MP3: The Beat Bytes Back

MP3 has become the first major buzzword of the 21st Century. Love it or hate it, MP3 is here to stay, but will it lead to the death of the popular music as we know it, or will it revitalise an industry that many believed was already in a state of decline. The early evidence suggests that it is unlikely that MP3 will cause the demise of either the record industry or of copyright law, but it is certainly the case that MP3 and its associated technologies will have a transformative effect upon both. This article explores the debates that MP3 has given rise to and evaluates the role that law is playing in shaping the future of contemporary popular music.