| Summary: | This thesis focuses upon the illegal downloading of music; this topic represents a
recent, fast-changing and under-explored area. Illegal downloading is amongst the
most damaging phenomena experienced by the music industry today. It is described
by Densmore (2002, p1), for example, as a critical threat to a traditionally stable
business sector, and by Redmond (cited in Morris, 2005, p1) as a trend which could
lead to the industry as a whole, going out of business. Most sources including the
industry itself estimate losses as a consequence of illegal downloading at billions of
dollars (e.g. BPI; RIAA). It is a technically illegal activity, which otherwise lawabiding
people appear to have few qualms in partaking and despite the best efforts of
individual firms, industries and even legal mandates to prevent it, it continues to
grow. From this evidence it is apparent that there is an element of dissonance in
attitudes between the music industry and those who illegally download.
The aim of this thesis is to investigate and explore this dissonance, with a view to
informing and identifying a more effective range of strategic responses to the illegal
downloading problem.
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