Patrons, Curators, Inventors and Thieves : The Storytelling Contest of the Cultural Industries in the Digital Age

Part IV The Pirate's Tale: The Reform of Copyright and the Future 12 Pirates, Property and Privatization vii viii Contents 13 Enclosing the Commons of the Mind 14 The 300-Year War of Copyright 15 My Version of Events: The Future Notes References Index 3.1 The value chain of recorded music 3.2 'Parasite value chains' 3.3 Technology disruption to the value chain 4.1 Custodial tensions 8.1 Object constructs 9.1 A storytelling contest 9.2 Tale usage 10.1 Technological development 10.2 The inventor's tale (variations) 14.1 The contested narrative of copyright ix Part I My Version of Events Innovation or Bust: A Short History of Recorded Music It is not the purpose of this book to recount in detail the fascinating but complex twists and turns of the international recording industry since Edison triggered the start of the race in 1877 with his tinfoil cylinder. There are several books which document this very well, such as Roland Gelatt's early history, The Fabulous Phonograph (1955), or Mark Coleman's more modern journalistic account From the Victrola to the MP3 (2005), to name just two. Nevertheless, setting a historical context is essential for the critical reflections later in the book, so from these and other accounts, including personal experience, it is worth summarizing the music industry story at an unashamedly high level, with some relevant milestones in the evolution of recorded sound and its commercialization. Jonathan Wheeldon offers a rare and unusually reflective insider account of the transformational challenges of the music industry, and the cultural industries in general, over the past 15 years. He also makes a potentially valuable contribution to loosening the industrial-political deadlock in the debate over copyright reform. This book is a rare and unusually reflective insider account of the transformational challenges of the cultural industries over the past 15 years. Opening with a fresh new perspective on music industry history, it explores how the industrial world evolves more by narrative plausibility than by strategic precision, recognizing that corporate identity, purpose and power can be both reinforced and subverted by modifications to various cultural master-plots and their traditional heroes and villains. Of most interest are the insights into the strategic struggles faced by corporate managers and by intellectual property policymakers dealing with the seismic new millennium shifts in technology, communications and related social behaviour. Illustrating how a satisfactory 'postprivate' master-narrative of social equality in the digital age has yet to emerge, the book also helps to loosen the industrial-political deadlock in the debate over copyright reform. It is essential reading for anyone who takes an interest in the changing processes of creation, dissemination and industrialization of knowledge and culture 'A superb book. This is one of the best analytical accounts by an insider of the cultural industries. Actually no: one of the best analytical accounts by ANYONE of the cultural industries.' - David Hesmondhalgh, Professor of Media and Music Industries, Institute of Communications Studies, University of Leeds 'For anyone on the front line of the on-going debates around copyright this hugely insightful book is an essential guide. It is at once a memoir showing how we got here, an atlas showing us where we are, and a lexicon telling us what our words and discourse really mean.' - Richard Mollet, Chief Executive, the Publishers Association, and former Director of Public Affairs, the BPI 'In this important and beautifully written book, an industry insider brings experience and research to bear on understanding corporations in the age of digitization. Wheeldon's understanding is itself cultural, and his lessons have wide application for how we manage and consume cultural products in future.' - Martin Parker, Professor of Culture and Organization, School of Management, University of Leicester Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction: A Changing Master-Narrative of Cultural Production....Pages 1-19 Front Matter....Pages 21-21 A Personal Perspective....Pages 23-28 Innovation or Bust: A Short History of Recorded Music....Pages 29-58 Front Matter....Pages 59-61 Value Shift....Pages 63-90 Custodial Tensions....Pages 91-111 Hindsight and Strategic Sense-Making....Pages 112-120 Front Matter....Pages 121-122 The Analysis of Discourse....Pages 123-130 Strategy as Storytelling....Pages 131-138 Identification of Key Constructs....Pages 139-147 A Narrative World....Pages 148-156 The Inventor’s Tale....Pages 157-177 Power and Ideology....Pages 178-186 Front Matter....Pages 185-186 Pirates, Property and Privatization....Pages 187-201 Enclosing the Commons of the Mind....Pages 202-212 The 300-Year War of Copyright....Pages 213-233 My Version of Events: The Future....Pages 234-244 Back Matter....Pages 245-265