95% of music downloads are pirated

For every 5 paid downloads there are 95 unpaid or pirated downloads! I would guess that for porn its closer to 1 paid for every 99 illegal. We cannot survive with odds like that!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009...egal-downloads

95% of music downloads are illegal
Despite a boom in digital music sales, an industry report has found that the majority of online music was downloaded for free with no payments made to artists

Ninety-five per cent of music available online is downloaded illegally, according to a report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Despite a record growth in digital music sales last year, and an industry that has "transformed its business models", the report says the majority of music was downloaded for free with no payments made to artists.
The report highlights a new generation of subscription services for digital music, including the evolution of social networking sites such as MySpace Music, as evidence that the industry is adapting to the digital environment. There was also a rapid expansion in mobile phone partnerships such as Nokia Comes With Music, which claims to offer unlimited free music to its clients for an annual fee.

"Music companies have changed their whole approach to doing business, reshaped their operations and responded to the dramatic transformation in the way music is distributed and consumed," said John Kennedy, chairman and chief executive of IFPI. However, it doesn't seem to have curbed the boom in online piracy. Research carried out in 16 countries by the recording industry body found that over 40bn files were illegally shared in 2008.
On the positive side, paid-for single track downloads saw a 24% global rise in 2008, while digital albums were up 36%. It is estimated that the digital sales are now worth $.3.7bn worldwide (£2.5bn).

"There is a momentous debate going on about the environment on which our business, and all the people working in it, depends," said Kennedy. "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."

You know, when it comes to digital content im actually positive that the adult industry has contributed more harm towards content piracy than good, for over 20 years we have been bombarding internet users with the mindset that 'free' is good and as of yet, we still havent managed to curtail the excessive amounts of free digital content hitting the internet in its various form.

I was reading a thread on a straight forum the other day where a webmaster was seriously asking about offering DVD content for free, as 'samples' to his DVD library paysite, not just clips or scenes but full DVDs... As 'freebies'.

Things will get bad before they get worse when it comes to digital content piracy and so long as we keep the lead in offering as much as we can for free in the adult industry, its going to be many, many years before digital piracy and content theft starts to lose ground.

I have used the anology before of walking in to a Baskin Robbins and asking for a sample of one of their flavors, the store clerk doesnt give you a full scoop, in a waffle cone, with your choice of toppings, you get less than a teaspoon sized sample, the adult industry by comparison has been giving out whole scoops for years, maybe now that we are in an economic crisis things will start to change on this front but, in all honesty i dont have high expectations that they will.

Regards,

Lee

You are preaching to the choir! When you give people free ice cream cones, then they come to expect all ice cream cones to be for free!