Abstract

In this proposal of a research agenda for cultural economics, we discuss the supply-side economics of the next wave of digital technological change.

We begin by arguing that digitization and internet-enabled platforms, together with automated licensing of user-generated content has substantially lowered the costs of individual-level cultural participation. We discuss how the dependence on advertising revenues may affect this dynamic and highlight some implications for the economics of copyright. Next, I discuss circumstances under which market data, which has become much less expensive to collect at more fine grained levels, can trigger differentiation of cultural products. Finally, we speculate about the economic implications of artificial intelligence that complements, or perhaps substitutes for human creativity with regards to cultural participation, copyright and the industrial organization of culture.