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The creative destruction of the "winner-take-all" society? Property rights and the economics of the long tail in the music industry

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dc.contributor.authorStrachan, Ian Clark, author
dc.contributor.authorPhillips, Ronnie J., 1951-, advisor
dc.contributor.authorGraff, Gregory D., committee member
dc.contributor.authorJianakoplos, Nancy A., 1951-, committee member
dc.contributor.authorMushinski, David W., committee member
dc.date.accessioned2007-01-03T04:55:07Z
dc.date.available2007-01-03T04:55:07Z
dc.date.issued2010
dc.description.abstractTechnological change has always impacted the music industry, which is now absorbing the destructive effects of the digital revolution. The Internet and MP3s have allowed for illegal downloading and file sharing. For producers, revenue streams have run dry because consumers can get their music for free. The old property rights regime has been eroded for incumbents and a market failure is imminent. But the digital revolution also has the potential to create opportunity for entrepreneurial artists and firms who are able to utilize new technology for disseminating their content. This dissertation utilizes a random sample of recorded music unit sales for 2,051 artists from 2004 to 2008. The data is used to test if the digital revolution has created a 'long tail effect' where less popular and nascent artists enjoy more sales, or a 'superstar effect' where a small number of top artists take the lion's share of sales. I find that the market is characterized by an extremely skewed sales distribution profile which reaches a peak in both sales and inequality in 2006 while sales and inequality decline thereafter. I also find a superstar effect in digital formats and a long tail effect in non-digital formats across all five years. The 'middle class' of artists also declines steadily. For property rights, these changes in the sales distribution profile highlight the importance of retaining excludability through bundling content together. Bundling can still be facilitated by copyright collectives and intermediaries.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediumdoctoral dissertations
dc.identifierStrachan_colostate_0053A_10206.pdf
dc.identifierETDF201010002ECON
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10217/45971
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectwinner take all
dc.subjectmusic industry
dc.subjectlong tail
dc.subjectdigital revolution
dc.subjectcultural economics
dc.subjectcreative destruction
dc.subjectMusic trade -- Economic aspects
dc.subjectMusic and the Internet
dc.subjectMarket segmentation
dc.subjectIntellectual property -- Management
dc.subjectIntellectual property -- Access control
dc.titleThe creative destruction of the "winner-take-all" society? Property rights and the economics of the long tail in the music industry
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineEconomics
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

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