Latest Study Says People Sharing Fewer Files Online
from the why-is-this-considered-good? dept
The recording industry is cheering about how the latest study from the folks at the Pew Internet and American Life project says that fewer people are saying they're downloading music. Beyond the obvious problem that this study only counts what people say they're doing, I don't think it's surprising at all. Of course people are going to be more cautious when there's a chance they're going to get sued. However, I don't see how this is a good thing. All they've done is annoy a bunch of people who should be their best customers. That doesn't seem like very smart business.
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While this may upset their users (least the ones which were making use of this facility), they still control most of the product so you pretty much have to go to them or seek alternatives which may or may not be to your liking.
That said, they do lose a potentially great way of advertising their artists. Also, the industry is still watching their sales decline which re-enforces the idea that it's just crappy music, not the sharing that really hurting sales.
I know I'm in the minority, but I find the download services, particularly itunes, to be a completely viable alternative to purchasing CDs. I get reasonable samples (30 secs), DRM that I have yet to notice, and the ability to purchase a single song instead of an album. Also, the set up, much like amazons, showing what other people bought based on my purchases is leading me into new music I probably would not have heard in Kazaa or V1 napster format.
Life is Good. Music is Good. RIAA is Bad.
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