Slashdot Mirror
Has Any Creative Work Failed Because of Piracy?
Andorin writes "Anyone familiar with the piracy debate knows about the claims from organizations like the RIAA that piracy causes billions of dollars in damages and costs thousands of jobs. Other studies have concluded differently, ranging from finding practically no damages to a newer study that cites 'up to 20%' as a more accurate number (PDF). I figure there's got to be an easier way to do this, so here's my question: Does anyone know of any creative works that were provably a financial failure due to piracy? The emphasis on 'provably' is important, as some form of evidence is necessary. Accurately and precisely quantifying damages from p2p is impossibly hard, of course, but answering questions like this may lead us to a clearer picture of just how harmful file sharing really is. I would think that if piracy does cause some amount of substantial harm, we would see that fact reflected in our creative works, but I've never heard of a work that tanked because people shared it online."
I love Lady Gaga
You mean Madonna Jr.? Every time I see something from The Gaga, I keep seeing Madonna instead...
Additionally, I find that using objective measures for things like music is bound to get a lot of false readings. Music is art, some bits of it are completely subjective and undefinable. For example, there are two tracks out there called The Most Wanted Song and The Most Unwanted Song. The composers did a survey about what aspects of a song people most liked and disliked. Listen to them, and form your own opinions, but I personally find the Most Wanted Song is unlistenable and the Most Unwanted Song is, while not a masterful serious work, utterly hilarious and something I'd actually like to listen to.