This book reconceives how we understand music and the music business in a changing, borderless era. Bringing researchers from across the globe together, it is a forum that debates and maps the challenges and opportunities of 'music ecosystems' — complex networks that span industries, technologies, jurisdictions and value streams. Challenging conventional labels such as the music industry or music business, the book situates music within the emergent ecosystem economy and examines how artificial intelligence and cross sector platforms amplify complexity and interdependencies. Contributors clarify three complementary uses of ‘ecosystem’ — business ecosystems, the ecosystem economy and music ecosystems — and propose new conceptual tools to capture multi actor, transnational dynamics. 
Essential reading for students, scholars, policymakers and industry professionals, this volume provides insights and theoretical frameworks for navigating and understanding music ecosystems. It is a timely, rigorous and collaborative resource for anyone seeking to understand the future of music in a world where borders and sectors increasingly blur.

Guy Morrow is an Associate Professor of Arts and Cultural Management at the University of Melbourne, Australia. His research interests include artist centred approaches to cultural management and the impact of digitalisation, datafication and artificial intelligence on music artists within music ecosystems. His work combines academic rigour with industry collaboration to develop actionable insights for artists, managers and cultural organisations. He is the author of Music Artist Managers: Remuneration and Retention in the Popular Music Business (2025) and is president of the International Music Business Research Association (IMBRA). 

Carsten Winter is Full Professor of Media and Music Management at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, Germany. His research focus is on new music cities, music networks, and music media. He is also the founding president of the Society for Music Business and Music Culture Research in Germany and is a board member of the International Music Business Research Association (IMBRA).