Is the music in the cloud concept changing the music industry business model?

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

This paper describes the relationship between the music industry and the Web 2.0 or the cloud concept. This concept has bought a drastic change in the music industry in terms of promotion, distribution and piracy. Cloud concept has evolved during the last decades which has made the promotion for independent artists, this papers also discusses that aspect. The research technique used in this report is secondary and two case studies have been used.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION1

Research Question3

Research Aim and objectives3

CHAPTER 02: METHODOLOGY5

Research Design5

Literature Search5

Literature Overview6

CHAPTER 03: BACKGROUND/SETTING THE FIELD12

Today's Changing Music Industry12

High connectivity15

Audience becoming Authors16

Direct Marketing - Twitter, Facebook17

CHAPTER 04: ANALYSIS OF THE CHANGING MUSIC INDUSTRY19

Vertical Integration21

Case Study22

CHAPTER 05: CRITIQUE23

CHAPTER 06: CONCLUSION25

Cloud computing (web 2.0) and independent artists25

REFERENCES30

CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION

The research questions for this thesis are in relation to the tone of the discussion of digital music in the media. Unfortunately, much of the debate is over digital music becoming pirated and disputes about it. Major record labels and industry associations like the Association of Independent Music and British Phonographic Institute (BPI) have traditionally applied the term large-scale piracy of business operations that are dedicated to bulk copy and manufacturing of popular music in compact discs and tapes. Following the trend, were quick to label a person involved in the online file-sharing files with copyright pirates, as well (Wark 2006 pp. 165). This research will be following a methodology motivated by the beliefs that the media artefacts and commodities studies is leaving us with the reflections of our daily practices which are measurable. The focus of this research will be particularly over the collision of industrial and cultural activities and new technologies intersection and the culture experiencing ways? This research will be involving a combination of new studies of media with the analysis of political and economic situation of music as a commodity, music industry and media, and theories. It will also be consisting of the methodology which will be referring to the analysis of application: the specific kind of case studies which will be offering the advances of methodology for researchers who are interested in the digital object studies.

Controversial developments and laws as the technology (DRM) Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) and Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and the ongoing litigation by the Association of Independent Music (AIM) against individual users have polarized debate. As a result, the discussion in the conferences of the music industry and in the press about music is limited to concerns about how ...