Abstracts
Abstract
Using research on the political economy of the music industries, interviews with independent musicians about their lived experiences, and the authors' experience participating in government copyright consultations in Canada, this article discusses how the market power of major music companies, and their capture of the policy-making process through lobbying, has made copyright reform an extremely limited avenue for remedying the variety of hardships facing musicians in the streaming media era. Against the continued consolidation and concentration of power within the music industries, we explore a case study of Edmonton Public Library’s Capital City Records as an alternative model that may inspire further initiatives that advocate for artists and users. We conclude by discussing a commons-based, public infrastructure and governance model that could serve as a tool to circumvent uneven power dynamics in the music industries, facilitate stronger music communities, and provide sustainable livelihoods for working musicians in Canada.
Keywords:
- music industry,
- copyright,
- public libraries,
- commons
Résumé
En s’appuyant sur des recherches sur l’économie politique des industries de la musique, sur des entrevues avec des musiciens indépendants sur leurs expériences vécues et sur l’expérience des auteurs qui ont participé à des consultations gouvernementales sur le droit d’auteur au Canada, cet article examine comment le pouvoir de marché des grandes entreprises de musique et leur mainmise sur le processus d’élaboration des politiques par le biais du lobbying ont fait de la réforme du droit d’auteur une approche extrêmement limitée pour remédier aux diverses difficultés auxquelles sont confrontés les musiciens à l’ère des médias en continu. Contre la consolidation et la concentration continues du pouvoir au sein des industries de la musique, nous explorons une étude de cas de Capital City Records de la bibliothèque publique d’Edmonton comme un modèle alternatif qui peut servir d’inspiration pour d’autres initiatives qui défendent les artistes et les utilisateurs. Nous terminons en discutant d’un modèle de gouvernance et d’infrastructure publique basé sur la notion de carrefour qui pourrait servir d’outil pour contourner les dynamiques de pouvoir inégales dans les industries de la musique, faciliter le renforcement des communautés musicales et fournir des moyens de subsistance durables aux musiciens actifs au Canada.
Mots-clés :
- industrie de la musique,
- droit d’auteur,
- bibliothèques publiques,
- carrefours
Appendices
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