Music Industry still fighting the wrong battle
P2P Downloads of video currently accounts for around 10% of file sharing, Eric Garland, CEO of web tracking firm Big Champagne, tells us in Investors.com. “More than 9 million people log on to a P2P network worldwide each day, and that grows each year despite intense efforts by the entertainment industry to shut down the ones that operate illegally” he continues. Garland’s interview continues, telling readers how difficult it will be to stop P2P networks and file sharing websites that are growing in size and use daily.
The Investors.com take on the situation is interesting: entertainment industries will not be able to halt the continued success of online file sharing, and in fact they shouldn’t try. Effort should instead be concentrated on trying to monetise the trend – “it’s just a new method of distribution” says Stan Rogow.
The number of sites distributing legal music and movies is but a drop in the ocean compared to those assisting and distributing unlicensed material. Sites and networks are claiming that since there is nothing to download or install at their web properties, there is nothing illegal about the sites. The sites provide the facilities whereby people can organise and share their data, but what they do with it is their business. “We provide links, nothing is wrong with that” claims Britain’s TV Links. TV Kalendar, a Canadian based operation, offers information on downloadable torrents, and allow users to quickly determine which TV episodes they need to download – again there is nothing in there to download, and users are quite on their own in obtaining the videos.
Maybe it’s a gray area, but one thing is clear: the entertainment industry is going to have its work cut out in silencing these type of sites; working with the P2P community may well be more profitable than trying to fight against them.
Related Articles
Del.Icio.Us this! | Digg this! | Reddit this! | Stumble this!
Limewire still fighting 01Apr09
[...] Digital Music News is of the opinion that RIAA has, hammered a string of file-sharing companies over the past eighteen months, and in each case, the group has extracted million-dollar settlements and a number of favorable concessions. The list of the conquered includes Bearshare, Kazaa, Grokster, and eDonkey, once-proud destinations that are now shadows of their former selves. The tirade has been incredibly effective, and backed by a favorable Supreme Court ruling in MGM v. Grokster. [...]