The Democracy of Sound: Music Piracy and the Remaking of American Copyright in the 20th Century by Alex Sayf Cummings was recently added to the library’s collection.
The book examines the little-known history of music piracy and its effects on the definition of copyright in the U.S. Encompassing legal, cultural, and business history, it shows how piracy has always been an integral part of the music industry, from the earliest sound recordings to the rise of Napster and online file-sharing. It analyzes the changing legal status of music in the U.S. from the 1870’s to the present
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