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Copying, superstars, and artistic creation

Author Info

Listed author(s):
  • Alcalá, Francisco
  • González-Maestre, Miguel

Abstract

We provide a new perspective on the impact of unauthorized copying and copy levies on artistic creation. Our analysis emphasizes three aspects of artistic markets: the predominance of superstars, the important role of promotion expenditures, and the difficulties of talent-sorting. In the short run, piracy reduces superstars' earnings and market share and increases the number of niche and young artists. In the long run, copying can also have a positive effect on high-quality artistic creation by helping more young artists start their careers, which increases the number of highly talented artists in subsequent periods. The long-term impact of levies on copy equipment on artistic creation depends on whether their yields primarily accrue to superstars who already receive rents or are allocated to help young artists.

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File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167-6245(10)00039-9
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Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Information Economics and Policy.

Volume (Year): 22 (2010)
Issue (Month): 4 (December)
Pages: 365-378

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Handle: RePEc:eee:iepoli:v:22:y:2010:i:4:p:365-378
Contact details of provider: Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/505549

Keywords: Artistic creation Superstars Private copy Piracy Levies;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
  • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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  16. Felix Oberholzer-Gee & Koleman Strumpf, 2007. "The Effect of File Sharing on Record Sales: An Empirical Analysis," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 115, pages 1-42.
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  18. Kinokuni, Hiroshi, 2005. "Compensation for copying and bargaining," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 349-364, July.
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Blog mentions

As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
  1. Benefits of piracy
    by chris dillow in Stumbling and Mumbling on 2010-04-20 07:28:00
Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
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Cited by:

  1. Alcala, Francisco & Gonzalez-Maestre, Miguel, 2005. "Artistic creation and intellectual property," MPRA Paper 1287, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 17 Dec 2006.
  2. Piolatto, Amedeo & Schuett, Florian, 2012. "Music piracy: A case of “The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Poorer”," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 30-39.
  3. Handke, Christian, 2012. "Digital copying and the supply of sound recordings," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 15-29.

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