Book Review of Andrew Sparrow's 'Music Distribution and the Internet'
2 Pages Posted: 11 Jan 2019
Date Written: 2007
Abstract
Music is among the most captivating topics in cyberspace. On almost any given day, headlines highlight something new happening in the online music industry. Often the story involves litigation against anybody threatening traditional business models. Lawyers obviously aren't the only people interested in these developments, but legal issues do permeate all aspects of distributing music via the internet. So it isn't surprising that lawyers are tackling this topic more frequently. Leading information technology law practitioner Andrew Sparrow is among the latest to do so. In his new book, Sparrow attempts to offer insights into the legal aspects of conducting music-related business online. His focus is on British and European law, but there are occasional references to other jurisdictions, including the United States. He writes for those involved with various facets of the music industry, including composers, publishers, performers, managers, executives and, of course, lawyers. Although Sparrow does touch on timely topics like podcasting, ringtones and the Creative Commons, the book contains little in the way of cultural commentary. Unlike some more general works on trends in digital music, this is a technical and practical account of the range of legal challenges associated with internet-based music businesses.
Keywords: Intellectual Property, Internet, Digital Music
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