Education in Bits? An Analysis of the effects of Digitisation on the Higher Education industry, Using the Music Industry as Comparison.

Abstract: Digital technology has revolutionised modern society and brought about profound changes to the way many of us live our lives. It has enabled unlimited free access to many products that were previously scarce and expensive. We have gotten accustomed to on-demand music and movies, and we are used to being able to have answers to all questions at the tip of our fingers, carrying it with us at all times in our pockets. This shift has brought many challenges to incumbents and have forced whole industries through at times painful changes. The music industry is just beginning to recover from over 15 years of decline, and new business and pricing models have emerged. Can the higher education industry go through this transformation unscathed?