Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Recording Industry's Unexpected Benefit from P2P

Posted by Cliff on from the having-their-cake-and-eating-it-too dept.

Matthew Schultheis writes: "Yahoo / AP is reporting that the record industry is using the files traded on Kazza et al. to track where music is popular. It turns out that they even pay for this information. 'It's the most vast and scalable sample audience that the world has ever seen'" Now if they could only use this data to somehow put out better music...

4 of 335 comments (clear)

  1. You mean... by Fnkmaster · · Score: 5, Insightful

    P2P is just like radio, only the people actually listen to music they _like_ instead of shit that the stations are payed to pimp out as top 40? Fucking amazing. These guys are geniuses.

    1. Re:You mean... by paulthomas · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Oddly enough it serves as a mere extension of corporate radio's long arm. How do you discover new music on P2P? Geeks may know about things like iRate Radio, but your average P2P user is going to download the trash that the radio tells them to like. And next, listen to this new Madonna/Britney smash hit! -Paul

  2. Optimistic Aren't You? by femto · · Score: 5, Insightful
    > Now if they could only use this data to somehow put out better music...

    Naah. They'll use it to reduce the quality of the music down to the 'most efficient level', whereby the quality of the music is just above the level at which it stops selling.

  3. Re:Eh? by spacecowboy420 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You make it sound like selfishness is not a virtue. What drives the world? Certainly not solidarity.

    Selfishness is a character flaw, not a virtue. Unfortunately, it is also human nature. If not for selfishness and greed, we could have a true altruistic society; one where everyone worked for the good of the community instead of themselves. In other words, selfishness is why communism is only good on paper.

    --
    ymmv