2 PIRACY KILLED THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

In many ways, the recording industry was the canary in the coal mine of internet disruption. The fate of that canary and the causes of its ailments are widely misunderstood, however. Recorded music was the first media industry substantially challenged by internet distribution, which is why it is the first account this book explores. Not only did the recording industry face these issues first, but its experience arguably has also been the most remarkable, and it set the tone for how other media industries responded to their own digital disruptions.