A great book on the recent history of music piracy and the advent of the MP3 is How Music Got Free:

https://www.amazon.com/How-Music-Got-Free-Obsession/dp/01431...

Link?

EDIT:

https://www.amazon.com/How-Music-Got-Free-Obsession/dp/01431...

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/books/review/how-music-go...

I highly recommend "How Music Got Free" for an entertaining and illuminating read of MP3 and how it changed the world - for the better or worse.

It also delves into how Fraunhofer (and its creator) benefited monetarily from its adoption.

Link - https://www.amazon.com/How-Music-Got-Free-Obsession-ebook/dp...

Anybody looking to know more about the origins/organization behind What.cd would do well to check out Stephen Witt's monumental book on the subject: How Music Got Free (https://www.amazon.com/How-Music-Got-Free-Obsession/dp/01431...)