Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter VIII
A P2P Based Secure Digital
Music Distribution Channel:
The Next Generation
Marc Fetscherin
Rollins College, USA
aBstract
This chapter presents a conceptual framework enabling content providers to successfully sell digital
music. We show that content providers must overcome three main hurdles to successfully sell digital
music. The first is to establish an efficient and economically viable distribution channel. Second, they
need to develop a secure and interoperable framework for protecting copyrighted digital music from
piracy by integrating digital rights management systems into the distribution channel. The third hurdle
is to set-up a robust payment mechanism that meets the content providers' needs for revenue capturing
and the consumers' needs for hassle-free and legal content acquisition and usage. This chapter finally
presents a conceptual framework for the next generation of digital music distribution which could address
and overcome the three hurdles. We conclude that a DRM supported P2P network gives content provid-
ers as well as consumers the secure, legal and most cost-efficient and user friendly digital distribution
channel they have been searching for.
IntroductIon
chain, an increasing digitisation of content, and a
faster, simpler, and cheaper distribution channel.
These technologies, and resulting trends, are a
double-edge sword to content providers. On the
one hand, they provide enormous opportunities,
such as access to new markets, direct distribu-
tion to consumers, and opportunities for new
products and business models like pay-per-listen
and superdistribution. On the other hand, they
provide enormous threats of increasing piracy
Over the last few years, technology advances such
as IP-Networks, CD-R(w) and the development of
compression formats such as MP3 have enabled
individuals to easily copy and distribute digital
music on a mass scale. These technologies have
significantly impacted the businesses of content
providers, especially the music industry. The
result has been the desegregation of the value
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