p2p news / p2pnet: “Despite a sustained record industry campaign to stamp out digital piracy, more than half of all consumers still download music illegally over the internet, a new survey shows.”

The quote refers to the UK and comes from the Guardian Online, which in turn quotes a Mori report commissioned by AOL UK

“The figures, which will worry record companies hoping to sell music to the millions expected to receive an iPod or similar this Christmas, show that 51% of those who currently download tracks do so illegally,” it states unequivocally. However, in Britain, as everywhere else in the world, the corporate Net music business accounts for only a tiny, virtually insignificant, share of online music activity

In the US, Organized Music’s RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is claiming its sue ‘em all campaign is frightening people away from the p2p file sharing scene and into the avaricious arms of sites supplied and supported by the cartel. And the mainstream media are parroting OM fluff releases to that effect as if they’re accurate materials issued by reliable sources.

However, in America in November, 2003, on average, 2,498,431 people were logged onto the p2p networks at any given time, says p2p data gathering expert BigChampagne. A year later, the number was 5,445,275 and by November this year, it had risen to 6,530,408.

Around the world, the numbers for the same periods were 4,392,816, 7,452,184 and 9,465,625 respectively.

“More than three-quarters of those surveyed admitted that they had illegally downloaded music at least once,” says the Guardian. “By contrast, just one in six said they exclusively used paid-for services.”

However, it’s extremely doubtful if the Mori sample properly represents the online music-loving community and it’s therefore even more doubtful that the flat-out statement ” more than half of all consumers still download music illegally over the internet” is anywhere near accurate.

Moreover, as is now the norm with the supposedly fair and impartial corporate press, the Guardian fails to make even a slight attempt to counter-balance the highly questionable data it’s presenting almost as fact.

It goes on, “The survey, conducted by Mori for the internet service provider AOL UK, also highlighted a large degree of confusion among consumers about whether or not they were breaking copyright laws by using illegal sites. Only four in 10 said that they understood the law.”

Since when did the average person have the slightest need to know anything about copyright law? To suggest it should be necessary is complete nonsense. But the billion-dollar PR and propaganda campaign by Organized Music, the discredited EMI, Sony BMG, Vivendi Universal and Warner Music, has been so successful that government administrations and school authorities have been bamboozled into believing copyright law is an essential a part of educational programs.

Consequently, schools in North America and Europe are being flooded by spurious ‘educational’ materials which purport to ‘instruct’ even children in junior schools on the ins and outs of IP and copyright law.

Organized Music’s ‘educational’ efforts are, of course, barely disguised marketing schemes specifically designed to get at children while they’re young and impressionable. Nor is OM alone in this. The software and movie industries are doing exactly the same through efforts which blatantly use school staff as vehicles and which are largely paid for by taxpayers.

Willy the Weasel (upper right) is the p2pnet version of the Business Softwared Alliance’s Garret the Ferret, “one hip copyright crusader,”as the New York Times put it, going on, “The cartoon character urges young cybercitizens toward ethical downloading and – in baggy jeans and a gold ‘G’ medallion – reminds them that copying and sharing software is uncool.”

God help us. And this success is largely down to unswerving support from the print and electronic press corps, which should have been questioning these appalling marketing schemes instead of supporting and promoting them.

“The British Phonographic Industry [BPI] has spent much of 2005 getting tough with those who illegally share large volumes of music over the web,” the Guardian goes on. “It has taken legal action against more than 150 internet users, half of whom have paid settlements of up to £6,500 to avoid court action.”

But, “despite the fact that a large number of those targeted by the BPI are believed to have settled on behalf of their children, more than half of those surveyed would not ban their children from downloading music illegally. One case involved a London jazz singer who was fined £2,500 after her 19-year-old son shared 1,330 songs using the family computer.”

The Guardian is referring to the BPI version of the sue ‘em all campaign currently being run by another Organized Music-owned unit, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). Sadly, the BPI effort was presented by another important UK newspaper, in this case The Times, as genuine ‘news’

Meanwhile, what does AOL have to do with online music?

It “sees music as a major draw in persuading people to upgrade to broadband,” says the Guardian and, speaking of phony educational programs, “To mark the launch of its Play Legal campaign, it will launch a new website to educate consumers and team up with rivals to adopt a new kitemark-style logo that will appear on legal download sites.”

Jon Newton – p2pnet

Also See:
Guardian Online – Music industry failing to halt illegal downloads, poll finds, December 20, 2005
OM fluff releases – p2p file sharing is on the rise, December 20, 2005
blatantly use – They’re brainwashing YOUR child, July 4, 2005
p2pnet version – Hollywood vs p2p: Phase III, February 8, 2005
genuine ‘news’ – File sharing: The Big Lie, June 7, 2005

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 21st, 2005 at 7:18 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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