How Do Seeders Profit From BitTorrent?

arcticstoat writes "As you may remember, a recent study claimed that just 100 users were responsible for downloading 75% of BitTorrent content, and were doing it for money, raising a lot of questions about the study. How do you profit from seeding, and how can the same 100 users be responsible for 75% of downloading and 66% of uploading. The details of the study are clarified in an interview with one of the key researchers, showing that the study's actual statistic is that 66% of the original seeds indexed on the Pirate Bay come from just 100 users, and these seeds then go on to account for 75% of downloads. The interview also details how it's possible for this small number of seeders to make a profit from seeding, via embedding links to their own indexing sites in the filenames and bundled TXT files, which then get money from advertising if downloaders decide to visit the site, assured of quality downloads. Meanwhile, other ways of profiting include 'premium' registered accounts."

Comments

Really?

[Anrego]

_AGAIN_ with this nonsense?

I strongly doubt anyone is getting rich from the trickle of people who actually go to the URLs found in torrent info files. They seem to be more for notoriety than profit.

Yes, the trackers make money of the ads.. but unless there is some secret backroom deal where TPB and others funnel money to axxo and friends.. I don’t see the corollary between index site traffic and motivation for users to seed.

People do it for the e-pene. People were (and still are) doing this on IRC long before there was any way to make a profit. People insist on keeping their share ratios up, even when not required... and they see no profit either.

And the interview doesn’t _detail_ anything. It quickly explains some very shallow “research” with plenty of bias, then makes a pretty dubious guess, and finally proceeds to make an even lamer admonishment of people who illegally download.

_AND_ using TPB and Mininova as your main source of data good grief.

This isn't a few guys who've had a look at what's happening on BitTorrent a couple of times and made notes

Weird... cause that’s exactly what it feels like. This thing reads like some high school kid’s half assed research project. They grabbed some data.. made a bunch of broad assumptions.. then proceeded to unsubstantiated correlations.

This whole “study” is a complete joke. If these researchers had any brains they’d just let this thing quietly die and move onto something else.

Re:Really?

[Anrego]

someone who likes to pirate entertainment

I'm actually pretty good about paying for content these days.

As for research... this thing was completely torn apart the last time it graced slashdot. Ergo the top bit of my comment. The fact that these points have been brought up by a huge number of people, and from my recollection arn't even touched on by the study, to me shows that their research was pretty thin. They are the ones writing the study.. they should have researched why I (and the huge crowd who share the same opinion) are wrong and presented that.

Or here's an idea.. _actually_ talk to a file sharer. Someone managed to get an interview with axxo once.. so it's not impossible.

Re:Really?

[Colonel Korn]

I admire the way you've cited good solid research in your rebuttal. If you hadn't backed up your statements about why "people do it," your comments would have come across like just another angry sounding, defensive opinion from someone who likes to pirate entertainment.

Note that the "researchers" making this extraordinary claim also cite no data, only speculation. Also, note that extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Honestly, if someone looks angry and defensive and out of touch with reality here it's you, not the GP.

Re:srsly?

[KingMotley]

Kleenex.

lol reminds me of Microsoft vs. Open Source

[jollyreaper]

Balmer: Sir, there is a new threat facing us, Open Source.

Gates: No bother, we'll just rip off what they do and when they sue us we'll buy the company.

Balmer: It doesn't work that way. They're busy trying to emulate the look and feel of Windows. They're ripping us off.

Gates: Then we'll sue them.

Balmer: There's no company to sue.

Gates: If we can't buy them or sue them, what are we supposed to do? Let's go after the programmers. Surely we can pay them more than they're making right now.

Balmer: They're not making anything right now.

Gates: What? Preposterous! Anything worth doing is worth doing for money. What could possibly motivate them?

Balmer: Love and the respect of their peers. I assure you I am as baffled as you are.

Most of this stuff was done as a hobby, for bragging rights. It's like any other kind of hobby people get involved in. People were surfing and rock climbing and flying model airplanes long before there was any sort of sponsorship involved and sponsorships were basically from companies looking to cash in from association with the hobby, either trying to become a lifestyle brand like soda companies aligning themselves with extreeeeeeeeeme! sports or actual suppliers of the equipment wanting to get their name out amongst the participating amateurs.

The mistake these people are making is assuming that what motivates them motivates others. Usually it happens the other way around, people doing it for the love getting disillusioned by those doing it for the money so it's always nice to see it go the other way around for a change.