Abstract
Using weekly music charts data in 10 countries over the period 1990–2015, we analyze whether digitization leads to a trend of homogenization of music content or conversely to a greater acoustic disparity. We split the digitization era in four periods that correspond to four new emblematic distribution models (Napster, iTunes, YouTube, Spotify). Our main result is that while acoustic diversity decreased during the iTunes and the YouTube periods, the period that begins with the introduction of audio streaming services, such as Spotify, represents a turning point and is marked by a significant increase in acoustic diversity.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 427-453 |
| Number of pages | 27 |
| Journal | Economic Inquiry |
| Volume | 60 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2022 |
Keywords
- content disparity
- cultural diversity
- digitization
- music industry