The Cost of Music: Has Digitization Made Copyright Obsolete?

Sean A. Pager* & Eric Priest** Download a PDF version of this article here. Commentators have repeatedly claimed that digital technologies render producers and recording engineers effectively obsolete. Supposedly, any DIY musician with a laptop and GarageBand can make home recordings that sound just as good as professionals in a high-end studio. The result is a dramatic reduction in the cost of music and the barriers to entry. As artists increasingly record and release new tracks entirely on...