The Impact of Online Music Services on the Music Recording Industry

The music business is one of the few industries that has trouble growing profits in its transition to digital. Digital media, downloads, mobile music streams, music flat rates, peer-to-peer networks and the rise of ‘freeconomics’ on the Internet are partly responsible for the reduction in CD sales in recent years. The question that is most important for the industry is how the widespread of freely available content and illegal downloading can be monetised. One approach to model around the main threats to the music industry is the development of online music services. Thus, this study is an attempt to address the issue of ‘what are the opportunities and challenges posed by online music services for the music recording industry?’

Referring to empirical findings of a consumer survey and expert interviews, both opportunities and challenges can be identified for the music recording industry. The opportunities surrounding the development of these services are encouraging. Deriving from the challenges, the music recording industry must ensure that online music services are a supplement to traditional ways of consumption and do not turn into a replacement of physical music consumption. Concluding online music services have a small impact on the recording industry. The industry might benefit from closely cooperating with online music services by learning more about consumers’ tastes. Nevertheless, the online businesses are struggling to break even and revenues from streaming will not overcome legal downloads or CD sales as major revenue stream anytime soon.