Publications

October 2011 (Revised September 2014)
Case

Music and the (Real) World: Thirty Years of MTV

By: Mukti Khaire and Eleanor Kenyon

The case is useful for teaching students the structure of creative industries - especially fashion - and the issues to consider when attempting disruptive innovation and entrepreneurship in these industries. View Details

Keywords: Industry Structures; Entrepreneurship; Disruptive Innovation; Internet and the Web; Networks

June 2009
Teaching Note

Radiohead: Music At Your Own Price (A) & (B)

Teaching Note for 508-110 (A) and 508-111 (B). View Details

Keywords: Price; Product Marketing; Music Industry; United Kingdom

02 Apr 2015
Research & Ideas

Digital Initiative Summit: Who Has the Power in the Music Industry?

The music industry likes power. Power chords, power ballads, even Towers of Power. The balance of power in the industry, however, has been completely upset with the advent and rapid proliferation of digital music. Who calls the shots... View Details

Keywords: Re: Felix Oberholzer-Gee; Music

September 2022
Case

Selling for a Song: Valuing Robert Farrell’s Music Catalog

By: E. Scott Mayfield and Chijioke Orjiakor

Jun 2008
Conference Presentation

The Impact of (Legal) Digital Distribution on Music Sales: Who Benefits?

Keywords: Law; Internet and the Web; Sales; Arts

January 2019 (Revised March 2021)
Case

SoundCloud: Subscription Streaming?

By: Ashish Nanda, Eric Van den Steen, Andy Wu, Jeffrey Boyar and Bonnie Bennett Slater

Established in 2007, SoundCloud already boasted the second largest number of active music listeners among all streaming services and was recognized as the go-to platform for new artists by early 2014. Yet, its founders were questioning the robustness of the firm’s... View Details

July 2020 (Revised July 2023)
Case

Live Nation and Pharrell Williams

By: Anita Elberse and Kate Christensen

“We’re in business together, and whether we lose a few million dollars or make a few million dollars, let’s do this. If you think you can pull it off, I’m behind you.” Michael Rapino, chief executive officer of Live Nation, the world’s leading live entertainment... View Details

Keywords: Music; Entertainment; Superstars; Talent; Labor Economics; General Management; Music Entertainment; Media; Talent and Talent Management; Joint Ventures; Marketing; Strategy; Music Industry

Sep 2009 - 2009
Conference Presentation

Bye Bye Bundles: The Impact of the Unbundling of Music in Digital Channels

Keywords: Arts; Technology

October 2015
Case

BandPage (A)

By: Karim R. Lakhani, Colin Maclay and Greta Friar

BandPage CEO James "J" Sider is about to receive results from BandPage's targeted advertising campaign on music streaming service Rhapsody and learn whether BandPage's strategy to improve ad click through rates and generate revenue has succeeded. BandPage, which began... View Details

Keywords: Digital Innovation; Digital Music; Digital Marketing; Mobile Marketing; Technological Innovation; Marketing Communications; Music Entertainment; Mobile Technology; Music Industry

Jun 2009 - 2009
Conference Presentation

Bye Bye Bundles: The Impact of the Unbundling of Music in Digital Channels

Keywords: Arts; Technology

May 2009
Conference Presentation

Bye Bye Bundles: The Impact of the Unbundling of Music in Digital Channels

Keywords: Arts; Technology

March 2018 (Revised October 2019)
Case

Yo-Yo Ma and Silkroad

By: Rohit Deshpandé, Paul A. Gompers and Scott Duke Kominers

Silkroad—a cross-cultural music collaboration that world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma had spearheaded since 1998, was preparing to celebrate its 20th anniversary. In parallel, Ma was stepping back from his role as the organization’s Artistic Director. Silkroad had come of... View Details

Keywords: Managing Diverse Teams; Leadership Transitions; Global Innovation; Music; Cultural Entrepreneurship; Nonprofit Organizations; Music Entertainment; Leadership; Transition

April 2017
Teaching Note

The Birth, Life and Death of Rdio

By: Robert J. Dolan

Teaching Note for HBS No. 516-092. View Details

Keywords: Digital Music; Marketing

June 2020
Case

Big Hit Entertainment and Blockbuster Band BTS: K-Pop Goes Global

By: Anita Elberse and Lizzy Woodham

Bang Si-Hyuk (‘Hitman Bang’) is the founder and co-chief executive officer of Big Hit Entertainment, the company behind BTS, a ‘K-pop’ band that has found unparalleled success around the globe—a remarkable feat given that most of their songs are in Korean. It is March... View Details

Keywords: Music; Entertainment; Superstars; Talent; Talent Development; Labor Economics; General Management; Music Entertainment; Media; Talent and Talent Management; Labor; Contracts; Marketing; Strategy; Music Industry; Music Industry

February 2008 (Revised December 2023)
Case

Digital Music: From MP3 to Streaming

By: Willy Shih

The emergence of the MP3 file-based music format not only disrupted the market for portable audio players, it also impacted the business models of major record labels. Modularity, and the commoditization spillover enabled by modularity in the personal computer... View Details

Keywords: Recording; Digital Devices; Digital Media; Digital Music; Digital; Digital Economics; Consumer Electronics; Customer Value and Value Chain; Disruptive Innovation; Technological Innovation; Information Technology; Music Industry; Music Industry; Music Industry; United States

October 2014
Case

MCA Matsushita (A)

By: Andrew Wasynczuk and Karen Huang

Keywords: Music Corporation Of America; Matsushita Electric Industra; Negotiation; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; United States; Japan

July 2016
Case

Spotify

By: Anita Elberse and Alexandre de Pfyffer

In November 2014, Spotify's chief content officer Ken Parks learns that record label Big Machine Records has requested the immediate removal of superstar artist Taylor Swift's entire catalogue from Spotify's music streaming service. Is it time for Spotify to reconsider... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment; Marketing; Superstar; Music; Entertainment Marketing; Media; Digital Technology; Creative Industries; Product Portfolio Management; General Management; Management; Strategy; Internet and the Web; Open Source Distribution; Creativity; Music Entertainment; Product Marketing; Music Industry

February 2014
Case

Interview with Joe Kennedy, Pandora Media

By: Willy C. Shih

Joe Kennedy is the emeritus president of Pandora Media. In this interview, he discusses some of the challenges he faced in leading the company. View Details

Keywords: Pandora; Internet Radio; Pandora Media; Streaming; Music Industry; Music Entertainment; Business Startups; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Internet and the Web; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States; California