Peer to Peer and the Music Industry

Matthew David is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Social Science at Durham University, and has undertaken research in the areas of new social movements, online data-services in higher education, online training in rural areas and forms of free online music sharing. He is author of Science in Society (Palgrave 2005) and Peer to Peer and the Music Industry (SAGE 2010), and co-author of Social Research (SAGE, latest edition 2011).

Introduction The Global Network Society: Territorialization and Deterritorialization File-Sharing: A Brief History Markets and Monopolies in Informational Goods: Intellectual Property Rights and Protectionism Legal Genealogies Technical Mythologies and Security Risks Media Management Creativity as Performance: The Myth of Creative Capital Alternative Cultural Models of Participation, Communication and Reward? Conclusions

[T]his superb book explores the many aspects of the debates surrounding the emergence of the peer-to-peer file-sharing phenomenon and subsequent attempts at control of both the technologies and consumer... The result is a wide-reaching, highly incisive work that should be on the reading lists of any music, media and culture courses... [A] brilliant examination of the criminalisation of culture understood through the context of the contradiction between profitability and the potential suspension of scarcity. -- Martin James Takes the reader on an interesting journey along the knife edge of contemporary criminology and deep into the machinations of the intellectual property land grab that is currently taking place in the information age... There is far more information and analysis packed into the 186 or so pages of the book than this simple review can give credit to, but its main strength is that it nicely brings together the themes that currently form various debates about intellectual property and file sharing. The book's interesting and sophisticated academic analysis provides and interesting narrative of contemporary events in the life of intellectual property that contextualizes the law and opens up the reader's imagination to what has, until lately, been a relatively unchartered area of social (and criminological) activity. -- David Wall 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. David's discussion of the music industry's 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 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 industry's 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; he offers a clear and informative analysis of these developments that will be of interest to social scientists, lawyers and music lovers alike. -- Christopher May 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 A detailed and comprehensive account of the current state of the sector... will do much to help reorientate the file-sharing debate towards achieving sustainability for the industry, as well as de-emphasizing the regulatory approaches adopted so far. This book will be of interest to all those studying or researching in the fields of cyber-crime, network studies or cultural sociology, as well as those engaged with cultural policy and the preservation of intellectual property within the creative industries. -- Sociology Peer-to-peer file-sharing is a monumental example of unintended social action. Because of the opacity of how has turned and is turning our relationship with music and the music industry up-side down, Matthew David's important analytical dissection of it must be valued... this book offers a fascinating depiction and analysis of the tensions, paradoxes and dilemmas that peer to peer file-sharing has generated. -- Roger Martinez