The recent acquittal of Alan Ellis, administrator of one-time music sharing site OiNK will have shaken the anti-piracy lobby to the core. Several things have become clear as a result of this lengthy and oft-delayed trial:
1) Proof of conspiracy in file-sharing is very, very difficult, throwing the whole legal battle wide open despite the best efforts of the music industry's legal representatives.
2) People will pay for what they want if it is delivered well and in a usable manner (i.e. without DRM).
3) A considerable amount of money can still be made in music sales.
4) The next generation of file sharing is already coming to prominence (VPN).
With Ellis reported to have had over £200K in PayPal donation accounts (yet only spent it on server maintenance), this clearly shows that the model of P2P music 'sales' works. The music industry continues to put a 'per song' value on content, in the same vein as previous delivery methods like CD, but that model has long been torpedoed and still they fail to realise that. Surely some value is better than none at all and that it is time for the industry to embrace P2P. The OiNK case shows that there is still money to be made...if you utilise the technology and, more importantly, heed the needs of your customers...
The more things change, the more things stay the same...and the spirit of Napster lives on
No comments:
Post a Comment