Unblocking the Chain - Blockchain Implementations in the Digital Music Industry

Abstract: The music industry has been affected by the digital revolution. This paper identifies key issues relating to copyright within the digital music industry which have the possibility to be partially or wholly solved with the help of blockchain technology. Identified issues are: the lack of reliable rights management information, issues with intermediaries and long value chains, fragmentation of rights and prevalence of orphan works. The analysis concludes that blockchain in combination with smart contracts have the potential for creating a global copyright registry while the no mandatory registration requirement however raises question regarding incentive for actors to fund such a venture. Article 17(4) of the DSM directive might provide a way around the no formalities requirement, incentivising both rightsholders and OCSSPs to create a database for information connected to works.