p2pnet.net News:- So it turns out that indeed you can have your cake and eat it too!

The Australian Record Industry Association has released its sales figures for the first half of this year showing an improvement over their performance last year, and according to the ARIA, compared with sales in the first half of last year:

• There has been an increase in sales of over $12 million or 5.8%, to $224 million
• 3 million extra CD albums were shipped to retail, a 17% increase (however declining wholesale price meant only 4.65% more money).
• Digital sales which in total only equated to 1.5% for all of last year, in this period amounted to 5.5% but only 0.7% are for full albums
• Australian artists now make up 31.8% of the Top 100 albums chart compared (27 artists) to 23% last year.

But the vital statistics they fail to include in the press release are:

• Number of individual file sharers sued = 0
• Number of file sharing networks currently being sued = 0

The ARIA is, though, being cautious at predicting a rise over the rest of the year – and we’re expecting another interest rate rise from the Reserve Bank and most of us have just had our industrial relations rights abolished so consumer spending will be under pressure….

What’s that? No mention of PIRACY??????

Sally Hawkins - p2pnet, Australia
[Hawkins is a former musician and songwriter who decided to study law after doing a course in Music Business Management in 1991; she’s worked for various departments in both Federal and State Australian Government, holds a Bachelors Degree in Legal and Justice Studies (Criminal Law), a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and is currently a postgraduate student with Southern Cross University writing a thesis on Copyright Law/P2P File Sharing.]

Also See:
download the song files - New RIAA promo tool: Kazaa, July 26, 2006
cynical new association - Kazaa owner’s DRM plan, August 4, 2006
Ars Technica - Record labels evasive about in-house use of file sharing apps, September 11, 2006

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