The beginning of the end for P2Ps/Torrent Sites?

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Originally Posted by Sean

Listening to a preview is one thing. But if you then walked out of the CD store with CDs you didn't pay for, then that's stealing. And that's exactly the same as downloading a free digital copy of an album or single that's commercially available.

No, that is not exactly the same. This is the RIAA's way of thinking and it's ridiculous. One downloaded copy != one lost sale. In some cases, yes. In many others, no. If the single sold 1000 copies and was downloaded 9000 times, do you think that in a world without filesharing it would sell 10000? There is really not a good way to tell - it could sell 1000, 2000, 10000, 500...who knows. Albums/singles have failed before the internet as there was no real exposure. The RIAA and MPAA want to treat files as though they were physical objects when they are not. A man who downloads four million albums for himself is not affecting the industry. However a man who obtains four million cases of beer without paying for them is depriving many stores and the beer industry out of lots money because they can actually sell those objects.

I don't think it's as cut and dry as you're making it out to be. Nearly 95% of the CDs I own are a result of filesharing. So has practically every show I've been to. If it were not for filesharing the music industry would have lost thousands of dollars from me personally.