p2pnet - rss feed: CRIA own goal
p2p news / p2pnet: While the CRIA regularly trumpets commissioned studies as evidence for the problems posed by P2P, this week it released a major study without any fanfare whatsoever.
Conducted by Pollara last month, the study serves as part of CRIA’s submission to the CRTC’s Commercial Radio Review. What makes this particular study interesting (aside from the fact that it finally includes full details on responses and the actual questions posed), is that much of the data challenge many familiar CRIA claims.
Particularly noteworthy findings in the 144 page study report (appendix one) include:
- The survey asked for the sources of music on people’s computers. Among those who download music from P2P services, the top source of music was ripping copies of their own CDs (36.4%), followed by P2P downloads (32.6%), paid downloads (20.1%), shared music from friends (8.8%), downloads from artist sites (5.6%), and other sources (2.9%). In other words, even among those who download music from P2P services, the music acquired on those services account for only one-third of the music on their computers as store-bought CDs remain the single largest source of music for downloaders (page 53).
- For all the emphasis on the teenage downloaders, it is interesting that the 35 to 44 age group had the largest spread between CDs and P2P as the source of music. Among that demographic, 31 percent of their music comes from P2P services and 27 percent from ripping their own CDs (page 69).
- Consistent with many other studies, people who download music from P2P services frequently buy that same music. The study found that only 25% of respondents said they never bought music after listening to it as a P2P downloaded track. That obviously leaves nearly 75% as future purchasers, including 21% who have bought music ten times or more. Note that demographically, the lowest percentage of non-buyers actually belonged to the 13 to 17 year old demographic (page 70).
- The 13 to 17 year old demographic also happens to be the largest purchasing group of music, buying an average of 11.6 music CDs or DVDs in the past six months. Close behind are the 18 to 24 age group at 10.9 music CDs or DVDs. By comparison, the older demographics may not download much music but they don’t buy much either. The 55 - 64 age group bought 4.2 music CDs or DVDs, while the 65 and up age group bought 2.8 music CDs or DVDs (page 92).
- As for music buying trends, the study also asked whether purchasing patterns had increased or decreased over the previous year. The data was inconclusive with 28% buying more, 35% buying less, and 37% saying they didn’t know (page 93).
- More interestingly, the survey also asked why people bought less. Only 10% of respondents cited the availability of music downloads. Instead, people cited a long list of alternatives that have nothing to do with downloading including price (16%), nothing of interest (14%), lack of time (13%), collection is big enough (9%), don’t buy (7%), listen to radio (7%), change in tastes (6%), no CD player (3%), have an MP3 player (2%), lack of opportunity to buy (2%), watch more tv (2%), age (1%), only buy what I like (1%). Simply put, P2P simply is not a major factor behind decisions to buy less music (page 95).
In summary, CRIA’s own research now concludes that P2P downloading constitutes less than one-third of the music on downloaders’ computers, that P2P users frequently try music on P2P services before they buy, that the largest P2P downloader demographic is also the largest music buying demographic, and that reduced purchasing has little to do with the availability of music on P2P services.
I’ve argued many of these same things, but now you don’t have to take my word for it; you can take it from the record labels themselves.
Michael Geist
[Geist is the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa. He can be reached by email at mgeist[at]uottawa.ca and is on-line at www.michaelgeist.ca.]
Also See:
Canadians are thieves: CRIA, September 29, 2005
March 18th, 2006 at 5:43 pm
Considering that most of these industry commissioned surveys have an agenda to serve, these results should be used as a strong counter weight against the lobbying of witch hunt legislation. As Canadians we shouldn’t let our rights and liberties be taken hostage by a select group of pigopolists. Our American friends only wish they could turn back the clock, we shouldn’t let them tamper with it in the first place !
March 18th, 2006 at 5:49 pm
This is RIAA’s reaction to CRIA’s findings. http://tinyurl.com/9ejtc
March 18th, 2006 at 5:53 pm
LOL I was expecting a spindogle, but that basicly sums up the entire DMCA.
March 18th, 2006 at 7:32 pm
So if 1/3 of the groceries in the fridge are stolen, that’s ok? Tell me, what’s the difference?
Everyone knows that the youngest consumers of music both download and buy. Your a-historical perspective is a sloppy interpretation of the research…
March 18th, 2006 at 7:53 pm
So your solution is to sue children raiding 1/3 the food in the fridge? That solution is not working and IS a historical fact, corpratist pig.
March 18th, 2006 at 8:23 pm
very good…well structured argument, you must be in law at U of O…
March 18th, 2006 at 8:48 pm
All this points to the idea that not only is misrepresentation the theme of the day but that in truth the established cartels are still missing the boat.
Sueing those that you depend on for long term income is never a good idea. This only brings that out. Those that buy the most are those that are exposed the most to new stuff. Since the payolla scam has been shown to be in full swing, you can pretty well tell that new stuff isn’t so much the thing that the cartels are after as much as it is repeat play to encourage the buy. Hearing the same songs, hour after hour, isn’t what customers are looking for. They’ve for the most part had 30 years in many cases to buy it if they wanted it.
So where do you go to hear new stuff? Only one place I know of with sureity that I will find that and that is p2p. I’ve been burnt enough with the crap filler to know I am not going to part with money without hearing the full enchilada. Once you have given your money, you don’t get it back. Under that type of deal, I’m no longer willing to just fork it over on the idea that MAYBE I will like it all.
With the coming of the digital age and now the protections that the cartels want on their products, I can’t just go sell that digital file because I find I got tired of it, or it wasn’t what I thought it would be. Once you have bought it, it’s yours till the next virus or trojan wipes it off the hd. What you can’t do is transfer it, be that to someone else or to another type player to fit your lifestyle. The reasons for buying for ownership have left the building and with it, so has my money for buying those newer items. Sony rootkit has done nothing to inspire me to even consider a change of heart in the purchase. As it stands now, buying music isn’t such a good deal.
March 18th, 2006 at 8:58 pm
After reading the parent post, that reply certainly was well structured.
March 18th, 2006 at 11:00 pm
Not to mention funny as hell. Seriously though, I don’t see the big deal with the original analogy, which actually doesn’t really make a good argument. See, I visit my parents, I eat and drink stuff from their fridge. Friends come to my place for a visit, they eat and drink the stuff from my fridge. It’s called sharing. They don’t mind and I don’t mind. You can pass a law that says we can no longer do this, and that everyone must buy and “consume” their own food stuffs, but do you really think anybody would follow such a clearly insane law? This applies to anything. I lent my car to my cousin the other day. Oh no, he didn’t go out an buy his own! That means he just robbed the local dealership of money! Not only that, but I let my wife play Half Life 2 using my account. Oh no! She robbed Valve of money that clearly belongs to them! Sheesh, get a life. It’s all about greed, nothing more, nothing less.
Closer to the news topic, I would say this study is probably pretty much right on target. Personally about four fifths of the music on my PC was ripped from CD’s, albums I’ve been buying since 1985. I would say about one fifth is from P2P, and is made up of stuff I started downloading at about, oh, the same time that I stopped buying CD’s because of the greedy acts of the music industry, like suing paying customers, their key demographic and bread & butter. Wow, when you look at it, the reason I have anything from P2P networks at all was solely because of their own actions. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! Only a small amount is ripped from albums borrowed from friends and family members, and likewise they’ve borrowed stuff from me from time to time. I don’t buy per download DRM’ed stuff at all from places like iTunes, nor the rental places. I do listen to a lot of internet radio too, which is abundant and completely free. Of course, I’m not in the key demographic, so that probably explains why this come out a little differently from the study. Still, it’s a strong statement that they can try to ignore, which they are attempting to do, but when you you wipe away the FUD they’ve created, you still see that facts are facts, aren’t they. Shows once and for all how dumb the industry was back then a few years ago. But that’s what happens when you panic and react without making sure your game plan is actually sound. Hard to put the bullet back in the chamber once the gun has been fired, especially where pride is involved, and you won’t find anyone more prideful than the rich out there, people whose sole purpose in life is usually to have more even if they don’t need it. Personally, I would call this biting off more than you can chew, and man do they EVER have a giant mouthful of gooey, super sticky toffee now lol!
March 19th, 2006 at 4:31 am
If you could make a copy of the food in that fridge, why would anyone care as they still have their original food to eat.
March 20th, 2006 at 3:22 am
…for doing everything first.
Now we all know how to avoid fucking up our own countries.
March 20th, 2006 at 3:32 am
LMFAO Martin Luther King couldn’t of said any better