P2p and the E-Music Industry

1. Introduction

This report focuses on the impact that the development of the peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing model has had on the commercial e-music industry.

Firstly, an overview of e-business and the evolution of the Internet are presented. This is followed by a short discussion and classification of business to business (B2B), business to consumer (B2C) and peer-to-peer (P2P) market types. The marketing mix elements of price, product, promotion and place for digital content e-music businesses are then explored. Customer value, implications for the value chain and related ethics are then considered. Finally recommendations will be presented.

This report is based on a survey of recent literature and text books on the topic of P2P networks and the e-music industry.

2. E-business and the Internet

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E-business can be defined as “the transformation of key business processes through the use of Internet technologies” (Chaffy, Ellis-Chadwick, Johnston & Mayer 2006, p.11). In e-business, information and communications technology (ICT) is used to enhance business