‘Plenty of Expert Advice Available’ on Growing ‘Bit Rot’ Problem, Says IFPI

The “mission” of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry “is to promote the value of recorded music, to campaign for the rights of record producers and to expand the commercial uses of recorded music.” So said an IFPI spokesman on the global recording industry’s growing concerns over the phenomenon of “bit rot,” the progressive self-corruption of stored audio and video data on hard drives (see 1709270048). IFPI recognizes “the significance of preserving the vast creative output of the music industry, but we also recognize that the expertise on media preservation is itself a separate area,” he said. IFPI’s members and affiliate organizations “contribute to many and varied preservation efforts, and have done so since the beginning of recorded music,” he said. “This has included donations to libraries and archives,” and “technical contributions” through groups like the Audio Engineering Society, as well as through “company-internal” archival efforts, he said. “We have not issued specific guidance on data degradation issues but know there is wide awareness and plenty of expert advice available on data backup and preservation from the consumer level, right through to specialist archival needs.”