Publishing Podcasts

I was recently asked to review several podcasts that are related to music publishing and digital music liabilities. In doing so, I have expanded my personal learning network to include several free podcasts that were found on iTunes. I have started subscriptions to Oxford Internet Institute, USC Libraries and The Music Law Podcast.

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The easiest to digest and my favorite of the three sources is The Music Law Podcast. Narrated by entertainment attorney Mark Quail, I listened to two podcasts pertaining to publishing appropriately titled “Music Publishing Law” parts one and two. The two podcasts spoke on the different types of royalties, licensing, publishing contracts and the general duties of music publishing companies. Reinforcing the basics of music publishing is the greatest personal benefit to adding this to my learning network, as I would like to start my own publishing company.

The USC Library is the second source to which I now subscribe. I listened to “The Future of Publishing in the Digital Age: Two Views,” which was delivered by N. Lynne Withey and Katherine Hayles. Withey explained the current and future states of the publishing industry. Primarily, digital publishing is used for its convenience. As technology advances, publishing companies will reform their processes to match. Publishers should be prepared to have creative works in digital archives that can be transmitted and utilized in various digital formats. Hayles spoke on how digital tools changed the way we think. She argues that digital formats contain more information than traditional formats. It will be interesting to hear more views like the two featured on this podcast. Following the evolution of protecting and licensing copyrighted works is paramount to a thriving publisher.

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The last of the three podcasts I reviewed comes from Oxford Internet Institute. Matthew David narrated “Peer to Peer and the Music Industry: The Criminalization of Sharing.” I found this podcast interesting as it illustrates how peer-to-peer sharing is not a new phenomenon but as technology advances, infringement increases. David describes the evolution of record label business models and the impact of peer-to-peer file sharing sites. Publishing, of course, is not immune to the harm of file sharing. It is legal for the public to upload and download only small parts of an entire copyrighted work. However, the result is just the same as if someone made multiple copies of one copyrighted item and distributed the copies to other people which is illegal. New technologies and processes are expected to continue affecting the digital rights management of a publisher.