Stevevirgin's Blog

As idiotic government officials prepare to legislate against illegal file sharing and music downloads, stunning new research sponsored by moneysupermarket.com, points the way to the correct answers to this problem – a new business model that releases most music for free, but then charges a small pemium for high CD-recording quality music downloads to those who wish to purchase copies for themselves whenever they need to do so. Instead of pandering to the phonographic and copyright industries and their (understandable) desire to make money for their charges – they should be looking at the bigger picture and stimulating innovation and findings new ways through social media applications to stream services ranging from books, music, council and government services, films, clothes, shoes – anything in fact through this new broadband based business model.  What governments should be doing is following the Finnish model of making 100Mg broadband the right of ALL CITIZENS within five years, thereby stimulating the digital economy, creating jobs, creating innovation and entrepreneurship, creating a potential new Silicon Valley style culture of creativity. Instead, European governments are piling all efforts into fines, punishment and pandering to vested interest groups. The phonograpic industries could earn more from adopting a posture that encourage MORE Spotfify’s – they could measure usage more accurately and get an infinite number of smaller chunks of revenue instead of smashing a few thousand clubs, pubs and bars almost out of existence with extortionate licence fees. Their audience would move from the few thousand that their licences are milking and that they are slowly forcing out of existence through their greed – and their audience and revenue could come from the 1.5bn people online all over the world instead. OK – the amounts they could grab would be smaller at first, but if they cooperated with this new business model no one would begrudge them. They’d also be backing the countries in which these copyright dictators currently operate and finding MORE ways to market for the singers, songwriters and entertainers they represent than there are at present. Legislation is all too often dictated by the ‘interest group’ that shouts the loudest and is the best organised in terms of lobbying government officials. The new ‘three-strikes’ policy is a prime example of this.

The orginal article…www.techwatch.co.uk

Apparently music streaming service Spotify is helping to curb the appetites of illegal file downloaders in the UK. Research sponsored by moneysupermarket.com indicates that 62% of those who admit carrying out illegal downloads reckon that Spotify has helped them reduce the amount of files they are illegally grabbing. James Parker, Broadband Manager at moneysupermarket.com, said: “With Spotify joining the ranks of legal music sites, illegal downloading seems set to become much less popular.”

“Streaming music for free or for a reasonable fee whilst on the move could spell the end for illegal downloading and could even send the CD the way of the mini-disc and cassette tape.” The survey of 2,300 people also highlighted the fact that illegal downloading is worse amongst men – 16% of males admitted it, in comparison with 9% of women. Although that could just mean women are better liars. But the most telling statistic emerged in terms of age – 30% of under twenties said they engaged in the practice

http://www.techwatch.co.uk/2009/11/06/spotify-aids-fight-against-piracy/