Monday 17 March 2014

2001 PhD thesis predicts the future (of music subscription services)

Now, I haven't read it cover to cover, but I got a lot out of this PhD thesis by Ian Michael Dobie.

The title caught my attention, curious to see what work (similar to mine) looked like in a perhaps even more turbulent era. To my surprise, as far back as 2001, he discusses concepts like 'added value' and how a service-based music industry could operate; essentially mapping out how things would work 10 years later.

It got me thinking about how the decisions made in the 'real world' seldom mirror the views of experts in the academic world. Very inefficient. So rarely do conferences on the topic pull together individuals from different walks of life in a way as to really encourage informed debate. Believe me, I have been to plenty.

It's rare to find a thesis that is as easily accessible as this one (the first hit on Google, for me) so I encourage you to seek it out for it's rich historical significance and easy to read presentation. While you are at it, why not dig out other theses using the relevant online search portals for your country of residence. In UK for example, it's Ethos which you can access here.

I can't help but hope someone will stumble upon my (forthcoming) PhD thesis ten years from now, and find it useful and relevant.

Tweets between sweets @musicpiracyblog

References

Dobie, I.M. (2001). The Impact of New Technologies and the Internet on the Music Industry, 1997-2001 [Doctoral thesis].



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