Factors influencing online copyrighted music purchase intention - A case of spotify in Vietnam

Abstract

With the rapid advancement of modern technologies, the music industry throughout the world, including in Vietnam, has seen many improvements as well as massive increases in consumption. The most notable is the evolution of digital music from the digital music download era to the streaming age, which Vietnam is also at the dawn of. However, the harsh reality is that the existing issue of illegal music exists, particularly in Vietnam, which is seen as a problem for the whole music business. In addition to legal actions to safeguard copyright in digital music, digital music platforms have worked hard to encourage users to use copyrighted music. The green behemoth Spotify - the world's No. 1 music service platform, which has emerged and flourished aggressively in Vietnam since 2018, is the most prominent digital music platform with an effort to encourage customers to spend money using copyrighted music. Spotify's progress has not been easy, however, due to Vietnamese people's propensity of listening to illegal music and tough competition from Apple Music, ZingMP3, and Nhaccuatui. As a result, the goal of this study was to figure out what factors influence people's purchasing decision Spotify's online digital music service. Furthermore, the moderating influence of customers’ self-efficacy of ethics for online pirating on the interaction between value perception and buying purpose is considered in this study. The survey will also be used to evaluate the link between user perceptions of value and buying intent in the context of Vietnam's music business. The suggested model was empirically tested using the quantitative method. The Smart PLS Plus application was used to assess a sample of 334 responses using statistical approaches. The survey was conducted in Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam. According to the survey findings, benefit perception will have a greater impact on the perception of Spotify music services’ value than that of sacrifice. Furthermore, there is almost no influence on the perceived value of music service Spotify in terms of technicality (perceived sacrifice). The results from the survey also show the role of self-efficacy of ethics for online pirating's influence directly on buying intention as well as on the interaction between perception of value and buying intent. Most notably, the relationship between value perception and buying intention is examined in the context of Vietnamese music once again. These findings will be used to build crucial databases for Spotify's development and strategic direction in Vietnam.