Hi,
I'm in the middle of a project examining the
phenomenon of filesharing, - especially why it is so popular compared to
official download services, even though it takes place under heavy
fire from the entire entertainment business (both in courtrooms and through more
or less radical actions by the rightful owners of the shared
content).
But before I dig into both the obvious
user-oriented as well as the deeper grounded cultural and network-specific
reasons, that can reveal some level of clarity, I would like to know if there
exists any statistical data on the usage of filesharing, e.g.
- How many share files on a regularly basis (eg.
daily, weekly, monthly)?
- What is the usage growth rate?
- What
filetypes are the most popular (music, software, films - listed in
percentages/GB )?
...and answers that lies within the area
of those questions
KaZaa has achieved the 230 millions of
downloads-mark on Download.com, and the different organisations that represents
the entertainment business (RIAA, BSA and others) has released their
statistical data on piracy to follow their views on the matter. But I need some more exact figures on filesharing
specifically, and would appreciate any help available through this mailing list
for Internet researchers. And is this field quantitatively examined in a
properly manner at all?
In addition, I would like to know if any other
researchers share this interest? In that case don't hesitate to contact
me.
I'm new to this list, so I'm sorry if this
request crosses earlier threads on the list, but please bare with me if that is
the case.
Thanks in advance and kindest
regards
Jeppe Bo Pedersen
Student, MA in Mediastudies
University of Copenhagen, DK