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# Digital NARM Day 2 Panels – Piracy & Consumption
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/digital-narm-da/
- Published: 2008-05-08T03:55:00.000Z
- Updated: 2008-05-08T03:55:00.000Z
- Description: Much of the discussion on yesterday’s first panel “Digital Copyright Crossfire” focused on how the industry should respond to unauthorized file-sharing. The panelists offered many of the typical arguments –. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2008/05/digital-narm-da.html]
- Author: Bruce Houghton
- Tags: Uncategorized, digital music, NARM, p2p, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 11:06

[![Mp3_players_2](https://hypebot.typepad.com/hypebot/images/2008/05/08/mp3_players_2.jpg "Mp3_players_2")](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/08/mp3%5Fplayers%5F2.jpg&ref=hypebot.com)

  
Much of the discussion on yesterday’s first panel **“Digital Copyright Crossfire”** focused on how the industry should respond to unauthorized file-sharing. The panelists offered many of  
the typical arguments – ISP policing, litigation, and new business models that can compete with free music.

On one side, **Cary Sherman (RIAA)** and **Rick Carnes (Songwriters Guild)** seemed to suggest that if illegal downloading were curbed sufficiently, file-sharers could be converted into paying customers. But **Jonathan Potter (DiMA)** and **Michael Petricone (CEA)** argued that the music business is now consumer-driven and monetizing these customers depends on offering innovative, valuable alternatives.

Clearly, there is disagreement about what drives piracy and what to do it about it. The **“Data, Trends & Analysis”** panel offered findings on the nature of file-sharing, purchasing and music consumption:

**Eric Garland (BigChampagne)** said a large portion of P2P users also purchase music legitimately. However, when those people stop their P2P activity and only acquire music by…

buying it, the amount of purchasing they do does  
not increase. Garland also reported that of all the music downloaded  
illegally, 75% gets listened to at least once, but much of it does not  
receive repeated listens.

> **COMMENTARY:**The fact that people didn’t buy more music when they stop using P2P suggests that reducing file-sharing – to  
> the extent that’s possible at all – won’t necessarily increase download  
> sales. The fact that people don’t really listen to a large portion of  
> the music they download from P2P could mean: that they listen once and  
> decide they don’t like it; that they forget about it or it gets  
> substituted by other content; or that they download just because it’s  
> there but don’t necessarily intent to interact with it in the first  
> place. Either way, it’s unclear what portion of P2P activity could  
> truly be monetized.

**Glen Lipsky (SoundThinking NY)**  
described the path from discovering a particular piece of music to  
purchasing as a long one – sometimes months – that varies from person  
to person. She noted that the more listeners interact with free  
content, the more likely they are to make a purchase at some point in  
the future. The key for sellers, according to Lipsky, is to make  
content available and easy to acquire at the moment that listeners make  
the decision to consume content. Because listeners will take the path  
of least resistance when it comes to acquiring music.

**COMMENTARY:**  
These findings suggest that the digital music market is indeed a  
consumer-driven, and that sellers will have to find a way to be  
accommodating and patient with listeners in order to engage them  
economically.