File-Sharing versus Gift-Giving: A Theoretical Approach

Abstract

Many investigations have tried to depict the character of music file-sharing, identifying it with gift-giving, without explaining the connection but what kind of gift-giving procedure it is. It is believed that this identification is rather simplistic and in order to show the identity of both activities a comparison between them is reported, presenting a threefold categorization of differences in terms of product properties, procedure, and motives. It results that file-sharing is not gift-giving and that digital music has mostly the characteristics of a socially redistributed public good.