Yet Another Study Suggests File Sharers Are Frustrated Buyers

from the but-is-it-true? dept

"Movie industries obviously want to make their content available online, but they can't compete currently with a free alternative that's perpetrated through theft. Once there is a level playing field, I think you'll begin to see a lot more flexible, innovative business models."

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We've seen plenty of studies like this one in the past, but here's yet another in a long list (this one from Australia) suggesting that people who are file sharing unauthorized files are really frustrated consumers , who would pay if there was an actual reason to. That is, it suggests the reason they go to file sharing sites is because they're easier and more convenient, not just because it's free. While I'm sure that's true of some people, I'm not convinced the numbers in this report are anywhere near accurate. This was done as a survey, and surveys are notoriously inaccurate when it comes to having people tell you what they would do, compared to what they actually would do. Frankly, while studies like this do point out that file sharers are often willing to buy -- if given the reason -- the setup of the survey actually gives the industry a false milestone to work towards. It gets them back to thinking that there really is a market for digital goods, when the economics suggest they should be looking for scarcities, not trying to price infinite goods.Of course, even with that false hope, the industry still is confused. The response to the study from Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft was that the industry won't "compete" with unauthorized file sharing until it goes away Talk about getting it backwards. The reason they have to compete is because file sharing is there. And, of course they can and do compete with free alternatives all the time, and have for ages. Saying you can't compete with free is a lie. Providers compete on things other than price all the time. In fact, saying you can't compete with free is a direct misunderstanding of what the survey appears to say: it's saying that consumers are more than will to pay for greater value, but the industry refuses to provide it. Saying you won't compete until the market changes in your favor is basically signing your own death warrant.

Filed Under: australia, buying, consumers, file sharing, study