Piracy Lessons!

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Musicians Sing Different Tune on File Sharing

 

We know what piracy debaters Lars Ulrich and Chuck D think of file sharing. But aside from the few who speak out publicly, musical artists typically sit out the rhetorical crossfire over copyright protection. This silent majority is the central focus of a new survey on Internet file-sharing, which discovered a significant sentiment: Most artists don't view unauthorized swapping of music and movies as a threat to their livelihood, even if many think it should be illegal.

 

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While the study, released yesterday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, found that about half of the artists it surveyed think unauthorized file-sharing should be illegal, it also concluded that "the vast majority do not see online file-sharing as a big threat to creative industries. Across the board, artists and musicians are more likely to say that the internet has made it possible for them to make more money from their art than they are to say it has made it harder to protect their work from piracy or unlawful use," according to the study, which also found that "two-thirds of artists say peer-to-peer file sharing poses a minor threat or no threat at all to them."

 

"The study by U.S. researchers ... suggests musicians do not agree with the tactics adopted by the music industry against file-sharing. While most considered file-sharing as illegal, many disagreed with the lawsuits launched against downloaders. 'Even successful artists don't think the lawsuits will benefit musicians,' said report author Mary Madden," BBC News reported in its summary of the study.

 

"When you listen to the arguments in Washington, it's very easy to think that the internet has been a disastrous technological development for artists and musicians," said Madden, as quoted by Wired News. "We found that [artists and musicians] overwhelmingly feel that the internet has had a positive effect on their creative lives and careers. In general they're embracing the internet as a tool in their creative lives."

 

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39155-2004Dec6.html