Doom & Gloom ?
Debate has recently heated up in regards to the effects of peer to peer due to a report published by The American Assembly at Columbia University.
Since its publication in October, arguments on whether the technology is detrimental to the industry have been going back and forth, some claiming that the users of this technology buy more music whilst others claim they do not.
This study found that peer to peer users purchased 30% more music whilst RIAA proponents claim they spend pretty much that same amount as non peer to peer users on music.
This is only one of the numerous reports that found that peer to peer users buy more music, concert tickets and artist associated merchandise. And numerous members of the industry have responded to this information by consolidating their operations into media companies like Live Nation. But one should notice quite a few issues with the industry’s response.
One has to wonder why peer to peer is being targeted when it’s usage does not result in a loss of sales :
“The truth is that P2P users spend about the same on the core music categories as non-users, on this basis. P2P users spend a bit more on digital downloads and subscriptions but it would be a tough argument that there is much of a difference. Six dollars extra on tracks is hardly half an album.” – NPD Group Blog Entry, dated October 18th, 2012
You will notice the last sentence on that statement emphasizes the industry’s preference when it comes to sales.
They prefer the sale of albums. And any argument in regards to concert ticket and merchandising sales fall on deaf ears because they haven’t secured those sources of income.
“There is a significant difference in spend on merchandise and concert tickets, where P2P users spend nearly twice as much as non-users. Are we saying that P2P file sharing promotes T-shirt sales, or show attendance? Of course not; that would be silly. What it says is that the people who download music illegally are generally more engaged in music, so they go to shows and they wear their favorite artists on their shirts. I have news for you: they would be doing this if P2P never existed.”
P2P is used to preview music for free and the operative word, free, also applies to new technologies that the blog entry also acknowledges.
The average P2P downloader spends $42 on these categories of music. No contest- P2P users spend more. Guess what- people who follow artists on Facebook spend more than that, as do people who use Twitter; and those who subscribe to Rhapsody or Pandora spend a whole lot more than any of these groups.
We are no longer in the late 90’s or early 2000’s. Numerous licensed services now offer free music, some of which do not require the installation of questionable software and/or the mass storing of music files. And individuals will not care in regards to the source of this music because it’s free.
The problem of course if that the music industry is slow to adapt and have not licensed their complete repertoire to the new services.
The labels failed to negotiate and obtain the rights to older recordings so people continue to use P2P for recordings that are not available for download through the legal services, some of which are not available on or have yet to be made available on compact disc.
These distribution issues are also what is driving people to use peer to peer networks to obtain films that are not available on or have yet to be made available on DVDs that are compatible with their home theater equipment.
Peer to peer services will likely be used less and less by people who are looking for music that can be found on the other free services but the above aforementioned rights issues will keep peer to peer alive until they are addressed.
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The End of an Era
After nearly 40 years, “Saturday Nights At The Movies” is no more.
Public broadcaster TVO has decided to cancel the airing of classic and foreign films on Saturday nights in order to divert the associated $2 million expenditures to their digital technology operations.
I will miss this program. There are still quite a few films out there that are unavailable as rentals online, some of which are not available on DVD or Blu-Ray in North America.
The airing of films on the public broadcasters are getting rarer and rarer as their funding gets reduced. And private broadcasters appear to be disinterested in foreign films.
Yes, Chinese and Indian “Bollywood” films are getting plenty of air in Canada but the European films rarely penetrate Canadian television because its film distribution is controlled by American interests and trends.
Had TVO not aired them, I wouldn’t have seen excellent films like I’m Not Scared
Along with these films there are also countless television series that I would not have seen had it not been for public broadcasters, like The Prisoner
Many of the aforementioned titles are not available online yet so I can only guess how many excellent films I will no longer be able to see now that Saturday Night At The Movies is gone. And foreign films are getting rarer and rarer on TFO, Tele-Quebec and Radio Canada as their budgets are cut.
I certainly hope the other networks will air more European films. I’m keeping an eye on the online rental sites for more European titles as well.
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Bill C-11 Is Now Law
Bill C-11’s amendments to our Copyright Act have come into force today.
This means we are now no longer able to perform private copies, copies for personal use, from copy protected recordings.
We can continue to make personal copies from legally purchased recordings that are not protected by digital rights management. But copy protected CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays can now no longer be copied, even for backup.
It should be noted that the vast majority of CDs are not copy protected anyway, copy protection having failed in 2005 because of the Sony BMG rootkit issues. And the music industry appears to have adopted the mp3, iTunes having included an ability to convert music into that format in their software. But some consumers are still concerned that they could be subjected to experimental copy protection schemes in the future.
To prevent music recordings from being leaked prior to their release date the labels could experiment with copy protection schemes within the industry and later attempt to adopt this format in their distribution to consumers, causing compatibility and security issues.
The technological protection measure provisions were primarily added to protect the film and software industries, but we have yet to see their interpretations in action. And as consumers we will need to remain vigilant.
I will be keeping an eye on these issues and will post additional information as it becomes available.
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Rexall Pharmaplus Coupon
A coupon for $5 off a $25 iTunes gift card can be found on some Rexall Pharmaplus flyers.
Valid from November 2nd to November 15th, this coupon is only redeemable from print flyers so check your mailbox or local store for a copy. Click here to locate your nearest store.
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