Read Digital Medieval

The first twenty years of music on the web …and the next twenty

A new book by Jeremy Silver

Are we entering a Digital Medieval period or a digital renaissance? In this book Jeremy Silver traces the technological and economic story that leads from  the music industry’s losses to the global domination of Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon. He tells the story of how the recorded music industry struggled with change, how entrepreneurs burst onto the scene and forced the pace and how ultimately the experiences of artists and music companies on the web, set the tone for the rest of industry to follow.

With over twenty years experience of the music industry and the internet, Silver is one of the digital industry pioneers. His insights and insider account trade the evolution of music on the web from the cyberpunk underground to the mass market mainstream.

Silver argues that the “walled garden” business models of the major platform operators is leading consumers to a state of data-lock in which is more like the dark ages than the renaissance. He celebrates the potential in an enriched, shared and open web while pointing to the perils of allowing the walls of the “walled gardens” to rise too high.

Amazon UK in paperback or Kindle here or  Amazon US here