Pirates win music download battle

[DaBees-Knees]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7832396.stm

Ninety-five per cent of music downloaded online is illegal, a report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has said. The global music trade body said this is its biggest challenge as artists and record companies miss out on payments. There has, however, been a 20% rise since last year with downloads now accounting for a fifth of all recorded music sales. The IFPI said worldwide music market revenues shrank by 7% last year. This was blamed on falling CD sales, while the increase in digital sales failed to make up for this. The IFPI, which represents 1,400 companies in 72 countries, estimated more than 40 billion music files were illegally shared in 2008. There were 1.4 billion single tracks legally downloaded in 2008, with the top-selling digital single, Lil Wayne's Lollipop, selling 9.1 million copies. There is a momentous debate going on about the environment on which our business, and all the people working in it, depends, said John Kennedy. John Kennedy, chairman and chief executive of IFPI, said the industry had changed its approach to doing business. He said: "There is a momentous debate going on about the environment on which our business, and all the people working in it, depends. "Governments are beginning to accept that, in the debate over 'free content' and engaging ISPs in protecting intellectual property rights, doing nothing is not an option if there is to be a future for commercial digital content." 

BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones said that despite the recent launch of many legal download services, customers still seemed to prefer to get their music free online. The report revealed that the digital music business has grown steadily during the past six years. In 2008, it grew by an estimated 25% and is now worth $3.7bn (£2.5bn). Music fans in the UK downloaded 110 million single tracks in 2008 and bought 10.3 million digital albums - accounting for 7.7% of the market.

Once again some of those in the industry seem to only see one type of business plan. Artists have long since learnt that live performances are the way to go. Threats of court action and coercing isp's to block users is unlikely to have little effect on free downloading, particularly in todays economic climate. The days of record companies ripping off music fans has passed, but some in the industry seem to be taking a long time to realise that. The small portion of the total cost of a commercial CD that goes to the artist hardly justifies the prices that have been charged in the past by the music Moguls. They still haven't learnt the lesson that the public resent that.

[White Stripes]

Arrrr... hoist the colors me harties...

[GhostShip]

What the IFPI and other corporate shills are once again misleading folks about is that its not illegal to download and never has been.

If they can find some law stating otherwise then I,m sure the rest of us will be pleased to read it, the act of "uploading" is all that is covered under the law as this infringes the rights of the copyright owner by the unauthorised creation of a copy.

For personal and educational/research use we are free to download all we wish, that's the law, exception to this are when the work is not for yourself or you make some financial benefit from the act, thus depriving the copyright owner of some form of revenue.