A Systematic Review of Blockchain Technology in the Music Industry

Abstract-This paper explores the current discussion in the music industry where blockchain technology has emerged as a potential solution to long-lasting issues with sales, licensing, publishing, distribution, streaming, and consumption. Initially, conferences, media, opinion pieces, and academic studies were coated with techno-utopian ideals; nevertheless, the conversation gradually moved from "radical" goals to more "incorporative" ones. The former grand technological aspirations got dampened as social barriers to technological solutions appeared. It is argued that blockchain acted as a "convening" force in this instance, uniting a variety of stakeholders rather than solely being a technological fix, referencing Clive Barnett's hypothesis of convening the public. Nonetheless, worries are sparked about who might be abandoned in this gathering process and who gets included.

Keywords: Blockchain, Systematic review, Music, Industry.