Disruptions in the Music Industry

Northeastern University

Semesters taught: Spring 2014

Course description

Organizations and individuals in the music industry have long had to balance predictable and successful business and artistic practices against the need for innovation. Changes in such diverse areas as consumer taste, communications technology, copyright law, and recording media function as broad external forces that have preceded and predicated disruptions in the music industry: shifts that significantly alter both the ways in which business is conducted and the music industry’s landscape at large. In hindsight, many such disruptions were unsuccessful, with few lasting and/or positive effects. Other innovations, however, have affected the industry significantly.

In this class, we will examine several such case studies in-depth, with a goal of understanding the precedents, circumstances, and ramifications of disruptions throughout the history of the music industry. How have organizations and individuals responded to these changes, both proactively and reactively? In what ways have these disruptions affected the ways in which organizations and individuals participate in the music industry? How might we apply the lessons learned from these historical cases to contemporary issues in the music industry? By the end of the semester, students will be able to identify and articulate several disruptions in the music industry and their consequences. Students will demonstrate the ability to assess the causes, circumstances, and effects of disruptions researched outside of class.