OECD Music Industry Report
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Find here a terrific report by the OECD on the digital music industry (pre-release.) The report includes, inter alia, references to Terry Fisher’s seminal book Promises to Keep as well as to the Berkman Center’s iTunes case study.
The report concludes that online music distribution will grow significantly over the next few years, will force the music industry to reconsider their business models, and will continue to pose regulatory challenges to governments. The study includes a detailed impact analysis of digital music distribution on artists, consumers, the record industry, and new intermediaries.
The OECD underlines the positive potential of digital distribution, both as a new business model and a cultural phenomenon. It’s report further concludes that Internet-based piracy may be reduced, if licensed file-sharing and new forms of superdistribution evolve.
The study, part of the OECD Project on Digital Broadband Content, is the outcome of work involving a wide range of stakeholders, including many governments. It’s among the first roadmaps exploring as to how public policy should be re-evaluated in this space.
The Berkman Center’s Digital Media Team was invited to comment on a draft version of this report. Today, we congratulate the study’s authors to a thorough multi-stakeholder analysis, written in a challenging environment.
Stay tuned.
Update: The OECD report is also featured in the latest edition of The Economist (subscription required.) See also WIRED News with reactions from IFPI.
