Technology, Copyright Law and the Future: The Contemporary Australian Music Industry

Ben O'Hara
Box Hill Institute

Abstract

The Australian music industry is at an historic cross road considering the challenges from technological advances that it has faced in recent years. It is an industry that has long relied on copyright law for the protection of its income streams. However the ease with which everyday consumers flaunt the law and the general apathy that society has towards it has generated a need to either change the laws or change the business model that the industry has relied on for the past 100 years. This paper examines the failure of existing copyright laws in the face of changing technology and the likely impact of changes currently under consideration. It also proposes alternative models whereby the music industry and creators could embrace technological change rather than resist it.

Keywords: music industry, copyright, copyright law, music industry income streams, music business, music industry technology, music business Australia, intellectual property

O'Hara, Ben. “Technology, Copyright Law and the Future: The Contemporary Australian Music Industry.” Journal of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association 8, no. 1 (2008): 89-104. https://doi.org/10.25101/8.5