Pirated pop keeps stars popular

BBC News (U.K.) ^ | May 14, 2009

[Schnucki]

File-sharing sites help make popular acts more popular, finds a study.

The research, by industry body PRS for Music, showed the most pirated pop songs tend to be those at the top of the music charts.

There was little evidence that file-sharing sites helped unsigned and new bands find an audience, it found.

It suggests file-sharing sites are becoming an alternative broadcast network comparable to radio stations as a way of hearing music.

Long tail

The study, carried out by Will Page, chief economist at the PRS, and Eric Garland, head of media tracking firm Big Champagne, looked at patterns of music usage among file-sharers.

It aimed to see if that pattern of use had any lessons for the way music is marketed and sold.

Many have claimed that the unprecedented amount of choice on the web would give rise to new models of music distribution.

This "Long Tail" argument, say the authors, claims: "If you offer people more choice, and help them make that choice, they will take that choice."

If true, this could mean that music makers should focus attention away from a few popular acts towards the mass of bands with smaller, dedicated followings.

However, found the pair, usage on file-sharing sites closely mirrors that on legitimate music sites. There was no evidence of the Long Tail operating.

The authors wrote: "Much of the volume (sales or swaps) is concentrated amongst a small proportion of the available tracks."

The reason for this, claim the authors, is that there is too much choice on file-sharing sites.

The breadth of music available means that people do not have time or do not want to search through it all or listen to it all for the tracks that they might like.

Instead their searches are constrained by what they see