A recent study done by PRS for Music indicates that most pirated pop songs tend to be those at the top of the music charts. PRS for Music (or previously The Performing Rights Society) is the home to the world’s best music writers, composers and publishers. According to them, the file sharing sites have become broadcast networks in today’s time, a popular alternative for hearing music, comparable to radio stations.
Studying the patterns of the music on file sharing networks, Will Page, chief economist at the PRS, and Eric Garland, head of media tracking firm, Big Champagne carried out this research. Interestingly, the study (as reported by BBC) found out that that there is little evidence to support the idea that file-sharing helped unsigned and new bands find an audience.
However, the study also says that people who downloaded free music online from file sharing networks were more likely to listen to music and bands they had never heard before as compared to those who had to buy it off an authorized music store.
The authors of the research say:
“After taking into account some geographic differences, the top of the many music charts, from licensed and unlicensed venues, are markedly similar…. BigChampagne had never seen a big hit on the pirate networks that was not also a top seller in the licensed world”
File sharing sites can be a relief for a lot of people; however it has encouraged a great deal of piracy as well. The new and varied choices on the web have obviously led to new models of music distribution. Do you think that the music companies too should think of file-sharing sites as comparable to radio and TV as broadcast networks?
We have seen a few bands launching their albums solely on mobile platform in the recent past. Going further, as per these studies, we could soon see the file sharing platform as an accepted platform to launch new music releases. This will help getting them recognized as a main stream broadcasting media. The platforms promise to have a definite edge in providing ease of access and selection of songs.
Why pay for the whole CD when what you really want is just one particular song from the album? Various business models can be built around it to create a win-win situation for both the artists and the audience.
Internet is remarkably changing how we consume the content and how the traditional business models are changing to leverage the internet’s power reach.
(Image credits: PRSforMusic)