Bittorrent & P2P File Sharing
With the now common use of Bittorrent and P2P file sharing media companies are facing huge problems trying to adapt as their entire catalogues of films, music, video games and comic books are available for free online. While slowly moving to adopt solutions such as iTunes and online distribution, sites such as The Pirate Bay which offer bittorrent files are thriving. It is impossible to try and regulate or police the use of these sites now that they have become part of the accepted internet culture, with most users having no problem with what is described as "stealing" media.
So how can a media company still sell a product that is online for free? One thing i have found is that companies producing products which retain some kind of product "aura", an artistic value and rarity beyond the common mass produced product, have a better chance of success than replicating what the consumer can already get for free in a digital form. This applied across all media and can include deluxe extras, special packaging and other additions to create a more materially attractive object then just a plain CD, DVD, Book etc. Several music artists have found that distributing online for free and relying on live concert revenues is one way in which the music industry is moving. The comic book industry has likewise found that while interest in the industry and medium is growing rapidly sales are remaining the same as many users are simply getting their product online, something that remains distinctly different to other media forms for print.
It seems that over time as digital forms become the normal distribution methods that companies will have to do far more to maintain the material side of their products beyond the digital.
Posted by Nicko Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:03:00 GMT