The London School of Economics and Political Science has just released a new study examining the effects of file-sharing on the entertainment industry. Their results are markedly different than what those industries have been claiming. This study was produced for the British government in particular, so that the government can consider sources of information beyond that provided by the entertainment industries themselves.
“Contrary to the industry claims, the music industry is not in terminal decline, but still holding ground and showing healthy profits. Revenues from digital sales, subscription services, streaming and live performances compensate for the decline in revenues from the sale of CDs or records,” says Bart Cammaerts, one of the authors of the report.
And the US movie industry has had record breaking profits over the last few years. Piracy doesn't seem to have slowed them in the slightest.
The report also states that file-sharing actually benefits these industries through promotion of music and films, and that the file-sharers are actually among the industries best customers. These ideas should give the MPAA and RIAA executives some apoplectic fits.
And finally, the report says that instead of punitive actions against individual file sharers, the British government should be working to expand fair use rights and individual copying provisions in future copyright legislation.
You can read more at TorrentFreak. And you can view the original report from LSE here.
