Interesting that this study is not a poll, but is based off of songs downloaded over a particular period vs albums purchased over that period. The studies conducted by the RIAA are all based on that tred and true scientific method, polling.
The argument is that downloading MUST affect record sales because that is what was happening while record sales were in decline. Here's a couple of other things happening during that period:
The concept of the single was tossed. You remember those? 45's, single cassettes and CDs? The rationale was why give people the option to buy a 3 dollar disc as opposed to the full 18.00 dollar album? People are not going to pay that much for an album and never were. That is why they will download a radio friendly pop tune for free. They NEVER WERE interested in buying an album, they just wanted a single song.
Price gauging. I got my check for the settlement - about 10 dollars. For 5+ years of price gauging by the record industry, that's all they figure we are entitled to? Yet they claim that a few years of file sharing by an individual costs them tens of thousands of dollars? That shit does not fly.
Like most people I know who download and file share, I buy way more music than the average consumer. People who share music, by and large, do so because we LOVE music. We support our favorite bands, if we download something we like, we generally buy the music.
Also, for people that do large amounts of ripping and downloading, our computers have become our stereos. Most of what I have on my computer, I have purchased as a cd. But I would rather have the music on the computer. I hook it up to my receiver and can shuffle through so much more than I could popping discs in and out of the cd player. It's the way of the future, the recording industry needs to wake up and smell the ipod.
Audiogalaxy RIP
