"An Economic Analysis of the Effects of Streaming on the Music Industry" by Hugh Zehr

Article Title

An Economic Analysis of the Effects of Streaming on the Music Industry in Response to Criticism from Taylor Swift

Authors

Hugh Zehr, University of Northern IowaFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Since its introduction in the early 2010s, music streaming has transformed the industry. Streaming has both fans and critics. One of the most notable critics is superstar Taylor Swift, who has questioned streaming’s ability to adequately compensate those involved in music creation. My analysis acknowledges her critique and looks specifically into how streaming services have affected all participants in the industry. While streaming initially decreased profits in the music industry as a whole, the industry has adjusted and has seen returns from this new model of music consumption. Streaming services increase benefits to all players in the music industry by decreasing piracy, increasing music discovery, and drawing consumers to other areas of the music market.

Publication Date

Spring 2021

Journal Title

Major Themes in Economics

Volume

Issue

First Page

Last Page

Copyright

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Language

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Zehr, Hugh (2021) "An Economic Analysis of the Effects of Streaming on the Music Industry in Response to Criticism from Taylor Swift," Major Themes in Economics, 23, 51-63.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/mtie/vol23/iss1/5