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P2P File Sharing Ruining Physical Piracy Business
TorrentFreak has a short post up talking with a former physical data pirate, who sold his wares in flea markets and made buckets of money in the 90s. By the end of the last decade, his money flow had dried up, and he places the blame squarely on the shoulders of P2P file sharing. "Tony is very clear about why his rags to riches story has gone back to rags again. 'File-sharing, P2P - call it what you like. When you asked a customer why he wasn't buying anything, 9 times out of 10 it was BitTorrent this, LimeWire that ...' P2P is a very powerful machine and although Tony could see that his operation was feeling its effects, he admits that he sat back and did nothing about it and consequently, his business has paid the ultimate price. Other industries affected by P2P should take note: Don't be a Tony. Overhaul your business model. Quickly." One would imagine overseas media sellers will have similar issues, as P2P networks become more common outside of the Western world.
I have. I live in Sao Paulo, Brazil. We have dozens of "physical pirates", and I think they are doing pretty well, considering they are open for years. And I'm not talking about Mr. Tony with the CDs on the side walk, I'm talking about whole BUILDINGS with pirate stores, that sells movies and games as they are launched in the US, and sometimes sooner. Ask anyone who lives in Sao Paulo and they will tell you the same thing.