AfterDawn: News

Music industry monitors P2P downloads

Even though the music industry has little to gain from P2P piracy, there's still some aspects to it they find worth paying for. One of them is P2P search and download statistics.

Major labels, such as Warner Bros., Disney and Atlantic Records buy P2P usage statistics from BigChampagne, a company that has been monitoring for instance Kazaa since 2000. BigChampagne monitors, for instance, how many times their customers' artists show up on search strings, how often their songs are shared and how many times they are downloaded. The record labels can use the statistics for instance to determine which artists are popular in certain areas, and direct their marketing accordingly.



BigChampagne doesn't record the user names of people sharing files, but does use the IP addresses to analyze the geographic location of the users. Gathering statistics always involves the question of privacy, but P2P users sharing and downloading copyrighted material are hardly in the position to complain.

Source:
Yahoo.com


Written by: Jari Ketola @ 18 Nov 2003 12:55

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• 6 comments

• GrayArea

  QUOTE>"Even though the music industry has little to gain from P2P piracy..."
  
  How about millions of people hearing artists they would have never been exposed to otherwise? Gosh, think that could stimulate sales of music CDs?
  

  We mustn't lower ourselves to the level of those we loathe, lest we become loathsome ourselves.
  

  18.11.2003 14:04 #1

• strcruzer

  SO the RIAA membership is using the demographic info to assist them in marketing to the masses.... So therre is a real use for P2P within the RIAA...
  
  Again, as long as they can use it or control it they want it.
  

  Starcruiser
  
  Intel 440BX MB, Dual Intel 1.2Ghz P3's, 2GB RAM
  TDK 440N, 390GB ATI AIW 8500DV Win2k Srvr
  

  19.11.2003 04:28 #2

• tribal-t

  Looks the RIAA would be surprised if a lot of old people in Florida started downloadomh Britney Spears songs!

  19.11.2003 09:59 #3

• tribal-t

  Looks the RIAA would be surprised if a lot of old people in Florida started downloading Britney Spears songs. Do kids still download songs from the rolling Stones?

  19.11.2003 10:04 #4

• Toiletman

  Stats are for people who don't want to fight it out properly.
  

  When you are on your deathbed, you will wonder, "Did I waste my life? Was it worth spending all that time on that?" Do not despair, no one has wasted their life. After all, you can only waste something if you throw it away. And you can't throw life away.

  20.11.2003 14:33 #5

• alxdotnet

  Clever on their part...more downloads means more money lost. They are aiming to conserve profits.
  

  Comp 1: Dell Inspiron P4 2.4Ghz / 512 MB RAM with 24x CD-RW and Firewire In, SVideo Out running XP Pro
  Comp 2: Dell Dimension P3 550Mhz / 384MB RAM with old 2x CD-RW running XP Home.

  20.11.2003 16:35 #6