New Books Network David Arditi, "Music Technology Panic Narratives Beyond Piracy: From Taping to Napster to TikTok" (Anthem Press, 2026)
Apr 7, 2026
David Arditi, associate professor of sociology at UT Arlington and author of Music Technology Panic Narratives Beyond Piracy, explores how the music industry has reacted to new formats. He traces moral panics from cassette taping to Napster to TikTok. He highlights how formats shape listening practices, industry profits, and shifting song forms. The conversation maps recurring rhetoric and industry strategies around technological change.
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Piracy Is A Rhetorical Panic Not A Legal Category
- Piracy is an industry label, not a legal term tied to copyright law in the U.S..
- Arditi shows the term functions rhetorically to frame file sharing as 'stealing' and to mobilize moral panic against fans.
Labels Profit From Salaries While Musicians Are Precariat
- Record labels pay salaried staff across departments while treating musicians as independent contractors who must recoup advances.
- Arditi argues this structural setup, not fans, is the primary reason many artists earn little from recorded music.
Home Taping Fueled Tape Trading And Industry Panic
- Home taping spurred the British phonograph industry's 'Home taping is killing music' campaign as cassettes enabled free copying and tape trading.
- Arditi connects cassette trading to punk and hip hop DIY distribution that threatened label sales and prompted moral panic.
