COMBATING THE THREAT OF PIRACY IN THE INDIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY

Abstract

The Music Industry has become more than just artists showcasing their talents to the world. As the term ‘industry’ denotes, it has become an economic activity, with its own demand and supply, intermediaries and other market players. It has rather evolved into an industry where the artists themselves are being marketed as a commodity, unlike the traditional approach where the physical albums and the music produced were the products being traded in the market. Technological advancements have also contributed to the transition. With the widened reach, followed the rights and obligations, the benefits and detriments. While this approach guaranteed rights to artists and performers, on the downside it has also become a breeding ground for questionable activities with the intention to, on the one side, make more money out of it and on the other hand, to get away from having to pay money to enjoy the fruits of the industry.  

Piracy is one such questionable and illegal activity that is an instance of the latter case. It is the copying and distributing of music recordings without the consent of the right owners.

The manuscript specifically deals with the practice of Piracy in the Music Industry. It discusses the various forms of piracy and the impact that it has on the Music fraternity as a whole. It further discusses about the position of such activities in the light of the emergence of streaming platforms. To get a better understanding of the methods to mitigate the offence of piracy, a study is undertaken on the approaches taken by different countries around the globe, followed by the Indian scenario. This manuscript, to an extent, aims to understand Anti-piracy mechanisms in a comprehensive manner.