Contributory infringement, in the context of the music industry, refers to a form of copyright infringement where a party, though not directly violating a copyright, induces or materially contributes to the infringing acts of another. This often involves providing the means or facilities for copyright infringement, even if they do not directly perform the infringing act themselves. A notable example in the music industry is the case of A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc., where Napster was found liable for contributory copyright infringement due to its role in facilitating the unauthorized sharing of copyrighted music files.