Now this is interesting. Michael Geist, who holds the Research Chair Of Internet And E-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, has been writing about a research report recently published by the Canadian Recording Industry Association which, he says, actually suggests a number of claims made by trade organisations like the CRIA regarding the use of P2P file sharing networks are not true. In fact the research seems to suggest that, in Canada at least, the existence of P2P networks actually encourages the legitimate purchase of music - an idea frequently put forward by those that oppose the major record companies' hardline approach against P2P.
Writing on his website, Geist says: "While CRIA regularly trumpets commissioned studies as evidence for the problems posed by P2P, this week it released a major study without any fanfare whatsoever. Conducted by Pollara last month, the study serves as part of CRIA's submission to the CRTC's Commercial Radio Review. What makes this particular study interesting (aside from the fact that it finally includes full details on responses and the actual questions posed), is that much of the data challenges many familiar CRIA claims".
Commenting on some of the reports findings, he continues: "The research concludes that P2P downloading constitutes less than one-third of the music on downloaders' computers, that P2P users frequently try music on P2P services before they buy, that the largest P2P downloader demographic is also the largest music buying demographic, and that reduced purchasing has little to do with the availability of music on P2P services. I've argued many of these same things, but now you don't have to take my word for it; you can take it from the record labels themselves."
From what we hear the report didn't suggest that the music industry should openly embrace all things P2P, but it did provide some evidence to back up what many have claimed for a while - that P2P has not had anywhere near the impact on record sales the major labels suggest, and that P2P users, while downloading large amounts of music from illegal sources, are also often the music industry's best legitimate customers.
The research has not received huge amounts of coverage, even in Canada, but it will be interesting to see if the findings have any impact on the P2P debate there - as previously reported, copyright laws in Canada are particularly slack when it comes to online file sharing, and the CRIA, supported by the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry, are lobbying for new legislation to enable a crack down on P2P usage akin to that being pursued in the US and elsewhere.