Deconstructing the Music Industry Ecosystem

Abstract

The core preoccupation of this chapter is to critique and explain the form and nature of relationship between technological convergence and market convergence as it has evolved in the context of the music industry’s ongoing transition to a digital milieu. This chapter examines the unfolding relationships between the core music industry subsectors (recording, publishing, live) and the network of ancillary services surrounding this core. It points to a fundamental reconfiguring of the music industry’s structure and organization per se, materializing a fresh range of opportunities and potential revenue streams. Ultimately, the chapter interrogates the changing nature of the relationships between the music industry’s key subsectors and music’s increasingly dense and complex relations with other media sectors, hence emphasizing the continued relevance of vertical and horizontal integration as key frames for understanding music industry dynamics.