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Articles

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2013): Inaugural Issue

Market-Mediated, Access-Based Consumption of Digital Music

  • Katie Young
Submitted
October 4, 2013
Published
2013-10-04

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore consumers’ experiences of market-mediated, access to digital virtual goods (DVGs), more specifically, of digital music.  In-depth interviews with ten adult Spotify users were conducted, lasting on average forty minutes.  The study revealed that ownership is still important to the participants whilst in the context of digital music, however it was manifested differently.  Our participants expressed notions of re-materialisation, ownership as a form of control, co-use of both accessed and owned items with defined boundaries between the two, and lastly, concerns regarding the fragility of access-based consumption.  In light of the findings, this highlights potential issues for the industry, to facilitate and maximise customer enjoyment in access-based consumption of digital music. 

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