"dilvie" <dilvie@removethiss.dilvie.com> wrote in message
news:aLogb.53873$%h1.37096@sccrnsc02...
>
>
> Reverend Lovejoy wrote:
>
> >>A temporary solution, at best. Fans are already swapping ripped DVD's..
> >>true, they're currently compressed beyond belief, but as technology
> >>advances, this will obviously change.
> >
> > At which point, it would be prudent to increase the value of DVDs again.
>
> I agree that increasing the value is good. I don't think that it will
> stop "piracy". I don't think it will even have a measurable effect on
> copyright infringement.
No, it will never stop piracy. People will download movies more and more
over the next several years. But it will help curb the sales slump the
industry is suffering. Let me explain.
Lets say you download an album off of Kazaa at 192 or 256. You really like
the album, become a fan of the artist, etc. So you go to the store, and
spend 20 bucks on the CD. But in this case, the CD doesn't offer anything
that you didn't already have on your computer. Yeah, you get a jewel case
for your collection, but in all likelihood that CD will just sit on your
shelf, because it's not even as versatile as the mp3s you already have. The
value of a CD to consumers has fallen sharply to (I'm guessing) maybe around
5 dollars. Not the 20 they see fit to charge. So in the minds of consumers,
they're paying 20 dollars for a 5 dollar item. Not a situation that's likely
to result in high consumer satisfaction.
Compare that to a movie. Let's even say that you can download a complete
movie with a High Definition picture and Dolby 5.1 sound. You really like
it, so you go to the store and get the DVD. Now, you not only have a case
for your collection, but you have oodles of special features, makings of,
interviews, whatever is packed onto that DVD. Everything a fan could want,
typically 10 or more hours of entertainment, all for around 18 dollars if
it's new, 15 if it's a few months old, and typically less than fifteen for
an older movie. Do you have more than you downloaded? yes. Was it worth your
money? yes.
I think this explains why CD sales are falling while DVDs fly off the
shelves. I don't believe that piracy and CD sales are correlated at all (or
if they are, by a very weak correlation, probably in the opposite direction
the RIAA assumes). It just has to do with the value and quality of the
product being offered, and by offering more (which, incidentally, wouldn't
cost all that much more), you increase the value of the product to the point
that consumers will be more likely to spend discretionary funds on it.
--
"I remember another gentle visitor from the heavens, he came in peace and
then died, only to come back to life, and his name was E.T., the extra teres
trial. I loved that little guy."
- Reverend Lovejoy, The Simpsons
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