Matthew David - Peer to Peer and the Music Industry: The Criminalization of Sharing

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Peer to Peer and the Music Industry

The Criminalization of Sharing

Matthew David

Matthew David 2010

First published 2010

Published in association with Theory, Culture & Society, Nottingham Trent University

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ISBN 978-1-84787-005-6

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Matthew David has done a rare and valuable thing with this work. He has comprehensively exposed the inherent radicalism of peer-to-peer communication and exposed the absurdities of the various efforts to quash the practice and technologies. This book is certain to outlast the recording industry.

Siva Vaidhyanathan, Professor of Media Studies, University of Virginia

This book is far-reaching in its implications for our understanding of modern society and culture and should be read by anyone with an interest in the future of music. Davids discussion of the music industrys response to digitisation and the culture of downloading and file-sharing dispels the myths about pirates stealing our musical heritage. It puts the spotlight firmly on an industry that has exploited artists and audiences alike for years but which now finds itself imperilled by a mixture of technological change and the creative practices of (mainly) young people. The analysis is scholarly and rigorous yet the book is accessibly written and contains moments of real humour.

Graeme Kirkpatrick, Senior Lecturer, Sociology, University of Manchester

Too often the music industry is seen as merely being about entertainment. In this closely and clearly argued book Matthew David explains in detail why anyone interested in the future of our global information society must understand the questions raised by this industrys relationship with its customer base. Clearly establishing the importance of understanding the production and distribution of music for the wider realms of the globalising information economy, Matthew David develops an analysis of much wider relevance. The challenge of openness that confronts the major record companies is repeated across the information economy, and the struggle for control of the distribution of content will be the economic issue of the new millennium; Matthew David offers a clear and informative analysis of these developments that will be of interest to social scientists, lawyers and music lovers alike.

Christopher May, Professor of Political Economy, Lancaster University