THE EFFECT OF PEER-TO-PEER FILE SHARING ON INDEPENDENT RECORD LABELS

by Speck, Robert C.

This study describes a web-based questionnaire survey of the effects of peer-to-peer file sharing on independent record labels in the United States and Canada. The owners and managers of such labels were contacted via email and asked to participate anonymously in the survey. The survey encouraged them to describe their labels, estimate the financial impact file sharing has had on their labels, and share their opinions of file sharing.

A total of 883 label owners and managers were contacted. Ninety-seven responded. The data was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. The survey results indicate that approximately two-thirds of the respondents favored file sharing and reported that it either benefited or at least did not harm their businesses. However, a consistent proportion of the respondents either opposed file sharing or had no opinion of it at all. Finally, most of those respondents who included comments with the survey expressed opposition to file sharing.