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Music Piracy Destroying Economy

ArrrrYou thought it was the subprime mortgage crisis behind recent global economic instability? Wrong! Remember that mp3 you downloaded the other day? That's what did it. I hope you're sorry. Yesterday, the Dallas, Texas-based Institute for Policy Innovation released a study that says worldwide piracy of recorded music costs the US $12.5 billion and 71,060 jobs annually. The Institute came up with those numbers by combining jobs in sound recording and retail, as well as lost earnings and taxes, and then multiplying them by ten thousand, apparently. And yes, their Dallas headquarters should give you a clue as to their political leanings: the IPI was founded by Dick Armey, and was ranked as "super freaking conservative," by a conservative research center. So these are the people angry at Bush for being too liberal.

No word on whether the study took into account all the glamorous blogging jobs that have actually been created by this whole downloading trend.






Comments

Well, I can tell you actually took a look at the study.

Our study is a serious attempt to do what economists do--try to quantify in economic terms a phenomenon that everyone knows is happening, but no one knows how much it matters.

The study is serious, and credible, and you would know that had you bothered to do anything other than knee-jerk off of our press release.

Wow, conservative, and feisty too! I think my point, embedded in sarcasm as it may be, is pretty clear: that there's no evidence any one of those illegally-downloaded songs would actually have been purchased if it wasn't availble for free, so the methodology of the study is flawed, and the numbers are meaningless, inflated to provide greater fodder for the draconian anti-piracy tactics of the RIAA. But thanks.

Posted by: Party Ben on 08/23/07 at 11:26 AM  Respond

@ Tom Giovanetti
Your organization is a propaganda machine for conservative interests; you're a mouthpiece for the financial elite.

And you didn't even consider all of the jobs you create just by being a right-wing propagandist... Google your name. Go on, google "Tom Giovanetti." Isn't it amazing how much information there is on you out there? Now just think how nice it is, all those jobs people have, keeping track of which special interest groups give you money to keep spewing your intellectual property worship.
Big Oil? Yep. Big Tobacco? Yep. Microsoft? Maybe.

I'd keep ripping into you for being the scourge of the Internet (yes, you're worse than the worst spammer) but a nice gentleman already did it so well over here:
http://www.p2pnet.net/story/13117

And I'll just leave everyone with this gem of wisdom:
"Regarding the field of possible Republican Presidential nominees, put me in the camp of people who are still holding out for Newt."
-- Tom Giovanetti (from his blog)

Posted by: Deusey on 08/27/07 at 8:07 PM  Respond

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