EU Commission - Piracy doesn't affect music sales

[Deleted]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21856720

An interesting bit of research has shown what many internet users have been saying for years, that piracy does not automatically equate to lost sales. Moreover, free music streaming sites could actually boost sales figures.

Obviously, this flies in the face of the logic that every downloaded track is a lost sale, since people are mostly downloading music they would not otherwise have bought. The music industry has already played down the significance of the research, but we must ask ourselves how long we are willing to put up with the ridiculous fines demanded by the music industry for something which doesn't appear to be all that damaging. Surely, given this research, it's time to start demanding revisions to copyright law, and an end to the ridiculous notion of fining people hundreds of times more than the song/album/DVD is worth.

[Jeleh]

Music would be the industry that I would argue suffers the most in the entertainment sector. If research is showing that piracy and streaming can result in a net boost to sales then lord knows what conclusive research would show for games and movies. A good 75% of my dvd collection are films and tv shows I saw online before I invested in them and I imagine many others here have similar.

[Garnier Fructis]

A good 75% of my dvd collection are films and tv shows I saw online before I invested in them and I imagine many others here have similar.

I do this, if I like a show or album that I saw/listened to online, I almost always go out and buy an actual copy.

[Zangeiti]

It really dosent and if it did the artist would still find a way to get money and waste on dumb stuff

cough cough Nikki manaj and her shitty music

[Nerraw]

I wonder how long it'll take before they do a 180 on that.

[Karrotlord]

I already thought as much. The same has been shown in regards to video games too, and that it can even increase sales sometimes. I wonder what's next.

[Dezerte]

I do this, if I like a show or album that I saw/listened to online, I almost always go out and buy an actual copy.

I usually do this, but I also sometimes buy products I have no interest in, only because I like the ethics of the creator.

[Deleted]

dont be offended, but im not reading a post if the EU has done a study. but i do agree that giving someone a massive fine is imo a form of extortion & should be a maximum fine of the content pirated.

Why does it make it any less valid if it was a study done by the EU?

Anyway, I pirate, a lot! Almost every genuine DVD or game I own was pirated first to see if it was any good, If I enjoyed it I buy the original to support the artists or developers. If it is shit then it has potentially saved me a lot of money and frustration, one way to stop people pirating games would be to bring back the free playable demo's of old.

[Dezerte]

Also, this research seems to be in line with previous research done on the subject. But of course, the music industry is one giant dinosaur, and arguing with them is like arguing with a child. They have their own version of logic.

[Bigbazz]

Piracy can easily help sales. I'l give an example.

My sister likes Anime, she watches all kinds of it but originally she had to start somewhere, If I had said to her "oh look this is naruto do you want to buy this box set for £20" she would look at me stupid, but thanks to online websites she was able to watch it and come to the conclusion that she likes it, she now owns every boxset that is available. In this case piracy was the direct cause that sparked her interest in Anime, which then led to her buying and collecting the Dvd Boxsets, which would never have happened without piracy.

Another example, many bands would often leave USB sticks or CD's lying around at shows, sometimes with secret tracks on them in the hope that people would find and then share the music to help promote the band, and this happens with even some of the biggest bands you might go to see.

Piracy and sharing can and does certaintly help media sales in the same way that it can and does hurt them.

[Shakadam]

Yeah, this has been known by everyone with a brain for quite some time. Also, music piracy has nearly been eliminated in Sweden and the other nordic countries thanks in large part to Spotify. If the service is good and not too expensive, people WILL pay instead of downloading.

Of course IFPI and the other lobbyist groups have about as much intellect as a dead stone, and can't understand any of this. "NO NO NO BIASED RESEARCH, OUR WAY IS THE ONLY WAY!!!! NOW LET'S GO SUE ANOTHER POTENTIAL CUSTOMER!!!".

[Deleted]

This sounds far fetched. Music sales have been in decline for a decade now and are only recently starting to come back thank in large to easy to figure out music streaming platforms that can compete with piracy. I think the report is tainted by the fact that the people interviewed did have the option to pirate it and therefore never followed the old goto store and buy record routine the music industry had going. I know for my own part that I never bothered buying music as I only got into money after Napster was released, and after that pirated music was everywhere and there was little point in buying music when I could just download it for free.

[haxartus]

Piracy is a service problem, not a price problem. Nobody buys CDs or DVDs anymore, people download stuff on their hard drive and keep backups on flash drives or portable drives.

[Deleted]

Piracy doesn't hurt, reselling does.

[Masark]

Piracy doesn't hurt, reselling does.

Hence the entire point of DRM.

[smelltheglove]

labels still bribe stations to get their artists play time, ie not only broadcasting the music free to the consumer but PAYING to ensure it happens

[Deleted]

Piracy is a service problem, not a price problem. Nobody buys CDs or DVDs anymore, people download stuff on their hard drive and keep backups on flash drives or portable drives.

I do. I buy and pirate stuff. I got more than 200 dvds, 100 cds, and 50 seasons of stuff like csi, south park, simpsons

[Frostys99]

It really dosent and if it did the artist would still find a way to get money and waste on dumb stuff

cough cough Nikki manaj and her shitty music

Looks like you haven't been spending yours on education.

Infracted.

[Powerogue]

Just as long as piracy remains discouraged and considered immoral, the customers that can actually afford it will buy it.

Now if piracy was widespread, accepted, and no one did anything about it, that would hurt music sales.

[TEHPALLYTANK]

This thread made me think of this