Music and Cyberliberties

by Patrick Burkart

Overview

An Activist's Guide for Musicians and Fans opposed to The Major Label Lockdown of Online Music

Musicians and music fans are at the forefront of cyberliberties activism, a movement that has tried to correct the imbalances that imperil the communal and ritualistic sharing and distribution of music. In Music and Cyberliberties, Patrick Burkart tracks the migration of music advocacy and anti-major label activism since the court defeat of Napster and the ascendancy of the so-called Celestial Jukebox model of music e-commerce, which sells licensed access to music.

Music and Cyberliberties identifies the groups-alternative and radical media activists, culture jammers, hackers, netlabels, and critical legal scholars-who are pushing back against the "copyright grab" by major labels for the rights and privileges that were once enjoyed by artists and fans. Burkart reflects on the emergence of peer-to-peer networking as a cause célèbre that helped spark the incipient movement, and also lays out the next stages of development for the Celestial Jukebox that could quash it. By placing the musical activist groups into the larger context of technology and new social movement theory, Music and Cyberliberties offers, an exciting new way of understanding the technological and social changes fans and musicians confront daily.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900819569188
Publisher:	Wesleyan University Press
Publication date:	03/30/2010
Series:	Music Culture
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

PATRICK BURKART is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Texas A&M University. He is the coauthor of Digital Music Wars: Ownership and Control of the Celestial Jukebox (2006).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

List of Abbreviations ix

Introduction 1

1 Saving a Place for Music 15

2 Creating the Music Lifeworld Online 34

3 Culture Clashes on the Internet 65

4 Projects and Prospects 94

5 Ethics and Aesthetics 124

6 Conclusion 137

Appendix: The Future of Music Coalition Manifesto 140

Notes 143

References 149

Inde x 167

What People are Saying About This

David Hesmondhalgh

“This essential book provides a thorough overview of recent transformations in the music industry. But it also relates these changes to fundamental questions concerning freedom and political activism.”

Kembrew McLeod

“In this smart, readable book Patrick Burkart theorizes the ways that ubiquitous and powerful technologies have penetrated every aspect of our lives and vividly illustrates what is at stake in the battles over digital music. This is essential reading for those who want to learn more about our changing online world.”

Editorial Reviews

Many issues Burkart raises are relevant to technology in libraries; this carefully researched book is a must for all collections.” —D. Arnold, Choice

“Music and Cyberliberties stands on its own as a critical look at the politics of cyberspace, music, and the rights of people who interact in the digital realm.”—Bret D. Woods, MUSICultures

From the Publisher