"Don't worry about a
thing,
'Cause every little thing
gonna be all right."
- Bob Marley, Three
Little Birds
Feb. 6 is Bob Marley Day, and 2020 marks what would have been
his 75th birthday. In Marley's time, and for generations of
prior musicians, the business model was simpler: make records, sell
records, tour. The main hazards were a lousy record contract or a
bad trip.
Many artists did not get paid well, but at least there was some
certainty and simplicity in the business model. Like many
industries, this changed drastically with the Internet. This
article provides a brief overview of how technology and law have
shaped the music industry the past couple of decades.
Technology enabled rampant copyright infringement starting
around the turn of the new millennium. File sharing services, such
as Napster, allowed users to share MP3 music files with others.
File sharing also allowed small album leaks to turn into a flood of
online distribution.
