects the important role performers play in success of songs by narrowing the gap between the protection offered to recorded performances and that offered to compositions.” IFPI CEO Frances Moore added that “The extension of the term of protection to 70 years (…) improves the conditions for investment in new talent.” In first statements U2 manager Paul McGuiness and ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus applauded to the EU decision.[1]

On the other hand, the extension is criticized by open access activists, but also by most of the academics in the field of intellectual property rights. In an open statement to the European Parliament the who-is-who of IP-law professors and economists, including Nobel laureats Sir James Mirrlees and Kenneth Arrow, opposed the copyright term extension as an ineffective and unnecessary extension of monopoly rights in 2008[2].

Thus, the question arises, what is the economic rational for such a term extension? What are arguments and counter-arguments and how they can be assessed by economic theory?

GAO report on the economic impact of “piracy”

In April 2010 the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report to the Committee of Judiciary of the U.S. Senate as well as House of Representatives entitled “Intellectual Property. Observations on Efforts to Quantify the Economic Effects of Counterfeit and Pirated Goods“. Although the report is foced on counterfeiting it also deals with the infringement of intellectual property right (aka “digital piracy”). In the following you can read more about the key findings of the report.