For those unfamiliar with the term, “sneakernet” refers to the act of using external devices to transfer files from one computer to another. These files can, of course, be music files. A recent study by the British Music Rights (BMR) organisation suggests that sneakernet is a bigger threat to the music industry than filesharing.
While the RIAA is going after people for using filesharing networks like Limewire and Ares, kids are swapping the contents of their hard drives with each other on a daily basis without fear of being prosecuted.
Feargal Sharkey, who leads the BMR, said that the problem online is dwarfed by what goes on offline. This harks back to the argument that we have all been copying cassettes and tapes for years without being told that we have been doing anything wrong.
According to the study, home copying remains more popular than filesharing. Some people still even record off the radio. Food for thought as the filesharing battle rages on.
Related Articles
Like this? Subscribe to the feed.
Del.Icio.Us! | Digg! | Redditt! | Stumble!If you found this page useful, consider linking to it.
Simply copy and paste the code below into your web site (Ctrl+C to copy)
It will look like this: Sneakernet may be more damaging than filesharing
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.