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Online Music Consumption in Today’s Technological Context: Putting the Influence of Ethics in Perspective

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Abstract

Whereas in the past ‘free’ and ‘illegal’ were nearly synonymous in the music industry, consumers nowadays face a myriad of music platforms with widely different characteristics in terms of business model (advertising supported, fee based, etc.), delivery mode (streaming, downloading, etc.), and others. The current research examines music consumption preferences in this new context. In order to break with the outmoded free-illegal versus paid-legal dichotomy, the present research studies consumer preferences for a broader range of music platform attributes, including free versus paying business models, (il)legality of use, artist revenues, downloading versus streaming, and audio quality. Based on a literature review and a qualitative study with in-depth interviews (N = 92), an online conjoint survey (N = 764) quantifies online music preferences. Results show that consumers of all ages clearly and consistently prefer legal and ethical options if available, but favor different ways of making this economically viable. Youngsters and young adults are more open to advertising, while middle-aged adults are more often willing to pay for advertising-free platforms. Thus, in real-life choices, youngsters may appear to be less ethical and law abiding, but the driving force behind this is mainly economical. Finally, a market segmentation provides deeper insights into online music consumer preferences and leads to recommendations on how to define viable legal and ethical music offerings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Personnel Management, Work and Organizational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Bert Weijters

  2. Area Marketing, Vlerick Business School, Vlamingenstraat 83, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Frank Goedertier

  3. Think BBDO, Scheldestraat 122, 1080, Brussels, Belgium

    Sofie Verstreken

  4. Scala & Kolacny Brothers, Aarschot, Belgium

    Sofie Verstreken

Authors
  1. Bert Weijters
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  2. Frank Goedertier
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  3. Sofie Verstreken
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Correspondence to Bert Weijters.

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Weijters, B., Goedertier, F. & Verstreken, S. Online Music Consumption in Today’s Technological Context: Putting the Influence of Ethics in Perspective. J Bus Ethics 124, 537–550 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1892-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1892-y

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